Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Freeloaders

A freeloader is someone who exploits any chance to get free stuff. I think all of us have been guilty of being a freeloader. There's just this built-in 'greed' that kicks into action automatically for something free.

Free!! I think many of us relish the sight and thought of freebies... Sometimes we turn into compulsive buyers just because there is something free that comes with it. The marketeers got it right. Hence, lots of stuff come with free stuff to entice us int buying them. And we buy, even though those freebies are of no use to us. It appeals to our greed.

But there are certain people who freeload on purpose! And I'm sure most of us would have come across a few. In a group, it often takes a while to identify a freeloader but becomes quite easy to spot after a while. The freeloader is often the one who will make convenient toilet visits when it's time to pay or use the oldest trick in the book... lupa bawa dompet.

Why do we freeload? Cos it's free! Cos it means we spend less of our money. Or it could just be we're lazy. Freeloading does not necessarily mean that they get a free treat off you. Sometimes it can just be showing up at your door at certain times.... usually meal time. They get invited to makan sama-sama. They want company, but they don't want to be doing the hard work of preparing the food, or digging a hole in their pocket.

Or it could be a penyakit. Psychiatrists, psychologists, they label so many behavioral problems as a disorder these days.

Freeloaders... I think all of us have this in us... Just that whether we allow it to rear it's head. Freeloaders... I've had my share of experience with them. But I wonder sometimes too whether we should just half close our eyes to some of those who make their way into our lives... maybe they deserve a little more compassion. I don't know but right now, I think it's better to steer clear of such people.

3 comments:

Thomas C B Chua said...

AJ7, there is a classic freeloader in our church circle, the whole family. A member may be invited for an event. She would bring her 2 spinster sisters and these two would bring another sister from Australia with her "ang more" husband who happens to be visiting them, and along rolls another brother whom you don't even know a hair of his. All ride on one angpow of "RM20.00" for a table of 8 course Chinese wedding dinner @ Star City Hotel!!!

Thomas C B Chua said...

AJ 7, forget another sentence. "Kau pun"

AJ7 said...

ROFL! And our lives are 'enriched' by their tales...

Broken?

Education in doldrums... An already broken education system given a really hard whack by Covid-19.  I used to read about pandemics, that a b...