humanitarian soliciting

ever notice how the street corner solicitors for humanitarian causes are always young attractive people, either still in or fresh out of school? ever stop to admire the way they catch you with a smile and then sweep you into conversation about topics they can make you feel well-versed about? ever thought about how carefully crafted their speeches are, and how cleverly they get your name so that they can make you feel as though you're chatting with an old friend instead of a stranger on a street corner? ever stop to unpack the guilt complexes interwoven into the rhetoric of the good-cause marketer? ever glance at the latte in your right hand, or imagine the cell phone in your purse as you are being asked if you could spare a dollar a day, or fifteen dollars a month, or a one time donation to a good cause? ever politely say no and walk away and then almost turn around and rescind?
...then you must have been out in harvard square on a sunny day.