Undermine charity?

[aws_137]

I'm unfamiliar with the meaning of undermine charity. How do you donate to undermine a charity? I've looked up undermine in the dictionary but I still don't get it. It's been bothering me for ages. Would anyone care to explain?

Now now, I'm not asking how to do it - as in clicking the postbox as an Evil sim, selecting Donate to Undermine Charity, then selecting an amount - I'm asking what's the meaning? How would someone do it in real life?

[samoht04]

Well I am guessing your sim donates to someone who has the power to shut down a charity, maybe they 'bribe' to several people who regularly donate to the good charity, I don't know but thats what I would have thought they mean.

Think of it as in Medieval Terms - They had big walls around castles, if they mined underneath, the base would be weaker, they could use explosives to bring the walll down. Thats how my history teacher described undermining. So undermining must mean to bring something down... Hope this helps you!

[Saltypaws]

When I was younger, when my mom was mad at me, she use to say "don't undermine my authority", so it also means, to go against......sometimes to find a sentence to use the word in helps. 

[Swede1992]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary:
Un`der*mine" (?), v. t.

1. To excavate the earth beneath, or the part of, especially for the purpose of causing to fall or be overthrown; to form a mine under; to sap; as, to undermine a wall.
Example: A vast rock undermined from one end to the other, and a highway running through it. Addison.

2. Fig.: To remove the foundation or support of by clandestine means; to ruin in an underhand way; as, to undermine reputation; to undermine the constitution of the state.
Example: He should be warned who are like to undermine him. Locke.

Me again: That will say the second, figurative meaning: Sabotage

[aws_137]

So... How do you donate to undermine a charity? Could someone apply this to real life give me a real example?

Just say I have this thing called AWS' Earthquake Fund, how would donating benefit evil-doers?

[Swede1992]

It doesn't benefit the evil-doers, but since they're evil, they get a good gutfeeling from it. Maybe to donate money to undermine a charity is that you give money to a counter-organisation that do the opposite of what the charity organisation wants. For example, I know it sounds horrible, but I think this is in the game as something to donate against, to donate against saving wales is that you donate money to an organisation that go out and shoots wales just for fun.

Or maybe you're just not supposed to read so much into this and that it's just a joke from EA's side. If good people donate to charity, then evil people would want to donate in order to sabotage the good people's charity.

An earthquake-fund could also be a fund that funds evil scientists that have earthquake-machines just as well as a fund to help earthquake-victims!

[aws_137]

Ah, my friend just told me what he thinks about the meaning of undermine charity.

It's like this, to undermine a charity is to donate so you look like a good person while actually you're donating to get power in the society. Then later you can backstab them all.

So I'm guessing it's something like buying shares? Heh.

So after funding the AWS' earthquake fund, I'd think you are a good person and won't do anything wrong. Then later if the money is embezzled, I won't suspect you.

That's my interpretation of what my friend has said. It is like digging to get past enemy lines anyway.
___

I'm still not convinced, btw.

[Swede1992]

My interpretation is that you fund some supervillain that wants to sabotage the world. Well, they're supposed to be evil!

[samoht04]

Okay maybe think of it like this, your an evil sim, you know who donates to the AWS' Earthquake Fund and so you decide to bribe them by giving them money to not donate? Or you could hire hitmen...

[Branr]

Or the money you donate is used to create a scandal that reduces the public's trust in the charity.

[aws_137]

Or then there's a website saying undermine means put to shame.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090905153632AAugnlh

So... by donating to AWS' Earthquake Fund you humiliate the fund? Maybe perhaps the money is to out of pity? Gah! Makes little sense... Bothering me...

[Swede1992]

Nothing bad meant to whoever answered that at answers.yahoo, but though it may be an accurate synonym in some cases, it doesn't fit well here. I think the most similar meaning in that "donate to undermine a charity" sense would be to sabotage the charity. Maybe it's a little unclear in how the donation sabotages the charity, but it's certainly a sabotage.

To undermine is usually to sabotage in some sense (except purely literally of course (see above, earlier post by me)).

[The Illuminator]

Maybe the yahoo answer is right. If an organisation accepts money from criminals and the media discovers it, it's  reputation will get a serious hit. Compare it with the Swiss Bank buying gold from nazi's who stole it from the dead jews.

[LivvieLove]

This is simple. Your sim must be evil. Click on the mailbox and donate to the charity. If that's what you wanted to know.
Basically its saying it's donating to a charity that will undermine things, or pretty much "bad people" charities.
Like if you donate to the "Bring back the Jewish Holocaust Fund".

[Swede1992]

This is simple. Your sim must be evil. Click on the mailbox and donate to the charity. If that's what you wanted to know.
Basically its saying it's donating to a charity that will undermine things, or pretty much "bad people" charities.

Yeah, the question isn't how to do it, since it's just the same as donating to charity when you're good, but what the organisation you donate to actually does to undermine a charity. Any ideas?