[ SECRET POST #4270 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4270 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 14 secrets from Secret Submission Post #611.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

General comments:

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Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

Do you believe people when they post sob stories about needing money? Have you ever given money to someone because you felt sorry for them?

It wasn't quite a sob story, but I did give some money as a thank you to Captain Awkward, because I enjoy her advice column.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I assume that a large percentage of it is scammy, but I don't feel like i have the ability or resources to consistently tell which is which.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

No. I don't ever give money unless I know the person well or they're a friend of a friend whose judgment I trust. The last time I gave money, it was to a mutual friend of a bunch of my friends who needed to pay off the last of her credit card debt so that she could quit a job that had been wrecking her mental health for a while. I knew her tangentially through several of my friends and she'd always seemed like a really sweet, hard-working person, and I'd been in a similar situation myself before so I was sympathetic on that front too. Last I heard she had in fact ditched the shitty job and gotten one that was treating her much better, so I don't regret giving her money. I wish I'd had people to help me out when I'd been in that situation.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I do believe some of them. Mostly those about sick pets where people post updates and pics and when it's done say thank you and don't ask again.

Some of them, I don't know what to think about. Mostly those that give a long list of mental disorders (and sexualities) that make them unable to work at all ever (idk why it's somehow more believable to me when they have a job but it's not making enough money to live), plus their parents kicked them out and they have to ask again and again and again... I KNOW that any of those when they're true are the most tragic, but I can't help myself... I always wonder.

I've never donated to any of these people and I sometimes feel bad about it... but I'm just so suspicious. D:

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I’ve given people money through kofi and bought someone a present off their amazon wishlist before; mostly because I liked their work—sometimes I also felt sorry for them.

I don’t donate to random people because I end up spending too much time trying to figure out who deserves $2.00 this week. I end up feeling guilty that I can’t help everyone. At least when I give a homeless person my spare change or buy them lunch I don’t usually spend the rest of the day going “but that person over there needed the money more”—not sure why the difference, though.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I never believe them and I won't give them money.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

Some.

Yes, I've given quite a lot sometimes. Never more than one to a person though. And never to anyone who seems to be in perpetual begging mode.

Do I worry that some of them were scams? No, actually. There's no point in it, and the money is already gone. If one out of every 10 donations I've made went to a person in real need and made a difference, that's fine with me.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

When they show up on my dash, I believe them. I assume that in order to get those posts spread, you need friends who trust you, and I somehow don't think crowfunded pet operations or running away from your homophobic family are profitable enough for people to spend months on building a fandom network for it.

My money, however, goes to monthly donations to Médecins Sans Frontières and Amnesty International.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I believe them for the most part. Fandom seems to attract ill, desperate, and marginalized people. But I never give anyone money. We all have problems, and I don't really think it's fair or polite to ask.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I don't usually believe people and their sob stories. I've seen too much on Tumblr where people have made up stuff just to get money. And I sure as hell don't give them money.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

Not really. I mean sure, there are probably cases of genuine need but like another anon said, I don't have any way of verifying the truth on my own so I'm disinclined to just hand out money even for a sad story. Most of the time the begging seems to come from people who don't deserve a handout. Oh, you adopted a cat and now you can't pay for its food? Not emergency medical care mind you, but the basics. I'm sorry for your cat, but you can't afford to own a cat and shouldn't have adopted it. Oh, you really, really want to go to a con? Get a job and save up for it.

The worst one I've seen is from someone who actually had a contract with a publisher and couldn't deliver the books she was contracted to deliver. So now she wanted people to pay her bills and mortgage (in a nice house in an expensive part of town which she TOTALLY NEEDED FOR REASONS) while she wrote the books she'd already been paid to write. And people actually gave this ridiculous woman money.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I definitely believe some of them, but I've never given money.

I've had some online fandom friends whom I've met offline, or I've met people offline who've met them offline (e.g. I have some older fandom friends who have circles of fandom friends that were established pre-internet) and there have been times one of them will post about/signal boost for a friend they know offline who is going through a rough time.

Otherwise, there are still some i will believe, but it depends.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

I'm sure some are genuine but I don't know which ones and I never give anything to anyone online.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

i have a fandom friend who has had a small internet business and when her pet got sick sand vet bills piled up, she asked her followers on SM to help her out by _buying her stuff_ from her online store. She even did some discounts / threw in some freebies so ppl bought more.

That is a point where i happily buy / donate extra / spread the word, becuase not only do you help, but you also get something in return for your money.

Re: Inspired by the not-fandom failbarred secret - internet panhandling

[(Anonymous)]

Sometimes. I don't give money because I'm a luddite and don't want to figure out how to donate via Paypal or whatever and couldn't afford to give much, anyway. However, I have bought things from people who had established online shops when they say they are in an unusual money crunch or suffering a hardship, but only if I kind of wanted the thing in the first place.

Please help restore my faith in humanity

[syncing_feeling]

Someone stole a charity box from work today. Not the plastic cylindrical one that you chain to the till, but one of those Cancer Research pin badge boxes with a slot for donations. The badges were super cute and were selling really well, so we'd raised a lot of money.

I am seething. We get our fair share of shoplifters but stealing a charity box? Really? FS, if you have any feel good stories about people doing good deeds or acts of kindness, please post them.

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

https://globalnews.ca/news/4438758/red-deer-car-auction-brent-nicole-keryluke-motorcycle/

https://www.wkrg.com/news/what-s-working/what-s-working-nicu-volunteer-donates-a-million-dollars-to-local-baby-unit/1425890649

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/education/banker-picks-up-college-tuition-for-entire-school-class-again/89-591077822

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

Share the story on FB or with local news. That should inspire people to donate again and more.

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

I'm a cashier and at the end of last month I had a lady and her son in front of me. She was buying groceries. It was all essentials, really. Nothing fancy or expensive, but she still didn't have enough money and was really embarassed and sad and I felt so sorry for her, but I literally couldn't do anything for her... but as she was about to decide which things to leave at the store, the man behind her in the queue asked how much money she needed to not leave anything behind. It was like 10€ or something and he paid them for her.

Another time a sweet old lady bought a little "care package" full of food for the little family that lived next to her, because they were tight on money that month.

There is a mother that comes in with her son and he is always proud of his painted glitter nails she does for him. She buys him magazines "for girls" or some pink toy, too without batting an eye.

Sometimes some customers buy candy and give me some of it as a gift (especially around Christmas time, because "you must have so much stress").

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

As a grocery store cashier I've had a few great customers. One had two orders. The first was for under $20 and was food. The second was over $100 of travel toiletries. We got to talking and it turns out he buys the toiletries to donate to shelters. Another customer comes in once a month to buy a whole big grocery cart full of breakfast things. Like dozens upon dozens of eggs, gallons upon gallons of orange juice and milk, and so many loaves of bread. This is because once a month they make breakfast for people in need, paying for it themselves. They're not huge things in the grand scheme of things, but it makes me smile.

I'm really sorry your charity box was stolen. I hope something can be done about it.

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

I reblogged one of those "when you're in a fandom of one" posts, mentioning in the tags that I've been waiting nine years for a conversation about my fandom, and someone saw it and messaged me that they bought the book. The conversation never happened, but it still warmed my heart.

Re: Please help restore my faith in humanity

[(Anonymous)]

I once accidentally lost an envelope with 1500€ in it and the kids who found it took the time to locate me themselves, even when the only info they had was the logo on the envelope and my nickname and my grandma's name written on a birthday card.

Inspired by #1

[(Anonymous)]

What media aimed at children are you a fan of right now?

What food are you craving?

[(Anonymous)]

Nom nom nom.