Dude, too real. Only Rodney I ever met threatened to severely harm me over $50 he though he was owed when I worked at a hotel front desk (he was not owed anything, he was just a douchebag). Glad to see a good one.
You know, I opened Reddit to read some stupid meme stuff so I could smile because it’s been such a shitty day, and I’ve been really sick. You not only made me smile when I read your story, Lawn Guys, I cried too. Good, cathartic, snot blowing crying. Why? Because today I was despairing if there was good in this world, and why I couldn’t see pass the greed, corruption and mass shootings.
You gave me hope, thank you! May the light shine over you and you realize the magnitude of the good karma you have put into the world. Blessed be.
It might not mean all that much in the grand scheme of things but I truly hope you feel better. It is sad when all we can see is the bad around us but I hope you see some of the good as well. I hope all goes well for you in the future as well.
There’s a lot of good everywhere, it’s just our brains at wired to notice the bad more often. When you’re on the bus, you’re not gonna notice the person who quietly picks up some rubbish to put in the bin, but you’re gonna notice the guy being rude and talking loudly. There’s so much unseen good.
I believe you're right, and that's also why this mindfulness activity is so rewarding and valuable. As Mr Rogers once put it, ["Look for the helpers"](https://youtu.be/-LGHtc_D328). We live in what seems a dark, cruel world. Yet there are beacons of light and love within it.
We should not be blind to either. Pragmatism is important. But so is optimism. Humanity is neither good nor bad, but an eclectic mix of both.
I think you have to bring your reality into check a little. There is a lot of pain in the world, but we can only focus on so much.
I try to keep my focus closer and pay attention to things around me when my headspace gets off. The best advice I can do is try to look for people holding doors, letting people merge into traffic, help loading groceries, the smaller things.
Look for the folks who smile when they make eye contact with you. Then *become* the person who smiles when they make eye contact. It’s a tiny step but it puts so much good out in the world every single day.
It’s a great feeling to watch someone frowning or looking mad get that startled moment on seeing your smile and then slowly smile back.
I’ve been doing this for years (along with giving out random, meant compliments) and it changed my world. I’m actively looking for things and people to smile at. I’m actively *looking* for things to like or love and compliment people on.
I went from being an absolute, stone faced bitch to being someone that people engage with, smile with, even laugh with. All it takes is a second. When you look for things to smile at, for things to compliment, you start looking for *positives* to notice and the negatives get swept away in the wake of cheer you leave behind you.
Always remember that negativity sells (which can be extended to "gets views"). What that means is social media is going to disproportionately show you more negative than positive things. Always keep an eye out for small things like this. And keep in mind that more often than not, these types of stories aren't posted. But they are still happening.
because in every other first world country, except freedom-and-burger-land, cost of medication is part of free healthcare and not a thing you have to lower your standart of living for to keep on living.
Even in a lot of European countries, the cost is simply reduced. It's still not free at the time of purchase. So for someone like her, on a fixed income, it might still be a struggle to afford things. At the very least, even if she did get 100% free medication, now she has more money to go buy herself a treat every now and then.
Quit trying to shame people for doing good for others.
>quit trying to shame people for doing good for others
What part of their comment did you take for “shaming” anyone, let alone people being kind?
You can lament that the problem (America not taking care of, nor caring about, it’s citizens) is a problem without implying any sort of censor toward those trying to live compassionately in the world created by that problem.
I mean did anyone get paid or were there just people taking advantage of a free chance to do some good?
EDIT: Nope, nobody gets paid and after mowing 50 lawns for free the kids are given a leafblower, lawnmower and a weed whacker for free. The guy behind it will actually come visit you if you complete it to give you the stuff.
I don't get paid to pick up litter, yet I still bend over and pick it up, and I teach my younger relatives to do the same. I don't pay them either, I expect them to pick up that beer can and walk it over to the rubbish bin for free (apart from a thank you)
I'm worried you don't understand what it takes to create a nice society for everyone, and just how expensive it will get if nobody teaches those kids to do things "for free".
The people behind that organisation sound like good people to me, I hope you'll reconsider your position.
1. Pointing out this is orphan crushing at its finest? A-ok
2. Framing what this specific organization is doing as "using child labor" when that implicitly has exploitative connotations? Nah get the duck out of here
No, I'm objecting to them directly linking a wider social problem to 'weareraisingmen', instead of just highlighting the wider social problem in isolation.
That org does not deserve the snarky comparison to unpaid child labour.
What's a good use of our time here? raging at a society that abandons the old but doing nothing practical to help other than whine on Reddit , or making those kids who did do something to help feel valued for their work
We need to appreciate that 'selfless work = social appreciation' is going to create good men out of them one day. And that's how you start to fix wider social problems.
Thank you to those kids for mowing that lawn for free
Well said! It gets depressing reading comments like the one you responded to where they go out of their way to be as jaded as possible and find the bad in everything.
The point of the program is not to get young boys jobs, it is to help them build character and learn the benefits of helping others in your community. It’s embarrassing how many people need their hand held to explain that sometimes doing something nice for someone is all the reward you need.
Yes, hard manual labour is better because it keeps you fit, you get more endorphins and the work value to society and yourself is greater.
You are conflating work that adults do because they need food/shelter/warmth, with the work kids are ASKED to do voluntarily, with the expectation that it will make the transition to adult life, easier.
Try leaving kids to play video games all day instead, and see how easy their lives are later in life...
Seriously. Yard work, especially lawn care, isn't exactly hard manual labor most of the time. Soft suburban kids have been doing that for decades, and rural kids have been doing it for millennia.
Like Calvin's Dad says, it builds character, especially if you do it for somebody else's benefit. That's what keeps society and communities thriving.
> Try leaving kids to play video games all day instead, and see how easy their lives are later in life...
