I boost "mutual aid" toots when I see them.
Despite having over $12,000 USD in debt and being homeless? I don't beg.
Many years ago I set up a GoFundMe when things were even more dire; it did not reach anywhere near its goal to get me out of debt then either, but some folks were generous. An old coworker/boss kicked down $1000 which was immensely helpful even though GoFundMe and the check cashing place combined probably devoured > 10% of that.
Another colleague donated $10,000 to me once, via PayPal, years ago in hopes it would avoid alleviate my debts and it really did! For a time at least. Though, the rigamarole I had to go through with PayPal to actually get access to those funds was extensive.
I've pretty much given up on asking for financial help online.
If I had a capitalistic entrepreneurial spirit? I would probably already be running some sort of business selling Thneeds like most people engaged in business? I don't. So I keep applying to jobs and grants and hoping, maybe someday (hasn't happened yet in 50 years as a human incarnated on Earth) I will find this mythical "livable wage" job with no more than a 40 hour work week that so many in unions supposedly fought and died for before my time.
I also don't beg on the street (most places where I am in California, that is illegal, though it happens all the time anyway. I am never looking to put myself in more legal jeopardy, things are tenuous enough as it is.).
I think it would be totally reasonable for an ActivityPub/Mastodon/etc. instance provider to make a policy against such things too I guess?
Problematically, I don't think banning begging is really the solution though.
Banning the ultra rich via taxation and redistributing their funds into housing, frugivore food forests and other self-sustaining mutually beneficial programs OTOH? Might do wonders!
Dunno how to effect that level of change though. Doubtlessly, muting or changing federation policies with bits and bytes and such is a lot easier, if less effective.
CC: @randahl@mastodon.social
Despite having over $12,000 USD in debt and being homeless? I don't beg.
Many years ago I set up a GoFundMe when things were even more dire; it did not reach anywhere near its goal to get me out of debt then either, but some folks were generous. An old coworker/boss kicked down $1000 which was immensely helpful even though GoFundMe and the check cashing place combined probably devoured > 10% of that.
Another colleague donated $10,000 to me once, via PayPal, years ago in hopes it would avoid alleviate my debts and it really did! For a time at least. Though, the rigamarole I had to go through with PayPal to actually get access to those funds was extensive.
I've pretty much given up on asking for financial help online.
If I had a capitalistic entrepreneurial spirit? I would probably already be running some sort of business selling Thneeds like most people engaged in business? I don't. So I keep applying to jobs and grants and hoping, maybe someday (hasn't happened yet in 50 years as a human incarnated on Earth) I will find this mythical "livable wage" job with no more than a 40 hour work week that so many in unions supposedly fought and died for before my time.
I also don't beg on the street (most places where I am in California, that is illegal, though it happens all the time anyway. I am never looking to put myself in more legal jeopardy, things are tenuous enough as it is.).
I think it would be totally reasonable for an ActivityPub/Mastodon/etc. instance provider to make a policy against such things too I guess?
Problematically, I don't think banning begging is really the solution though.
Banning the ultra rich via taxation and redistributing their funds into housing, frugivore food forests and other self-sustaining mutually beneficial programs OTOH? Might do wonders!
Dunno how to effect that level of change though. Doubtlessly, muting or changing federation policies with bits and bytes and such is a lot easier, if less effective.
CC: @randahl@mastodon.social