East Carolinian

Issue date: 11/4/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: staff photo

Moochers. We have all heard about them and possibly even know some ourselves. Whether they ask to borrow a few bucks or bum a cigarette, there is always someone who needs something from you.

But what do you do when they start to become too overbearing? When lending to a friend starts to happen on a daily basis, it is important to learn how to deal with and effectively say no to those who don't know when enough is enough.

Of course everyone has or will eventually have to ask for help when it comes to this issue, but according to a CNN report, a friend can begin crossing the line into the freeloading zone, whether it be intentional or not.

"Moochers are fundamentally motivated by being selfish and self-centered," said Jeanne Fleming, a financial ethics columnist for Money magazine. "They habitually forgive their behavior. But the truth is that it's complete self-indulgence. It's not benign."

A friend can be deemed a freeloader by the frequency of how often "borrowing" may happen. Fleming continues by saying that any moocher is not a real friend.

"I don't mind if someone borrows something from time to time, but I cannot stand if a person constantly asks for things," said ECU student Nicki Ostrishko. "I can afford to take care of me and the things that I need, but sharing the wealth isn't always so easy."

However, in the world today, freeloading is starting to become almost an art form and an expected method of achieving and getting things done.

Take the music group, Radiohead, for example. For their latest album In Rainbows, the group gave fans the chance to download the entire album for free, which many did. The same goes for Trent Reznor with Nine Inch Nails' latest album The Slip. Music fans, who in the past have had to pay astounding amounts of money for an album, are now given many chances to freely take one.

Along with music, the act of "going green" can also encompass this ritual of taking and not giving back. At the urging of environmental groups, many drivers are carpooling in an attempt to save money. But for some, carpooling rides doesn't necessarily imply that one will be carpooling for money as well.

Colin Sullivan, a writer for Greenwire.com, tells CNN that when his friend adopted his own habit of bumming rides, he had to quickly put the brakes on the free rides.

"[My friend is] is type of guy who would just assume that if we were going somewhere that I would be picking him up," said Sullivan, who admits that he struggled with revealing his concerns to his friend.

But what keeps us connected with those who are simply just annoying us?

Fleming believes that people are too embarrassed to actually say something to their fellow freeloader.

However, in reality, the manipulation will continue unless one learns how to say "no."



This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.

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