39 replies to this topic

[SeoulSoxFan]

Andre Johnson takes 12 abused children and takes'em out on a Toys 'R' Us shopping spree:

http://www.huffingto...News&ref=topbar

"Every day when I wake up, I ask myself, 'Who can I add value to today,' because it's not about me. It's all about helping someone else. And at this time of the year there are many opportunities to help less fortunate children have a great Christmas,"Johnson told ABC13.com.

The children, ages eight to 16, have been exposed to some form of parental abuse and now live with their extended families, according to houstontexans.com. Johnson can relate to a difficult home life.

[ifmanis5]

Whatever, he has no proof of purchase.

[pedroia'sboys]

Crush them.

[Ed Hillel]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can separate players off the field from who they are on it.

Except Bernard Pollard. I hope he gets hit by a train.

[Mystic Merlin]

No, no it does not.

[jsinger121]

He's got money to burn.

[moondog80]

Great for the kids, but I'll bet lots of people on this board donate a much larger share of their disposable income to Toys for Tots or some other such orgnization, and they don't alert the media about it.

Edited by moondog80, 05 December 2012 - 01:09 PM.

[mandro ramtinez]

His charitable shopping trip will give him comfort when he tries to forget the demolition unleashed on the Texans by the Patriots.

[pedroia'sboys]

Great for the kids, but I'll bet lots of people on this board donate a much larger share of their disposable income to Toys for Tots or some other such orgnization, and they don't alert the media about it.

That was my take as well, I know Bonds for one had done several nice acts to charity and told all parties that he did not want it to get out to the media. Eventually one got reported on.

[Hendu for Kutch]

I'm sure Brady will buy their entire team something nice after he makes them abuse victims on Monday night.

[collings94]

I have always really liked Andre Johnson. Great Wide Receiver, dealt with David Carr throwing him the ball, and a standup guy. He did what half the league wanted to do and beat the crap out of Cortland Finnegan.

I don't hate Houston the way I hate the Jets, Giants, Ravens or Steelers, but I'll be rooting for the Pats on Monday, and I'll have no problem saying terrible things about the Texans players in the game thread.

[abty]

Great guy. End of damn story.

[Detts]

I'm sure Brady will buy their entire team something nice after he makes them abuse victims on Monday night.

[johnmd20]

Great for the kids, but I'll bet lots of people on this board donate a much larger share of their disposable income to Toys for Tots or some other such orgnization, and they don't alert the media about it.

Who cares what his motivation is? He did a very nice thing and that's really all that counts. Alerting the media is good PR for him and the team, and he is in the public eye, so I can't see why that is something to disdain.

[Ralphwiggum]

Good for him. I've always liked Johnson as a player, and if the Pats don't win the AFC I'll be rooting for the Texans anyway as I hate all of the other potential AFC playoff teams (other than the Bengals if they make it).

However, I have no problems whatsoever hoping that the Pats curb stomp them on Monday, and that would be true even if Andre Johnson took 12,000 kids to Toys R' Us on Tuesday and Matt Schaub cured cancer on Wednesday. Of the 53 guys the Pats face each Sunday, I'm assuming at least a small handful of them must be good people off the field.

[moondog80]

Who cares what his motivation is? He did a very nice thing and that's really all that counts. Alerting the media is good PR for him and the team, and he is in the public eye, so I can't see why that is something to disdain.

So if I donate $1,000 to chariy (a far more selfless act), I should tell everyone I know? Of course his motivation matters on whether or not we think he's a really swell guy because of this. I don't really have a lower opinion on him after this, but I don't have a higher one either.

The thread

Edited by moondog80, 05 December 2012 - 02:26 PM.

[Joshv02]

So if I donate $1,000 to chariy (a far more selfless act), I should tell everyone I know?

Sure. Why not? People do public charity campaigns all the time. The idea is to get more people to donate. If this story causes someone to donate who otherwise wouldn't, that is a net positive. If the story causes people to roll their eyes, who cares? That doesn't decrease the amount of money that goes to charity. So; sure, why not?

[jacklamabe65]

May he go to heaven.

May the Patriots give him hell on Monday night.

[mt8thsw9th]

Gregg Easterbrook is reporting that the children were abused by Belichick.

[Ed Hillel]

He's actually donating to Toys R Us, which probably gets its toys from child labor factories. Every time I read a line on those receipts, I hear the shallow breathing of an overworked factory child, the scream of a starving migrant slave-kid, and feel a deep burn of injustice within my soul associated with the anxiety of babies who weep aloud strewn with knowledge of their fate. He's not solving the problem, he's part of it. Whatta prick.

Stomp them. For the children.

Edited by Ed Hillel, 05 December 2012 - 02:52 PM.

[MentalDisabldLst]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can separate players off the field from who they are on it.

Except Bernard Pollard. I hope he gets hit by a train.

And Al Reyes. Although he did at least get some form of justice visited upon him, but it should have been Nomar doing the tasing.

[Reverend]

I have always really liked Andre Johnson. Great Wide Receiver, dealt with David Carr throwing him the ball, and a standup guy. He did what half the league wanted to do and beat the crap out of Cortland Finnegan.

good guys don't take kids to Toys'r'Us and let'em buy whatever they want, at least not the former, so you may want to edit your tense.

