There are some people you cannot help. They subscribe strongly to the Copenhagen Interpretation of Ethics. A few classic examples are: - YC attempting to choos

There are some people you cannot help. They subscribe strongly to the Copenhagen Interpretation of Ethics. A few classic examples are: - YC attempting to choose one startup to fund based on HN votes - Winamp trying to open-source their code - Jordan Henderson supporting the LGBTQ community - Ellen Degeneres's sponsors offering to donate to a charity per question answered by her guests - PETA offering to donate money for each person who chooses veganism - Numerous open-source developers who give their things for free It's important to know who your audience is. If they require unwavering purity, it's often better for your own sake to not engage with them. For my part, I stay clear of all these groups in a charitable sense. Everyone pays. The relationship is obvious. They'll go after the people who give them stuff for free. But for the ones who charge them it's just a transaction. That is good.