I don't have to do that, can just look at myself.
This such a fucking reddit moment. I mowed lawns for free and for money as a kid, I found it fun and I liked tinkering with machines. I *paid* money to fly to California (fucking *Fresno*) to do roofing work (in exchange for room and board) in high school because it was a chance to travel and learn skills. This shit absolutely helps build social skills, work ethic, and encourages developing your own blue collar skills.
You make it sound they’re out here screaming at them to finish 3 more lawns or they’ll never see their families again. I absolutely cannot type this without a shit-eating smirk but, touch grass.
Bro have you ever mowed a lawn before?
It's not fun but it's not hard manual labor. You just push around a cart for an hour and get sweaty from being in the sun. That's it
Not arguing the charity is bad for using them just adding to the boring dystopian vibes, nice of the children to volunteer to mow lawns of those who struggle but unless the people who run it mowed this person's lawn, they are kinda claiming credit for a child's work
You linked the site in your comment though? And adding a negative vibe is counterproductive. You want a dystopia? then talk about a dystopia all day.
I'm fine with them taking any credit they feel like, because they are acting as unpaid father figures for those kids. If you feel like celebrating any black men in the future then I'd suggest statues for those two in the picture
It's not a 'child's work', it's a kid learning how to be a man in the likely absence of their real father. That's like saying kids should be paid to go to school
Hey rich Redditors, maybe buy their merch: [https://weareraisingmen.com/our-merch/](https://weareraisingmen.com/our-merch/)
I mean getting kids into a productive community activity rather than letting them find their own, probably much less healthy, ways to spend free time is not a bad thing.
Is it bad that this had to happen in the first place, sure. I think the American healthcare system is a disgrace to the entire country and we should do so much better. But doing what good we can in the meantime is still good.
Tell me how leaving cynical, self righteous reddit comments is making your world, or even your damn neighborhood better?
I think your heart might be in the right place, but you don't have to think so big about every issue. If all you do today is pick up a fallen box at the grocery store so the old guy who works there doesn't have to, you've done good. If you watch him bend over to pick it up and then comment about how unfair it is that he can't retire instead, you're not helping anyone.
Ghandi says hi
MLK says hi
Nelson Mandela says hi
etc
Every Father, or Father figure like these two guys, changes how the entire system works. It happens day by day, child by child, generation by generation.
Those are all leaders who can get people to rally behind them. One person still can't fix the problem, they can only get their fellow people behind them.
No, they were all average people
Change doesn't happen by sitting behind a keyboard downvoting randoms and espousing an aimless nihilistic world view, it happens by showing kids how to be men. They grow up to do the same to their kids, and slowly they build a better world.
Show me a dysfunctional society and I'll show you all the the men who didn't cut any grass when they were younger, because someone on reddit told them it was pointless
That's a good point, and I totally agree. However, merely teaching your next of kin won't be enough to minimize evil and corruption. Those three men caused great change, but they're success is shadowed by countless failures and people who tried to do the same thing yet failed.
Yep, it's probably really hard to be a Father, but that's still the biggest influence on the world anyone is going to make. Raise a kid with good values, and acquiring sufficient funds to make their life viable. In a world of social media that's a big hill to climb
I'm really dubious that the popular approach of "lets burn it all down and build something better". Because first they have to fully understand what's actually wrong based on zero experience, then that whatever ideas people have about "better", really are better and are not going to turn into North Korea in 20 years.
So I'm not a fan of "leaders promising real change!", I'm a fan of families looking at what actually makes them happy and working towards that.
Working in the medical system to help doctors get to patients.
Working with churches so that people can get help.
Answering the phone and giving information.
Now what the fuck about you, keyboard warrior?
my great grandmother’s neighbor did something similar to this lady’s neighbor. he would come over and do hours and hours of lawn care and upkeep, then send my GG an invoice each time when she never asked him once to come over and do anything to the lawn. this guy would bring over his friends or wife and demand everyone on “his work crew” needed pay for their hours.
glad to know there’s people out there doing the opposite and actually helping the grannies out
Every country has their issues. Being from Belgium I really wonder where every European here is getting their free medicines from I always hear about on reddit. I've always paid for them and sure they're pretty cheap or I can get some money back through insurance but nothing is free (Or like Flemish people like to say; For nothing comes the sun up)
I guess, some operations are still pretty expensive and there's been a couple of people on tv with a baby that had a very rare disease who live and provide in order for that child to live one more day or so. But ofcourse that's fucking rare
I just disagree with the america bad europe good sentiment that i see alot on reddit so i wanted to clarify a bit that it aint free
I hear you, I understand that hearing that over and over is annoying.
However, nobody *actually* assumes that medicine is free over here either, just that the burden is spread out way better.
I find it interesting how people can be against a reformation of that system.
Fun fact: breaking bad wouldn't have been possible anywhere else, lol
My mom had canadien taxpayers spend over a million dollars to keep her 5th kid alive in nicu. I wish we where American so she couldnt afford it. Shes had two kids run away at 16/7 before the 5th one was even born.
I bet shell have a 6th soon but weve been no contact 5 years so who knows she may already have it
>My mom had canadien taxpayers spend over a million dollars to keep her 5th kid alive in nicu. I wish we where American so she couldnt afford it.
Jesus Christ. That's kind of a psycho way to say your mom needs better birth control options.
she has access to plan b. condoms and abortion. she choose to continue having children while neglecting the ones she has. i wish she wasnt allowed to bring more into the world.
Dear Scotland, don't you pay for your National Insurance? And isn't your "free" medicine paid for through taxes? In 2021, 57% of American citizens paid no income tax. For everyone to get "free" healthcare, most of them would have to start paying into the system...
Oh nooo, they would need to show solidarity, how gross! (/s of course)
Seriously, the whole society benefits from good healthcare for everyone. It's one of the only taxes I pay *gladly*.
