Some people like to be recognized for their good works to a degree that will seem distasteful to northern Europeans. To a moderate degree, Jews and other Middle Easterners like to be complimented while many northern Europeans like to deflect compliments. Jews wear their emotions on their sleeves, northern Europeans repress.
Mark Arax writes: “In Lost Hills, they call her “Lady Lynda.” She shows up in high fashion and stands in the dust and tells them about another charter school or affordable-housing project she is bringing to them. They have no way to grasp the $50 million to $80 million a year that the Resnicks say they are spending on philanthropy. This is a magnitude of intervention that no other agricultural company in California has ever attempted. The giving goes to college scholarships and tutors. It goes to doctors and nurses, trainers and dietitians, who track the weight of workers, prod them to exercise, and wean them off soda and tortillas. As she announces the newest gift, the men and women in the back of the crowd smile and applaud politely and try not to show their faces to the publicity crew she has brought with her to film the event. Many are here without documents, after all.”
