6 ms·

It surprises me to see GoFundMe bow to political pressure, when the platform is designed to fund people that are standing up against governments.

adamrezich 5y ago
this is not the first time we've seen this happen in the past few years so at this point it's kind of baffling why any kind of political dissent even attempts to be funded on GFM. there's so many other avenues that could be used instead, why do people keep trying to use this one for this purpose?
vnchr 5y ago
The people who operate the platforms can have individual political motivations.
x86_64Ubuntu 5y ago
Where do you get the idea that the platform was designed to stand up to governments?
- myself248 5y ago
  How dare Americans find a way to pay for medical treatment?!?
  - kayodelycaon 5y ago
    How is paying for medical treatments standing up to a government? It's perfectly legal to do that.
pessimizer 5y ago
That's weird, because I've never seen ISIS on there.
bawolff 5y ago
I'm not following the whole thing but i think part of the controversy is the person collecting the money is suspected to have run off with it or suspected to intend to run off with it, or something. Regardless, i doubt people waving swastikas and demanding that democratic leaders be replaced with a dictatorship is exactly the type of "standing up to government" gofundme envisioned.
- colpabar 5y ago
  What swastikas?
  - mikeyouse 5y ago
    These truckers (and most antivaxxers) somehow think they're as stigmatized as the Jews were during WWII so they often wear yellow stars, compare themselves to Anne Frank, and have signs with the SS moniker / draw swastikas over the flags to demonstrate how oppressed they are.. a few made it on TV while the MP was talking to the news crews. Whenever there's anything remotely anti-government the Gadsen/Confederate battle flags make an appearance too. Just delightful behavior. https://images.theconversation.com/files/443549/original/file-20220131-15-4qnrra.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C0%2C4800%2C3190&q=20&auto=format&w=320&fit=clip&dpr=2&usm=12&cs=strip https://images.theconversation.com/files/443549/original/fil... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/CooperMain-900x425.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/CooperMain-900... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags1-238x300.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags1-238x300... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags2-300x245.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags2-300x245... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMstBjXsAcY0C4?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMstBjXsAcY0C4?format=jpg&name=... https://i.cbc.ca/1.6173258.1631709823!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/calgary-vaccine-protest-anti-vaxx-mandatory-vaccination.jpg https://i.cbc.ca/1.6173258.1631709823!/fileImage/httpImage/i...
    - enchiridion 5y ago
      Small nit-pick, it is disingenuous to write “Gadsen/Confederate” flag when those are two totally separate things. The Gadsen flag for most people is a symbol of independence and freedom. Historically it was not associated with slavery, the confederate secession, or the civil war.
txsoftwaredev 5y ago
GoFundMe is a very left leaning organization. They have shut down numerous right leaning GoFundMe pages. This shouldn't come as a surprise.
- DonHopkins 5y ago
  [flagged]
wyager 5y ago
They've done this a ton of times to any number of vaguely right-leaning causes (including legal defense fundraisers).
bastardoperator 5y ago
In other news : Kolfage was indicted, along with Steve Bannon and two other co-defendants, on federal charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of "We Build the Wall" donors by diverting money that was raised to personal use. Federal prosecutors said that despite "repeatedly assuring donors" that Kolfage would not be paid, the defendants engaged in a schemed to pass $350,000 to Kolfage "which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle." Kolfage was separately indicted in May 2021 on federal charges of defrauding the IRS and filing false tax returns. I'm not surprised at all that they're ensuring things like this don't happen again.

adamrezich 5y ago

this is not the first time we've seen this happen in the past few years so at this point it's kind of baffling why any kind of political dissent even attempts to be funded on GFM. there's so many other avenues that could be used instead, why do people keep trying to use this one for this purpose?

vnchr 5y ago

The people who operate the platforms can have individual political motivations.

x86_64Ubuntu 5y ago

Where do you get the idea that the platform was designed to stand up to governments?

myself248 5y ago
How dare Americans find a way to pay for medical treatment?!?
- kayodelycaon 5y ago
  How is paying for medical treatments standing up to a government? It's perfectly legal to do that.

pessimizer 5y ago

That's weird, because I've never seen ISIS on there.

bawolff 5y ago

I'm not following the whole thing but i think part of the controversy is the person collecting the money is suspected to have run off with it or suspected to intend to run off with it, or something. Regardless, i doubt people waving swastikas and demanding that democratic leaders be replaced with a dictatorship is exactly the type of "standing up to government" gofundme envisioned.

colpabar 5y ago
What swastikas?
- mikeyouse 5y ago
  These truckers (and most antivaxxers) somehow think they're as stigmatized as the Jews were during WWII so they often wear yellow stars, compare themselves to Anne Frank, and have signs with the SS moniker / draw swastikas over the flags to demonstrate how oppressed they are.. a few made it on TV while the MP was talking to the news crews. Whenever there's anything remotely anti-government the Gadsen/Confederate battle flags make an appearance too. Just delightful behavior. https://images.theconversation.com/files/443549/original/file-20220131-15-4qnrra.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C0%2C4800%2C3190&q=20&auto=format&w=320&fit=clip&dpr=2&usm=12&cs=strip https://images.theconversation.com/files/443549/original/fil... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/CooperMain-900x425.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/CooperMain-900... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags1-238x300.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags1-238x300... https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags2-300x245.png https://albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/uploads/Flags2-300x245... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMstBjXsAcY0C4?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FKMstBjXsAcY0C4?format=jpg&name=... https://i.cbc.ca/1.6173258.1631709823!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/calgary-vaccine-protest-anti-vaxx-mandatory-vaccination.jpg https://i.cbc.ca/1.6173258.1631709823!/fileImage/httpImage/i...
  - enchiridion 5y ago
    Small nit-pick, it is disingenuous to write “Gadsen/Confederate” flag when those are two totally separate things. The Gadsen flag for most people is a symbol of independence and freedom. Historically it was not associated with slavery, the confederate secession, or the civil war.

txsoftwaredev 5y ago

GoFundMe is a very left leaning organization. They have shut down numerous right leaning GoFundMe pages. This shouldn't come as a surprise.

DonHopkins 5y ago
[flagged]

wyager 5y ago

They've done this a ton of times to any number of vaguely right-leaning causes (including legal defense fundraisers).

bastardoperator 5y ago

In other news : Kolfage was indicted, along with Steve Bannon and two other co-defendants, on federal charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of "We Build the Wall" donors by diverting money that was raised to personal use. Federal prosecutors said that despite "repeatedly assuring donors" that Kolfage would not be paid, the defendants engaged in a schemed to pass $350,000 to Kolfage "which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle." Kolfage was separately indicted in May 2021 on federal charges of defrauding the IRS and filing false tax returns. I'm not surprised at all that they're ensuring things like this don't happen again.