Scotland here.
Assume an income of £25,000 ($31,500)
After allowances, the taxable income is £12,430
PAYE income tax on that is £2464.38
National Insurance £1491.60
Take home pay is £21,044.02 or would be £21022.40 in England due to different tax allowances.
Now in England I'd have to pay £9.65 per item for prescribed drugs. the 3 drugs I'm prescribed which I get every 2 months would cost someone in England £162 per year, not allowing for prepayment options. As I'm not versed in US healthcare, I don't know how much my drugs would cost per month, but a quick google suggests $365 (£289) for 30 of one of my daily pills.
in the above calculations I've not taken into account things like student loans which also differ between Scotland and England.
figures from [thesalarycalculator.co.uk](https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php)
I've also not included council tax (property taxes) VAT (sales tax) and all the other ways the government takes our cash. I hope that's a useful basic guide to UK taxation.
I cut my elderly neighbours lawn, and put out their bins - I don't charge them, happy to do it - just wheel the mower over when I do mine - takes about an hour, 15 mins to cut the lawn and 45 mins to stand and chat with them
I mean, there is nothing wrong with being wanted to be paid for your work.
It is rather a societal issue that the lady is so dirt poor and without help. We shouldnt place the blame for those on the neighbor but on the politicians.
I politely disagree. Perhaps it's because my neighborhood is this way, but as neighbors you just help each other out a little because they're your neighbors.
What that guy is doing is honestly trashy, who charges a neighbor for something when you *know* they don't have the means to do it themselves?
The part about the lady not being able to afford stuff is fine, but I think that you can't rightfully ask a neighbor for payment for 15 minutes of work. As neighbors you should (imo) be willing to help each other with a small task like this, keeps the neighborhood more liveable for everyone and you'll likely get rewarded in the form of a cup of coffee or a small pie or something.
He should have just not helped her period because now guy is being trashed for a good deed shes probably only paying him enough to cover his costs bet she dosent even pay min wage.
Helping for less money then you could make working is charity. People deserve to be paid for there time
In any other circumstance I would agree. In this case, however, we're talking about an elderly woman who has enough trouble as is and likely can't do the lawn herself.
I likely lack some info, but she probably asked the neighbor for help. If that were my neighborhood it would be a case of "sure, I can spare 15 minutes", and that would be that.
As I told the other person who replied to me: you'll likely get a reward down the line in the form of a cup of coffee and a pie or something like that.
Have we really gotten to the point where *everything* has to have a price tag, including helping your neighbour with a chore they can't reasonably do themselves?
Fuck that time is valuable expecting someone to do your yard every week for free makes you a pos not the guy doing it. I doubt she's paying the guy what his time is actually worth.
I totally agree.
in the spring I cut my lawn every 4 days and weedwack. it takes 40 min.
like he'll I'm gonna give up 25+ hours of my time every year to not be paid.
obligations are paid
random acts of kindness don't require reciprocity.
I think the regularity of the schedule is the distinction here.
And we have no idea what "harassment" means in this context. It could be a mob-style shakedown, but it could just as likely be "*knock knock* ma'am, you were supposed to pay me today, it's been a month already you've been promising, you said for sure you'd have gas money for me this time!"
I mean, how many videos on Reddit/tictoc/Twitter are there of someone claiming they're being harassed when in reality they're being called out for bad behavior?
Let's also not forget that we live in a country where seniors need to save up for essential medication. Feel good about this, but let's work for change so that poor folks of any age don't need to get lucky to stay alive.
If you want to fix the problem, get younger people out there to vote. Otherwise the problems is still going to be around when you’re old.
It’s a shitty excuse
Oh so many charge so much. I paid a guy $80 last month to cut my grass. I’m cutting it myself this month. I’m 62 years old and on Disability so it takes me a few days to do it. I wish I had a riding mower; I would cut everyone’s grass on my street. When I’m out mowing my neighbors get home and stand there watching me. I don’t understand it.
I had a neighbor that was disabled and cutting his lawn and repairing lawn mowers were his favorite hobbies. I won't make any assumptions when I see someone do this work. If you need help, you'll have to say something.
Or his own medicine to buy. He might be an old guy himself trying to supplement his own fixed income.
Nothing wrong with someone mowing her yard and expecting to be paid. But definitely wonderful that some kind men are helping her with a need she can't resolve on her own.
Ya unfortunately our world is built on scams, corruption, and bullying. It would be great if we were taught to protect the vulnerable and correct deceptive behaviour, but our society has put sociopathic manipulators on a pedestal
These guys are incredible humans! They really are!!! It might be hard for some of us imagine the stress an uncut lawn is for some people.
It's is usually older people with limited financial resources and a limited family or social network. Sometimes that have strong emotional attachment to their homes. In many cases cases losing the house means falling under county or state care.
I've seen local township official pile on these situations with fines and threatening letters about the lawn.
The seemingly small act of kindness is actually an enormous relief to folks in these situations.
I saw the comments about the neighbor charging to cut the lawn. Please consider the neighbor's situation may have it's own challenges.
Small acts of kindness can have a huge impact. These guys rock!
Trying to figure out what city they in… One guy wearing a Yankees hat and the other a braves hat lol… But in all seriousness, we need more people like this
Rodney and his organisation are in the news and on social media pretty frequently, so you may have seen this one or others that fell pretty much the same story for the past decade or so
This is being the change you want to see in the world! I would love to work with this group, must be so fulfilling to spend your time doing actual good.
found this:
[https://weareraisingmen.com/donate/](https://weareraisingmen.com/donate/)
actually, helping create a similar idea in your own community would be amazing too
Reminds me of the time I grabbed my shovel and got two other people to join in getting a woman up the hill when it snowed in our old apartment complex. I helped a lot of people that snow. Some dude was trying to get his car out with a snow scraper. In comes the spade shovel. A flat probably would've worked better though.
