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I wrote about this on here once before, but for a while I was working on a short story about a fictional dystopia in which crowdfunded healthcare devolves into
by sharkweek 7y ago
I wrote about this on here once before, but for a while I was working on a short story about a fictional dystopia in which crowdfunded healthcare devolves into a televised game show where people pitch their sob story to viewers. Whomever ends up with the most votes (a la The Voice), moves onto the next round, until finally one person is crowned the winner and has all of their needs taken care of. What was supposed to be a silly story turned super cynical and depressing, so I stopped working on it.
When I last talked about it, someone pointed out that this was already a thing, back in the 1950s, called "Queen for a Day" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day
Each contestant was asked to talk about the recent financial and emotional hard times she had been through. The interview would climax with Bailey asking the contestant what she needed most and why she wanted to win the title of Queen for a Day. Often the request was for medical care or therapeutic equipment to help a chronically ill child, or might be for a hearing aid, a new washing machine, or a refrigerator. Many women broke down sobbing as they described their plights.
- ehsankia 7y agoSounds like a perfect pitch for a Black Mirror episode. Although "Fifteen Million Merits" gets kinda close.
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoI'd agree if we were talking BlackMirror S1-S4... If it was S5, healthcare would just be paid for after the tiniest bit of struggle and everyone would live happily ever after, the end.
- bschne 7y agoI think "Nosedive" goes into similar territory and might even be the better fit, since success in this kind of show and GoFundMe campaigns could be considered a proxy for popularity and/or "good" presentation.
- leovander 7y agoI remember a house in Orange County got done up in the first season of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition but they definitely pivoted towards families with greater needs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Makeover:_Home_Edition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Makeover:_Home_Edition
- consz 7y agoThis currently exists, but for student loans. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8502456/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8502456/
- rasz 7y agoIm pretty sure my mum watches something similar on TLC
- agumonkey 7y agoLaw of nature. Anything that could benefit a few parties will happen.