So... college. Chase is in a five year Masters & Doctorate Psychology program. This morning we were writing a check for this semester and realized we needed to close our bank account in Texas. We figured out we could close the account online if we transferred all of our money out, so we wrote ourselves a check to deposit in our Illinois bank.
I used to work in a bank, so I know how they work mostly. Instead of just depositing a check, I told Chase we should cash it first, then deposit it, so it would be out of our other account faster and we could close the account. So we rode our bikes to the bank, you know, being the green people we are and all, and stood in line at the desk. One of the banker ladies came up to us while we were in line and asked if we needed help. We told her we were just waiting to cash and deposit a check. She looked at the amount on the check and said, Why don't you just come over here and I'll take a look at it. We sat down in her office and she looked out our t-shirts and shorts and youthfulness, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it's just not our policy to do this."
Which is a load of crap. Banks usually don't like to cash and deposit a check because it gives the customer instant access to the money, and then if the check bounces, the bank is s.o.l. However, if the customer has enough money in the account, the bank will cash and deposit, because if anything goes wrong with the check, the bank will reach in your account and take whatever money they lost. I told the lady that I think they can do it. She had a slightly indifferent, condescending attitude, but she looked up our account and her attitude changed instantly.
We are by no means rich, but thanks to helpful parents and scholarships, we both graduated debt-free. I taught school for a year, and by being the cheapest people in the entire world, we saved up as much as possible for grad school. So our bank account is looking nice right now (but will quickly be depleted after paying for a year of school). After she looked up our information, she decided that in fact, maybe she could do something to help us out, and she filled out a deposit slip for us (*gasp*), took it up to the counter while we sat comfortably, and then came back, suddenly chatty. She said how fitting it was the Chase's name matched the bank's name (oops, gave it away), and were we in the market for buying a house? Because she would be more than happy to help us with any house loans, auto loans, or credit cards that we might need. Also, if we wanted any advice or assistance with investments, the bank has a whole team of investment specialists who would be happy to help us. She happily handed us her card with promises we could call her anytime, and she hopes we'll come back to her.
Chase, ever the gentleman, conversed politely with her, while I avoided eye contact in an effort not to gag. I was infuriated that she would be such a douche-bag to us, and then when she saw that in fact, we did have money, she could not help us enough. Social justice is one of the issues I am most passionate about, and even though we were on the "positive" side of social injustice, that just shows how many people are on the negative side of it. I truly felt like we were treated better than we should have been just because of our bank account balance. If Newton's theory is true (Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction), that means that since some people are treated better because they have a savings account, other people are treated worse if they do not have money.
Which is wrong. And makes me want to scream. And it also makes me want to punch people in the face who do not value social justice, but DO value arguing about how Obama's turning 'merica into a socialist nation or supporting Chick-Fil-A (I'm all about the chicken sandwich, but lining up for CFA is not nearly as meaningful as supporting people who actually need help. Like homeless people). It makes me sick that there are Christians who can talk endlessly about theology and the historisist, post-millennial nature of Revelation, but cannot be bothered to talk about the rape of women in the military, the objectification and enslavement of women used in the porn industry, mental illness among homeless people, domestic servants, or high suicide rates in homosexual teenagers. As Christians, we cannot have the attitude of, "to hell with the world."
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| Much to my embarrassment, this describes so many Christians I know. |
In other news, I'm really happy that almost nobody I know in person reads my blog. I would probably have offended the majority of people I know.