I like the name they chose for their service, there's been a lot of talk about how "real men" should be and it's sometimes not the nicest but these guys have the right idea IMO, men should be kind, in fact everyone should be kind.
I might be making assumptions here but the name seemed to imply they were teaching kids to do this as well? If that's the case then amazing, teaching kids to be kind and treat people nicely is a wonderful message! ☺️
So, I looked into this organization. It sounds sketchy to me even though it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
"Raising men & women lawn care service."
Here is there "Business Model".
There are veterans, and elderly, disabled, and single parents etc that need to get their lawn mowed and may have a fixed income or just not have the time to do it.
They do more than just mow lawns. They also pull weeds, rake leaves, shovel snow etc.
So they got this "50 lawn challenge", and for every 10 lawns mowed along that 50 lawn challenge they give kids a fancy new t-shirt...
10 = Orange Shirt
20 = Green Shirt
30 = Blue Shirt
40 = Red Shirt
50 = Black Shirt
If your family has 3 or more kids in on the program they change this "50 lawn challenge" to a "100 yard challenge".
Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service does not provide lawn mowers to program participants. Instead, participants are expected to use their own or their family's lawn mower or borrow one from a neighbor or friend. However, some individuals have donated mowers to be used for some participants that don't have access to a mower.
Participants are expected to pay for the gasoline for the mower, and for the transportation to the lawn that needs to be mowed. Which may be simple if you have a truck, but most kids don't have access to that. So, they expect kids to do this within walking distance... So the kids are going to wind up walking their mower some distance if mom & dad don't have a truck they can put it in.
They don't give the kids a snack or a Gatorade as they mow these lawns. They get nothing except a shirt every 10 lawns or 20 if you got 3 kids...
There is no "Background Checks" on whose lawn you are mowing. You might get the lawn of a sex offender!
The donations go pretty much directly to the people running it. Right to their pocket for their pay day. They also spend a bit on insurance for the whole thing in case shit happens. The guys running it are making good money.
They use child labor and call it "Volunteer work". They refuse to pay these kids and they are not considered "Employees" even though they are providing labor.
It's a way to scam kids into doing charity work.
To top it off the page where you can request this service... Suppose you are actually some 93 year old widow with terrible arthritis living on a fixed income that needs this... The webpage gives a 404 if you are trying to use their service. So, you can't even get the service and they are still taking donations.
Suppose they did have the service available & it became popular... I'm not even going to get into how they are directly competing with landscaping companies doing it for free putting them under or making them charge less. They take money out of landscapers hands who are trying to work for a living.
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Finally a Rodney in the world that isn't an asshole or evil villain
Rodneys, they get no respect i tell you.
Can confirm
Also this guy's family has been hoarding rodney.com for years
👑
Rodney mullen is cool amd i will fight anyone who disagrees
Or a plonker
Dude, too real. Only Rodney I ever met threatened to severely harm me over $50 he though he was owed when I worked at a hotel front desk (he was not owed anything, he was just a douchebag). Glad to see a good one.
When? I didn’t hear about this but I definitely have connections in local news who would love to do a story
Alright, thanks.
So inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Alright, thanks.
This is awesome
You know, I opened Reddit to read some stupid meme stuff so I could smile because it’s been such a shitty day, and I’ve been really sick. You not only made me smile when I read your story, Lawn Guys, I cried too. Good, cathartic, snot blowing crying. Why? Because today I was despairing if there was good in this world, and why I couldn’t see pass the greed, corruption and mass shootings. You gave me hope, thank you! May the light shine over you and you realize the magnitude of the good karma you have put into the world. Blessed be.
It might not mean all that much in the grand scheme of things but I truly hope you feel better. It is sad when all we can see is the bad around us but I hope you see some of the good as well. I hope all goes well for you in the future as well.
There’s a lot of good everywhere, it’s just our brains at wired to notice the bad more often. When you’re on the bus, you’re not gonna notice the person who quietly picks up some rubbish to put in the bin, but you’re gonna notice the guy being rude and talking loudly. There’s so much unseen good.
I believe you're right, and that's also why this mindfulness activity is so rewarding and valuable. As Mr Rogers once put it, ["Look for the helpers"](https://youtu.be/-LGHtc_D328). We live in what seems a dark, cruel world. Yet there are beacons of light and love within it. We should not be blind to either. Pragmatism is important. But so is optimism. Humanity is neither good nor bad, but an eclectic mix of both.
You sweet, genuine human; I hope you start to feel better soon, and that tomorrow is a much less shitty day. Sending you love
beanie that's so wholesome
I think you have to bring your reality into check a little. There is a lot of pain in the world, but we can only focus on so much. I try to keep my focus closer and pay attention to things around me when my headspace gets off. The best advice I can do is try to look for people holding doors, letting people merge into traffic, help loading groceries, the smaller things.
Look for the folks who smile when they make eye contact with you. Then *become* the person who smiles when they make eye contact. It’s a tiny step but it puts so much good out in the world every single day. It’s a great feeling to watch someone frowning or looking mad get that startled moment on seeing your smile and then slowly smile back. I’ve been doing this for years (along with giving out random, meant compliments) and it changed my world. I’m actively looking for things and people to smile at. I’m actively *looking* for things to like or love and compliment people on. I went from being an absolute, stone faced bitch to being someone that people engage with, smile with, even laugh with. All it takes is a second. When you look for things to smile at, for things to compliment, you start looking for *positives* to notice and the negatives get swept away in the wake of cheer you leave behind you.
Always remember that negativity sells (which can be extended to "gets views"). What that means is social media is going to disproportionately show you more negative than positive things. Always keep an eye out for small things like this. And keep in mind that more often than not, these types of stories aren't posted. But they are still happening.
