Not "old enough"?
(Baonghean) - “Gold less than two years old”, “fake gold”, “I wouldn’t buy it for 10,000 VND” are the answers that blind couples, despite not being able to see, had to hear from jewelry stores after “curiously” bringing the pair of rings given by a kind-hearted company as a “dowry” at a mass wedding to check again. Kudos to the blind couples above. They know how to be suspicious. They are so smart! Thanks to fake gold, they found out a… truth!
In recent days, public opinion has expressed outrage at the unusual way of doing business (emphasis on the word “business”) of a company that at first seemed to be a charity. The press has published articles and comments, and social networking sites have been abuzz with criticism.
The incident was then described: In September 2014, the teachers of the Cosmetic Makeup Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Training Association had a very humane activity, which was to organize a "Mass Wedding for the Community" program for 20 couples in difficult circumstances, including more than 10 couples with disabilities. Accordingly, the couples were given wedding costumes, banquet tables, and invitations by the organizers. In particular, in this most important event of their lives, their happiness was multiplied when a company volunteered to give 20 pairs of gold wedding rings worth 6 million VND each. So how can it not be said to be attractive? A gift that is both meaningful in terms of sentiment and material value. That is why there were couples who traveled from far away to attend the event after being "tipped off" by the organizers about this special gift. Listen to the confession of Tuyet Nga, a lottery ticket seller in Dong Thap who had to borrow money to take the bus to Ho Chi Minh City to participate: "My husband and I have a difficult life, we have to worry about every meal.
Hearing the organizers say they would give her a pair of wedding rings for 6 million VND as capital, I was so happy that I quit my job and went to Ho Chi Minh City to participate. Now that I'm selling the rings, the stores say they're fake, so I won't buy them for 10,000 VND." The writer of this article doesn't want to use the word "suffering" because it's not enough to describe her feelings in this awkward situation. As the saying goes: "Rich in two eyes, poor in two hands", their eyes are already poor, so why do they force their hands to wear fake things? The more I feel sorry for her, the more angry I am at that kind of business. I say "business" because this sponsorship event comes with a brand promotion contract.
It is known that after attending the event, the blind couples, after a short time, found out that the luxurious rings suddenly turned yellow, so they were confused and tried them on, and it turned out to be fake gold. The gold was less than 2 years old. (Standard gold must be 10 years old, and under 4 years old is not considered gold). Ironically, they only wore them, and of course, the people who discovered the discolored rings had to be sighted! The first couple to receive the bad news said: Hearing the neighbors complain that the wedding rings they were wearing were getting darker and darker, they were upset and explained that it was "real gold, given to them by the jewelry company". "I thought it was probably because I wore it, sweated a lot and the ring turned black, so I took it to have it polished. The gold shop staff said it was fake gold, why polish it?"
That’s it! Up to this point, 11 couples have spoken up about the “leaking” gold incident. The sponsor has also made excuses. However, the more they talk, the more confused the listeners become. In the end, people have agreed to buy back the ring for 2.5 million VND as a proof that it is not… fake. Yes, it is possible to buy 2.5 million, or even to redeem it at the announced price of 6 million, but can the truth be bought? Can honor be regained? There is a saying that “Half a loaf of bread is half a loaf of bread, but half a truth is still a lie”. In this case, reputation and honor are like the gift they gave, meaning it has no value, it is not real, not “old enough”, and it cannot be polished!
The above story is just an example of a trend of exploiting so-called charity activities to promote their names. We are no stranger to mobilizing resources through public auctions on television. Famous names are announced, huge sums of money are registered… When the applause rises, tears also begin to fall because of emotion. But then, among them, there are “bosses” who only register for prestige, but the money only exists in the form of… promises! They are still famous, their brands are still mentioned in one way or another. Obviously, in this case of “using money and breath” to buy fame, they still make a profit. They profit!
Although I didn’t want to, I had to bring up the matter of giving a wedding ring made of a “strange” metal to a blind person. I kept wondering why people would do such a thing. Of course they wanted to buy fame, but didn’t they foresee that sooner or later it would be discovered? Did they think that someone would never take it for a check? That would be too shallow, and one could even say extremely naive. I didn’t believe it, there was no way they were “underage”!
Nguyen Khac An
