“Stop Complaining!” Says Wristband

Well, it’s hard not to sometimes, but complaining has, well, got a group of people complaining. But, in a good way. One organization is trying to help us think about how much we complain by wearing a rubber wristband that says “A Complaint Free World.” At the University of Texas-Pan American, students are sporting this bracelet to spread the word. According to the The Pan American Online : “During Bronc Camp this past summer, a group of incoming freshmen was treated to a presentation by the Office of the Dean of Students about A Complaint Free World. A Complaint Free World is a program started by Rev. Will Bowen in 2006 that wants people to wear their purple bracelets and when they catch themselves in a complaint to someone who can't directly affect the problem, switch the bracelet to the other wrist. The idea is eventually people will stop deriding and griping and the world will be a better place…or something. The website puts it this way: "(Participants should) leave the toxic communication of complaining behind and experience an internal shift toward being more positive, hopeful and optimistic," Of course the people at A Complaint Free World are all very hopeful and optimistic that participants will shell out bucks for Bowen's books, DVDs, packages of bracelets or coffee thermoses. At the camp, people from the Office of the Dean of Students explained A Complaint Free World and handed out the violently violet rubber wristbands to those new Broncs in attendance. Part of the Office's mission states that the aim is to, "actively engage students in enriching opportunities that augment students' intellectual and personal growth, and prepare them to be positive role models in a dynamic society." What do you think? Would this help you stop complaining?