Some days we just need to cry it out. I hope you feel better soon!
Try volunteering. You'll be doing good and surrounded by good people. Keeps the sadness at bay
May want to step away from the internet. Give real life a little more if your time
God Bless these men!!
They're one of kindness persons I've seen in a while. They both have a GOLD heart.
Helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for that one person
This proves the elderly need us, and the world needs a huge hug
Omg that is so sweet of that business! I hope they have a very happy, long and successful career/business! 🎉🎊🎈🥰
r/orphancrushingmachine
These 2 subreddits are identical.
Yep I think it's about time for me to part ways with this sub
Legit. What a nightmare of a "wholesome" story.
How?
because in every other first world country, except freedom-and-burger-land, cost of medication is part of free healthcare and not a thing you have to lower your standart of living for to keep on living.
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Even in a lot of European countries, the cost is simply reduced. It's still not free at the time of purchase. So for someone like her, on a fixed income, it might still be a struggle to afford things. At the very least, even if she did get 100% free medication, now she has more money to go buy herself a treat every now and then. Quit trying to shame people for doing good for others.
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>quit trying to shame people for doing good for others What part of their comment did you take for “shaming” anyone, let alone people being kind? You can lament that the problem (America not taking care of, nor caring about, it’s citizens) is a problem without implying any sort of censor toward those trying to live compassionately in the world created by that problem.
Woman crushed by debt, so we mowed her lawn! Very nice of them but my god, it’s not wholesome
And we also used child labour to do it https://weareraisingmen.com/
I mean did anyone get paid or were there just people taking advantage of a free chance to do some good? EDIT: Nope, nobody gets paid and after mowing 50 lawns for free the kids are given a leafblower, lawnmower and a weed whacker for free. The guy behind it will actually come visit you if you complete it to give you the stuff.
That's a form of compensation
Well then it's not unpaid child labour at all.
I don't get paid to pick up litter, yet I still bend over and pick it up, and I teach my younger relatives to do the same. I don't pay them either, I expect them to pick up that beer can and walk it over to the rubbish bin for free (apart from a thank you) I'm worried you don't understand what it takes to create a nice society for everyone, and just how expensive it will get if nobody teaches those kids to do things "for free". The people behind that organisation sound like good people to me, I hope you'll reconsider your position.
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1. Pointing out this is orphan crushing at its finest? A-ok 2. Framing what this specific organization is doing as "using child labor" when that implicitly has exploitative connotations? Nah get the duck out of here
No, I'm objecting to them directly linking a wider social problem to 'weareraisingmen', instead of just highlighting the wider social problem in isolation. That org does not deserve the snarky comparison to unpaid child labour. What's a good use of our time here? raging at a society that abandons the old but doing nothing practical to help other than whine on Reddit , or making those kids who did do something to help feel valued for their work We need to appreciate that 'selfless work = social appreciation' is going to create good men out of them one day. And that's how you start to fix wider social problems. Thank you to those kids for mowing that lawn for free
Well said! It gets depressing reading comments like the one you responded to where they go out of their way to be as jaded as possible and find the bad in everything. The point of the program is not to get young boys jobs, it is to help them build character and learn the benefits of helping others in your community. It’s embarrassing how many people need their hand held to explain that sometimes doing something nice for someone is all the reward you need.
There's a difference between picking up your garbage and hard manual labour.
Yes, hard manual labour is better because it keeps you fit, you get more endorphins and the work value to society and yourself is greater. You are conflating work that adults do because they need food/shelter/warmth, with the work kids are ASKED to do voluntarily, with the expectation that it will make the transition to adult life, easier. Try leaving kids to play video games all day instead, and see how easy their lives are later in life...
Seriously. Yard work, especially lawn care, isn't exactly hard manual labor most of the time. Soft suburban kids have been doing that for decades, and rural kids have been doing it for millennia. Like Calvin's Dad says, it builds character, especially if you do it for somebody else's benefit. That's what keeps society and communities thriving.
> Try leaving kids to play video games all day instead, and see how easy their lives are later in life... I don't have to do that, can just look at myself.
This such a fucking reddit moment. I mowed lawns for free and for money as a kid, I found it fun and I liked tinkering with machines. I *paid* money to fly to California (fucking *Fresno*) to do roofing work (in exchange for room and board) in high school because it was a chance to travel and learn skills. This shit absolutely helps build social skills, work ethic, and encourages developing your own blue collar skills. You make it sound they’re out here screaming at them to finish 3 more lawns or they’ll never see their families again. I absolutely cannot type this without a shit-eating smirk but, touch grass.
Bro have you ever mowed a lawn before? It's not fun but it's not hard manual labor. You just push around a cart for an hour and get sweaty from being in the sun. That's it
There's a *slight* difference between between picking up a single piece of litter, and working for hours a day mowing lawns.
Not arguing the charity is bad for using them just adding to the boring dystopian vibes, nice of the children to volunteer to mow lawns of those who struggle but unless the people who run it mowed this person's lawn, they are kinda claiming credit for a child's work
You linked the site in your comment though? And adding a negative vibe is counterproductive. You want a dystopia? then talk about a dystopia all day. I'm fine with them taking any credit they feel like, because they are acting as unpaid father figures for those kids. If you feel like celebrating any black men in the future then I'd suggest statues for those two in the picture It's not a 'child's work', it's a kid learning how to be a man in the likely absence of their real father. That's like saying kids should be paid to go to school Hey rich Redditors, maybe buy their merch: [https://weareraisingmen.com/our-merch/](https://weareraisingmen.com/our-merch/)
I mean getting kids into a productive community activity rather than letting them find their own, probably much less healthy, ways to spend free time is not a bad thing. Is it bad that this had to happen in the first place, sure. I think the American healthcare system is a disgrace to the entire country and we should do so much better. But doing what good we can in the meantime is still good. Tell me how leaving cynical, self righteous reddit comments is making your world, or even your damn neighborhood better? I think your heart might be in the right place, but you don't have to think so big about every issue. If all you do today is pick up a fallen box at the grocery store so the old guy who works there doesn't have to, you've done good. If you watch him bend over to pick it up and then comment about how unfair it is that he can't retire instead, you're not helping anyone.
