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This is what bothers me most about people who can't tell the difference between wants and genuine needs: the negative effect it has on the people who do need so
by wyclif 11y ago
This is what bothers me most about people who can't tell the difference between wants and genuine needs: the negative effect it has on the people who do need something that could save their life but can't pay for it, or are going to perform some virtuous service for others that they won't be paid for.
One of my friends, who has done a lot of writing and I can assure you has not made much money at all from being a writer while producing a lot of content for free (and has written a couple of legit books) recently had a stroke that paralyzed one side of his body. He's now in physical therapy and geting other serious treatment. He's 48 years old and has four kids; only the eldest one is out of the house. He's not wealthy by any means, and needs help paying his medical bills. A friend put up a GoFundMe page for his family, probably unbeknownst to him, all because of compassion and people are starting to donate (he's almost up to $1000, which is like a drop in the bucket when it comes to covering medical expenses in the US).
That's the kind of situation that GoFundMe and similar sites are for. Not for vanity projects, paying for your dream wedding, funding plastic surgery, throwing parties, interior design, and springing for fripperies that are not emergencies and are not virtuous.
These people are ruining the reputation of internet-based, crowdsourced funding. They have no shame.
- detaro 11y ago> That's the kind of situation that GoFundMe and similar sites are for. GoFundMe's website would disagree with you on that. And I don't think asking for money even if it is not an emergency is necessarily bad. And if people want to make an ass of themselves, well, now they have a new avenue to do so. The juxtaposition of all these things on one site is weird though, I agree, and it would be bad if it stained the reputation of the "better" causes. A site specialized in "emergency" funds certainly could look more respectable and potentially add more value as a community. But would process less funds and make less money... And that's not getting in the whole "privatizing risks that should be caught by society" (or not) discussion...
- wyclif 11y agoWell, yes. That's one kind of situation it's for. I wouldn't want to limit it to life-or-death issues. But I'm just saying that people shouldn't be using it to get skating lessons for their kids, or to fund their "personal development journey." Those things are extras.
- morgante 11y agoHonestly, I think that's the whole problem with personal appeals (even worthy ones, like your friend's). There's a reason we have a society, with organized charities, to funnel money to the most deserving causes, instead of those with the most well-networked beneficiaries.