So the All Blacks won the RWC … and as we’ve all seen there was a young lad who ran out and was tackled by a security guard, which ended with Sonny Bill Williams giving him his Gold Medal … that’s a great thing for SBW to have done.
Forget about the age mix up, that’s easy for anyone to do.
But, seeing posts on Facebook and other sites that the parents are wealthy (presumably based on what they do for a living, where they live etc) saying that the medal should be sold and the proceeds donated to charity – is, well, in my book over the top.
The kid was given the medal in good faith, SBW felt sorry for how the kid was treated and wanted to give him a memento.
People who have said the medal should be sold, have been challenged to put their money where their mouth is and provide evidence of their charitable giving. With some even saying they will donate dollar for dollar what the naysayers have recently given to specific charities.
The kid was perhaps in the wrong for what he did, but, SBW being the kindhearted person he is, felt for what the kid went through, and wanted him to have the medal.
I wonder what you would do, if your child did something like the kid, would you tell him he can’t keep it, that it had to be handed back (which the family in this case tried to do) or would you make your kid sell it and donate the money to charity?
Maybe something good will come of what’s happened, maybe the experience will change the life of the kid, maybe it will inspire others to do something good for others – just like SBW did; but does anyone have the right to tell someone else what they should or shouldn’t do when it comes to something like this?
If you were given something like this kid was, would you sell it, keep it or donate it to charity?
Would you buckle to what others say you should do with it?
Or, is this all a form of bullying?
charitymattersnz.com 