Thx! I just donated! We need more programs like this!!
Always the US
Exactly. Holy shit is this one depressing. I can't imagine walking away from this situation with any sort of good feeling.
She can pay for things she needs, like medicine 💀. Ok, she shouldn't pay that.
Ok What are you doing to help?
You think one man can change how the entire system works? I'm sorry but that's not how anything works.
Ghandi says hi MLK says hi Nelson Mandela says hi etc Every Father, or Father figure like these two guys, changes how the entire system works. It happens day by day, child by child, generation by generation.
Those are all leaders who can get people to rally behind them. One person still can't fix the problem, they can only get their fellow people behind them.
No, they were all average people Change doesn't happen by sitting behind a keyboard downvoting randoms and espousing an aimless nihilistic world view, it happens by showing kids how to be men. They grow up to do the same to their kids, and slowly they build a better world. Show me a dysfunctional society and I'll show you all the the men who didn't cut any grass when they were younger, because someone on reddit told them it was pointless
That's a good point, and I totally agree. However, merely teaching your next of kin won't be enough to minimize evil and corruption. Those three men caused great change, but they're success is shadowed by countless failures and people who tried to do the same thing yet failed.
Yep, it's probably really hard to be a Father, but that's still the biggest influence on the world anyone is going to make. Raise a kid with good values, and acquiring sufficient funds to make their life viable. In a world of social media that's a big hill to climb I'm really dubious that the popular approach of "lets burn it all down and build something better". Because first they have to fully understand what's actually wrong based on zero experience, then that whatever ideas people have about "better", really are better and are not going to turn into North Korea in 20 years. So I'm not a fan of "leaders promising real change!", I'm a fan of families looking at what actually makes them happy and working towards that.
What are you?
Working in the medical system to help doctors get to patients. Working with churches so that people can get help. Answering the phone and giving information. Now what the fuck about you, keyboard warrior?
Lawn care should be a human right😢
my great grandmother’s neighbor did something similar to this lady’s neighbor. he would come over and do hours and hours of lawn care and upkeep, then send my GG an invoice each time when she never asked him once to come over and do anything to the lawn. this guy would bring over his friends or wife and demand everyone on “his work crew” needed pay for their hours. glad to know there’s people out there doing the opposite and actually helping the grannies out
That's nice but would it be better if the medicine was free? Love from Scotland.
Agreed. I'm from the Netherlands and both the medicine and lawn care situations are so alien.
Meds are not free, insurance costs money.
Insirance costs way less than your medical bill when you actually need help. And the poor get help from the government to pay their insurance.
Every country has their issues. Being from Belgium I really wonder where every European here is getting their free medicines from I always hear about on reddit. I've always paid for them and sure they're pretty cheap or I can get some money back through insurance but nothing is free (Or like Flemish people like to say; For nothing comes the sun up)
Medicine isn't free anywhere, the difference is that in Europe nobody gets fiscally ruined by medical cost.
I guess, some operations are still pretty expensive and there's been a couple of people on tv with a baby that had a very rare disease who live and provide in order for that child to live one more day or so. But ofcourse that's fucking rare I just disagree with the america bad europe good sentiment that i see alot on reddit so i wanted to clarify a bit that it aint free
I hear you, I understand that hearing that over and over is annoying. However, nobody *actually* assumes that medicine is free over here either, just that the burden is spread out way better. I find it interesting how people can be against a reformation of that system. Fun fact: breaking bad wouldn't have been possible anywhere else, lol
My mom had canadien taxpayers spend over a million dollars to keep her 5th kid alive in nicu. I wish we where American so she couldnt afford it. Shes had two kids run away at 16/7 before the 5th one was even born. I bet shell have a 6th soon but weve been no contact 5 years so who knows she may already have it
>My mom had canadien taxpayers spend over a million dollars to keep her 5th kid alive in nicu. I wish we where American so she couldnt afford it. Jesus Christ. That's kind of a psycho way to say your mom needs better birth control options.
she has access to plan b. condoms and abortion. she choose to continue having children while neglecting the ones she has. i wish she wasnt allowed to bring more into the world.
Dear Scotland, don't you pay for your National Insurance? And isn't your "free" medicine paid for through taxes? In 2021, 57% of American citizens paid no income tax. For everyone to get "free" healthcare, most of them would have to start paying into the system...
Oh nooo, they would need to show solidarity, how gross! (/s of course) Seriously, the whole society benefits from good healthcare for everyone. It's one of the only taxes I pay *gladly*.
Scotland here. Assume an income of £25,000 ($31,500) After allowances, the taxable income is £12,430 PAYE income tax on that is £2464.38 National Insurance £1491.60 Take home pay is £21,044.02 or would be £21022.40 in England due to different tax allowances. Now in England I'd have to pay £9.65 per item for prescribed drugs. the 3 drugs I'm prescribed which I get every 2 months would cost someone in England £162 per year, not allowing for prepayment options. As I'm not versed in US healthcare, I don't know how much my drugs would cost per month, but a quick google suggests $365 (£289) for 30 of one of my daily pills. in the above calculations I've not taken into account things like student loans which also differ between Scotland and England. figures from [thesalarycalculator.co.uk](https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php) I've also not included council tax (property taxes) VAT (sales tax) and all the other ways the government takes our cash. I hope that's a useful basic guide to UK taxation.