[Dogman2]

You, sir, have an elegant gait.

[Lose Remerswaal]

Chad Johnson (aka OchoCinco) used to take people to lunch and bought them expensive toys. Didn't make him any easier to root for.

[johnmd20]

So if I donate $1,000 to chariy (a far more selfless act), I should tell everyone I know? Of course his motivation matters on whether or not we think he's a really swell guy because of this. I don't really have a lower opinion on him after this, but I don't have a higher one either.

Why is it a far more selfless act? Johnson could have done nothing for the kids, therefore he would have had nothing to celebrate. Would that have been the preferable option? I just don't understand why you take it personally when someone does a nice thing and it's publicized. A nice thing is nice for what it is. Cynic.

[PaulinMyrBch]

Lets not confuse the good deed with the fact that its in the media. Johnson doesn't have a history of self promotion, he actually seems the opposite, quiet, reserved, professional. There are 12 kids living in situations most of us have never experienced. They get to have a normal Christmas thanks to Andre.

It's a good thing, are we arguing it would be an even better thing if we didn't know? The publicity might make someone similar to Andre do the same thing.

[RFDA2000]

There is no such thing as altruism. Abe Lincoln said so, so it must be true.

"Abraham Lincoln illustrated the philosophical issue in a conversation with another passenger in a horse-drawn coach. After Lincoln argued that selfishness prompts all good deeds, he noticed a sow making a terrible noise. Her piglets had gotten into a pond and were in danger of drowning. Lincoln called the coach to a halt, jumped out, ran back, and lifted the little pigs to safety. Upon his return, his companion remarked, "Now, Abe, where does selfishness come in on this little episode?" "Why, bless your soul, Ed, that was the very essence of selfishness. I should have no peace of mind all day had I gone and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs.”

[Reverend]

There is no such thing as altruism. Abe Lincoln said so, so it must be true.

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, II.ii.8:

The Americans, on the other hand, are fond of explaining almost all the actions of their lives by the principle of self-interest rightly understood; they show with complacency how an enlightened regard for themselves constantly prompts them to assist one another and inclines them willingly to sacrifice a portion of their time and property to the welfare of the state. In this respect I think they frequently fail to do themselves justice, for in the United States as well as elsewhere people are sometimes seen to give way to those disinterested and spontaneous impulses that are natural to man; but the Americans seldom admit that they yield to emotions of this kind; they are more anxious to do honor to their philosophy than to themselves.

[Lose Remerswaal]

There are 8 levels of charity, as Mose Maimonides himself said.

This gift by Andre Johnson is the 5th highest: [5] A lesser level than this is when one gives to the poor person directly into his hand, but gives before being asked.

[RFDA2000]

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, II.ii.8:

I can't tell if you can't tell that I was joking.

[dynomite]

I can't tell if you can't tell that I was joking.

He got it.

[SemperFidelisSox]

This was the only way Cromartie's kids were getting Christmas gifts this year.

[Reverend]

He got it.

I love this place.

Nerdiest. SportsBoard. Ever.

[RFDA2000]

I figured, but it's not everyday someone responds to random stuff I remember from psych 101 with Tocqueville. It was a bit disconcerting, but I like it.

[lostjumper]

This was the only way Cromartie's kids were getting Christmas gifts this year.

[MentalDisabldLst]

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, II.ii.8:

I envision Rev spending his days roughly like this...

[moondog80]

Why is it a far more selfless act? Johnson could have done nothing for the kids, therefore he would have had nothing to celebrate. Would that have been the preferable option? I just don't understand why you take it personally when someone does a nice thing and it's publicized. A nice thing is nice for what it is. Cynic.

My giving $1,000 would be a more sefless act because it is a far greater share of my disposable income. And no, of course it wouldn't be preferable for Johnson to have done nohting, Are doing nothing and alerting the media the only two options? That photo of him with the receipt...who benefits more from that? The kids, or Andre Johnson? The kids aren't even in it! It's just "look how big this receipt is...I cut it into three pieces and it still doesn't fit in the frame!"

I'm not so cynical that I think he did this solely for PR reasons. But I also don't think he was just paying the cahsier when he looked up and thought, "wait...the TV cameras and reporters...they're for me? How did they know about this????" The kids benefited either way and that's great. But someone, somewhere, decided they would exploit it for PR purposes.

[Reverend]

Fighting about who is more self-less belabors the concept and may fall into self-contradiction.

New research is showing that volunteering and doing good works like that actually stimulate some of the same pleasure centers in the brain as some narcotics. There are worst things than seeing a guy have a little fun while doing something good.

[moondog80]

Fighting about who is more self-less belabors the concept and may fall into self-contradiction.

New research is showing that volunteering and doing good works like that actually stimulate some of the same pleasure centers in the brain as some narcotics. There are worst things than seeing a guy have a little fun while doing something good.

To be clear, I was only speaking about a theoretical selfless act on my part.

[lostjumper]

New research is showing that volunteering and doing good works like that actually stimulate some of the same pleasure centers in the brain as some narcotics. There are worst things than seeing a guy have a little fun while doing something good.

Don't tell this to Goodell. He'll start banning players for getting "high". We'll soon see charity on the list of banned substances.