[url]http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/12/02/salvation-army-bells.html[/url]
[release]The ringing of Salvation Army bells has been one of the iconic sounds of the holiday season for more than 100 years in North America, but at least two of Toronto's largest shopping malls — the Eaton Centre and Fairview — have silenced them because of noise complaints.
Salvation Army volunteer Riley Blake spends many hours with his red Christmas kettle inside the downtown Eaton Centre collecting donations from passersby.
The plastic kettles have become synonymous with the Salvation Army's yearly Fill the Kettle charity campaign, but Blake says some people don't even know he's there.
"A lot of people ask us questions, 'Why don't we use the bells,' because they're so used to it. [We tell them it's] because of rules and regulations we're not allowed to. There's not much you can do about it — just stand here quietly and smile."
The Eaton Centre advertises itself as one of Toronto's premier tourist destinations, and its website says: "Millions of tourists from around the world visit this world-class shopping centre for its architecture, culture and urban atmosphere."
Eaton Centre spokesman Brian O'Hoski points out the mall is an indoor environment with no overhead music or competing noises.
A few years back, he said, management asked the Salvation Army to stop ringing the bells because of noise complaints from some of the mall's 230 tenants.
"In order to try and appease everybody and accommodate everybody, we've asked them not to ring the bells," O'Hoski said.
Eaton Centre shoppers were surprised to hear that noise complaints could shut down the Salvation Army bells.
"But it makes no sense," said Tristan Mitchell.
"It's Christmas," Iman Mahdi said. "It makes no sense."
And Bonnie Vivier said the bells were never very loud — "it was just a little tinkle."
Capt. John Murray says the Salvation Army deals with bell-ringing complaints on a case-by-case basis. He says he's just happy they can hang their kettle where the public can see and donate.
And although they can't ring their bells in the Eaton Centre or Fairview Mall, Murray says people shouldn't lose sight of the real issue.
"I'm encouraged that people notice that the bells aren't there at the Christmas kettles, but I would love to see just a little more rage, if you will, around some of those societal issues that continue to be there and require the Salvation Army to put our Christmas kettles out again this Christmas season," he said.[/release]
I work at a store with a Salvation Army bell-ringer outside. They're annoying as balls.
Bah humbug.
I can see why it would be annoying to someone who has to staff one of the stores for 8 hours.
At least they're still able to accept donations. The title lead me to believe they kicked them out all together.
Good, Salvation Army believes homosexuals should ask god for forgiveness and repent their sinful ways.
wish they would have kicked them out completely, salvation army is a bunch of bigot fucks
[QUOTE=plokoon9619;26460303]Good, Salvation Army believes homosexuals should ask god for forgiveness and repent their sinful ways.[/QUOTE]
In that case I retract my previous statement.
Even if it's for a good cause, these guys are fucking annoying so I can understand where they're coming from with this.
They need to do this, everywhere.
Whenever I hear them, it fills me with a nearly unsupressable rage.
[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;26460597]They need to do this, everywhere.
Whenever I hear them, it fills me with a nearly unsupressable rage.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't bother me that much.
[editline]2nd December 2010[/editline]
It's for a good cause I mean jeez
[QUOTE=Penguiin;26460341][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army#Opposition_to_hiring_homosexuals[/url][/QUOTE]
It's the same as Muslims moving into countries and trying to enact Sharia laws. If the entire institution is against your beliefs, why work in it?
[QUOTE=Habsburg;26460615]It doesn't bother me that much.
[editline]2nd December 2010[/editline]
It's for a good cause I mean jeez[/QUOTE]
If I want to help the disadvantaged, I wouldn't give money to some random person, I'll help them myself. As I already have.
Salvation Army? Ha!
~Red Cross 4 Lyfe~~
[QUOTE=Explosions;26460633]It's the same as Muslims moving into countries and trying to enact Sharia laws. If the entire institution is against your beliefs, why work in it?[/QUOTE]
apples and oranges. salvation army isn't a country/government. if there was a neo-nazi (extreme example, I know) NFP organization that donated to other people with the same beliefs and discriminated against jewish people and whoever else you'd tell them "just don't work there"? you should be able to work wherever you want if you are able to perform the job and they are hiring (obv)
[QUOTE=Penguiin;26460341][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army#Opposition_to_hiring_homosexuals[/url][/QUOTE]
Even though they legally couldn't do that in Canada, thanks for the link. Last time I donate anything to them (or encourage anyone else to do so)
Who else takes in old clothes?
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26461075]Even though they legally couldn't do that in Canada, thanks for the link. Last time I donate anything to them (or encourage anyone else to do so)
Who else takes in old clothes?[/QUOTE]
Goodwill not sure of there affiliations, I don't believe they are christian backed though.
([url]http://www.goodwill.org/about-us/our-mission/[/url])
There are a lot of charities other than the Salvation Army to donate to.
[QUOTE=ryasnack1;26461149]Goodwill not sure of there affiliations, I don't believe they are christian backed though.
([url]http://www.goodwill.org/about-us/our-mission/[/url])[/QUOTE]
I don't care if a charity is christian, I care if they're discriminatory.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;26461195]I don't care if a charity is christian, I care if they're discriminatory.[/QUOTE]
yeah goodwill is legit, they have cheap shit (and it is mostly shit) but there is some cool stuff in there sometimes
they may be discriminatory but they're still a charity, they're still trying to put food on people's plates, it's not like they're taking your money to put in a bathtub and jerk off on it.
[QUOTE=MisterLANCE;26461653]they may be discriminatory but they're still a charity, they're still trying to put food on people's plates, it's not like they're taking your money to put in a bathtub and jerk off on it.[/QUOTE]
they still have discriminated in several incidents and it's pretty obvious they are just good at hiding it now-a-days
I went to the mall today, I saw one inside. I noticed he didn't try to get anyone to donate, he didn't say a word, just a creepy smile like he was trying to telepathically say to me "DONATE NOW".
Usually they say something, maybe in Calgary malls they aren't allowed to say anything? I also noticed they weren't jingling the bells too often like they usually do.
[QUOTE=Penguiin;26460341][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army#Opposition_to_hiring_homosexuals[/url][/QUOTE]
Oh, maybe it's not that ba-
[quote]The Salvation Army's position is that because it is a church, Section VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly guarantees its right to discriminate on the basis of its religious beliefs in its hiring. [/quote]
You. Are. Fucking. Kidding. Me.
Did Austrialia ban this too?
You guys are assholes, while they are annoying it's a good cause.
Sometimes facepunch, sometimes....
[QUOTE=breakyourfac;26463007]You guys are assholes, while they are annoying it's a good cause.
Sometimes facepunch, sometimes....[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army#Opposition_to_hiring_homosexuals[/url]
Doesn't mean they don't have a nice bone in their body, they're still trying to help people...
[editline]3rd December 2010[/editline]
Just because gay people can't sit in the cold and ring bells doesn't mean we shouldn't donate to charity.
You guys realize that when NYC passed a law creating benefits for same-sex domestic partners, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens in the city?
[QUOTE=Prismatex;26463297]You guys realize that when NYC passed a law creating benefits for same-sex domestic partners, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens in the city?[/QUOTE]
That's retarded.
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