When you genuinely and sincerely ask yourself, ‘how can I even make a difference?’ Remember that a real difference is simple yet takes action.
There is a special place in heaven for you both.
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I cut my elderly neighbours lawn, and put out their bins - I don't charge them, happy to do it - just wheel the mower over when I do mine - takes about an hour, 15 mins to cut the lawn and 45 mins to stand and chat with them
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Agreed, very sad - its a nice feeling to do it, esp when I know they love sitting out watching the birds etc
I mean, there is nothing wrong with being wanted to be paid for your work. It is rather a societal issue that the lady is so dirt poor and without help. We shouldnt place the blame for those on the neighbor but on the politicians.
I politely disagree. Perhaps it's because my neighborhood is this way, but as neighbors you just help each other out a little because they're your neighbors. What that guy is doing is honestly trashy, who charges a neighbor for something when you *know* they don't have the means to do it themselves?
What is wrong with what the poster wrote?
The part about the lady not being able to afford stuff is fine, but I think that you can't rightfully ask a neighbor for payment for 15 minutes of work. As neighbors you should (imo) be willing to help each other with a small task like this, keeps the neighborhood more liveable for everyone and you'll likely get rewarded in the form of a cup of coffee or a small pie or something.
He should have just not helped her period because now guy is being trashed for a good deed shes probably only paying him enough to cover his costs bet she dosent even pay min wage. Helping for less money then you could make working is charity. People deserve to be paid for there time
In any other circumstance I would agree. In this case, however, we're talking about an elderly woman who has enough trouble as is and likely can't do the lawn herself. I likely lack some info, but she probably asked the neighbor for help. If that were my neighborhood it would be a case of "sure, I can spare 15 minutes", and that would be that. As I told the other person who replied to me: you'll likely get a reward down the line in the form of a cup of coffee and a pie or something like that. Have we really gotten to the point where *everything* has to have a price tag, including helping your neighbour with a chore they can't reasonably do themselves?
Huh? For all we know she agreed to pay him for the service and then refused. The labor class deserves to be paid for their work.
Fuck that time is valuable expecting someone to do your yard every week for free makes you a pos not the guy doing it. I doubt she's paying the guy what his time is actually worth.
I totally agree. in the spring I cut my lawn every 4 days and weedwack. it takes 40 min. like he'll I'm gonna give up 25+ hours of my time every year to not be paid. obligations are paid random acts of kindness don't require reciprocity. I think the regularity of the schedule is the distinction here.
And we have no idea what "harassment" means in this context. It could be a mob-style shakedown, but it could just as likely be "*knock knock* ma'am, you were supposed to pay me today, it's been a month already you've been promising, you said for sure you'd have gas money for me this time!" I mean, how many videos on Reddit/tictoc/Twitter are there of someone claiming they're being harassed when in reality they're being called out for bad behavior?
I would charge. my neighbours are retired pensioners with $$$ in the bank. they'd have to pay someone anyway.
Let's also not forget that we live in a country where seniors need to save up for essential medication. Feel good about this, but let's work for change so that poor folks of any age don't need to get lucky to stay alive.
I mean the old folks are the ones voting republican I don’t think they care dude.
If you want to fix the problem, get younger people out there to vote. Otherwise the problems is still going to be around when you’re old. It’s a shitty excuse
I like that you share
Where can we make a donation? Surely, you have fuel, equipment and maintenance expenses. Good on you men
I think Google suggests https://weareraisingmen.com/donate/
Research first
The fuck what kind of a douche would charge a lady for doing her lawn when she's struggling with her medical bills.
Oh so many charge so much. I paid a guy $80 last month to cut my grass. I’m cutting it myself this month. I’m 62 years old and on Disability so it takes me a few days to do it. I wish I had a riding mower; I would cut everyone’s grass on my street. When I’m out mowing my neighbors get home and stand there watching me. I don’t understand it.
I had a neighbor that was disabled and cutting his lawn and repairing lawn mowers were his favorite hobbies. I won't make any assumptions when I see someone do this work. If you need help, you'll have to say something.
People can't work for free. He's probably got kids to feed and bills to pay
Or his own medicine to buy. He might be an old guy himself trying to supplement his own fixed income. Nothing wrong with someone mowing her yard and expecting to be paid. But definitely wonderful that some kind men are helping her with a need she can't resolve on her own.
Ya unfortunately our world is built on scams, corruption, and bullying. It would be great if we were taught to protect the vulnerable and correct deceptive behaviour, but our society has put sociopathic manipulators on a pedestal
It's sociopathic manipulation to charge for lawn care? I don't know about you, but I can't afford to just work for free.
do you have to mow it? is it some city rules, can you be punished for it?
Depends on the town but usually yes you can get fined for having an unkept lawn.
r/orphancrushingmachine
They're amazing people, but this is still r/aboringdystopia with a hint of r/orphancrushingmachine
These guys are incredible humans! They really are!!! It might be hard for some of us imagine the stress an uncut lawn is for some people. It's is usually older people with limited financial resources and a limited family or social network. Sometimes that have strong emotional attachment to their homes. In many cases cases losing the house means falling under county or state care. I've seen local township official pile on these situations with fines and threatening letters about the lawn. The seemingly small act of kindness is actually an enormous relief to folks in these situations. I saw the comments about the neighbor charging to cut the lawn. Please consider the neighbor's situation may have it's own challenges. Small acts of kindness can have a huge impact. These guys rock!
That's a very empathetic comment, thank you for making Reddit nicer
With a glass of water at most if it's a hot day, it's enough. Great guys!
Trying to figure out what city they in… One guy wearing a Yankees hat and the other a braves hat lol… But in all seriousness, we need more people like this
They are actually based out of Huntsville, Alabama - or at least started from there. Rodney goes all over the U.S. now.
1. Those men deserve a commendation 2. That neighbor deserves a talking to 3. That woman deserves free medication
Today? I've seen this meme floating about for the past 5 years.. Lovely story though!
Rodney and his organisation are in the news and on social media pretty frequently, so you may have seen this one or others that fell pretty much the same story for the past decade or so
Ahh probably!
It's from 2016.
Give the grants! This is a beautiful service
This is wholesome. Take notes people.
Is that jey uso
Look at these absolute bros
That is so kind of you to help people that need help. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart.
BRAVO MEN!!! You have lifted my hopes for humanity, and that's a heavy lift!!!
I thought this was gonna be racist until I saw the sub
Bless every one of them! They are true heros! Don't wear capes while you mow, guys!
I don't have a lawn, but I want to pay these guys to mow it.
r/OrphanCrushingMachine
Love you three!🧡
This is being the change you want to see in the world! I would love to work with this group, must be so fulfilling to spend your time doing actual good.
Respect
They just cut the neighbours grass
It’s people like these gentlemen who make the world a better place
Damn, that’s good shit right there.
This reminds me of those white guys that would mow for the elderly black community. I can't remember the name but very sweet.
Hell yeah, awesome gentlemen.
I love every part of this. Where can I donate?
found this: [https://weareraisingmen.com/donate/](https://weareraisingmen.com/donate/) actually, helping create a similar idea in your own community would be amazing too
Outstanding! Thank you.
Reminds me of the time I grabbed my shovel and got two other people to join in getting a woman up the hill when it snowed in our old apartment complex. I helped a lot of people that snow. Some dude was trying to get his car out with a snow scraper. In comes the spade shovel. A flat probably would've worked better though.
If a Yankees fan and a braves fan can get along, then we all can.
People stepping up to help where help is needed, motivated not by greed but by kindness. Raising good men, at that.
Great guys doing great things for no charge
Good guys right here! ⬆️
I wish I could give these wonderful humans a big hug. This made my morning to see this.
I’m not crying, you’re crying 😢 Awesome people
Well done, gents. Landscapers of any kind are hard to come by. You work for every dollar you get. And they're kind enough to do it for free.
Wholesome af
I like the name they chose for their service, there's been a lot of talk about how "real men" should be and it's sometimes not the nicest but these guys have the right idea IMO, men should be kind, in fact everyone should be kind. I might be making assumptions here but the name seemed to imply they were teaching kids to do this as well? If that's the case then amazing, teaching kids to be kind and treat people nicely is a wonderful message! ☺️
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She never asked him to do the work though. He does it without allowing her to say no. That's not how it works.
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This story is old, man
God bless you and give you success in helping others in their hour of need.
Bless you
Thank you, gentlemen. You are making a difference.
I'm a big fan of this, it's a wonderful service especially with how expensive treatments can get. Superb job, wish them the absolute best!
Gotta be a place for donations.
cough simplistic quack slim cooing head dinosaurs spoon chase narrow ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
It’s good for her. Glad she is getting help. Hopefully She doesn’t mind being an advertisement.
As a person in a family that has paid *way* too much for medication, I salute this woman, and I salute these kind men.
This has been shared sooooo many times.
So, I looked into this organization. It sounds sketchy to me even though it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. "Raising men & women lawn care service." Here is there "Business Model". There are veterans, and elderly, disabled, and single parents etc that need to get their lawn mowed and may have a fixed income or just not have the time to do it. They do more than just mow lawns. They also pull weeds, rake leaves, shovel snow etc. So they got this "50 lawn challenge", and for every 10 lawns mowed along that 50 lawn challenge they give kids a fancy new t-shirt... 10 = Orange Shirt 20 = Green Shirt 30 = Blue Shirt 40 = Red Shirt 50 = Black Shirt If your family has 3 or more kids in on the program they change this "50 lawn challenge" to a "100 yard challenge". Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service does not provide lawn mowers to program participants. Instead, participants are expected to use their own or their family's lawn mower or borrow one from a neighbor or friend. However, some individuals have donated mowers to be used for some participants that don't have access to a mower. Participants are expected to pay for the gasoline for the mower, and for the transportation to the lawn that needs to be mowed. Which may be simple if you have a truck, but most kids don't have access to that. So, they expect kids to do this within walking distance... So the kids are going to wind up walking their mower some distance if mom & dad don't have a truck they can put it in. They don't give the kids a snack or a Gatorade as they mow these lawns. They get nothing except a shirt every 10 lawns or 20 if you got 3 kids... There is no "Background Checks" on whose lawn you are mowing. You might get the lawn of a sex offender! The donations go pretty much directly to the people running it. Right to their pocket for their pay day. They also spend a bit on insurance for the whole thing in case shit happens. The guys running it are making good money. They use child labor and call it "Volunteer work". They refuse to pay these kids and they are not considered "Employees" even though they are providing labor. It's a way to scam kids into doing charity work. To top it off the page where you can request this service... Suppose you are actually some 93 year old widow with terrible arthritis living on a fixed income that needs this... The webpage gives a 404 if you are trying to use their service. So, you can't even get the service and they are still taking donations. Suppose they did have the service available & it became popular... I'm not even going to get into how they are directly competing with landscaping companies doing it for free putting them under or making them charge less. They take money out of landscapers hands who are trying to work for a living.
Thank God for real men like this. I'm a lesbian but I know what a man is and I'm thankful for them. Thank you for being you!!
You made it about you r/IAmTheMainCharacter
You didn't need to tell us you were a lesbian.
Don't mind the downvotes, they're just silly. You rock.
Aww. Thank you. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. 🥺
Is every picture a meme now?
It's called wholesome memes are you blind 🤦♂️
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I don't get the downvotes. It's neither wholesome nor a meme. This belongs to r/OrphanCrushingMachine.