Dear Facebook and Facebook Friends,
I work *75 hours a week at low paying jobs. I blog. I podcast. I’m the primary caregiver for my children. If you are in dire straits I don’t mind you asking me to donate for a Facebook fundraiser. But if you’re asking me to buy you suntan lotion for your trip to Florida, go screw yourself.
That was me a few days ago letting off steam about Facebook friends I barely know hitting me up for money. If you’ve been on that social media platform recently you have probably noticed people tagging you in fundraisers. Most of the time they are for good causes. I’ve seen Facebook friends post personal fundraisers for help with medical bills and assistance during natural disasters. At times someone will add a “donate button” to a post so friends can donate to a charity.
That’s great. In fact, I’ve added a donate button for a secular charity or two (I think they were FFRF and Foundation Beyond Belief).
But…
However…
You see…
I’m not giving money to you if you are healthy, able to work, and not in dire need. And I feel super uncomfortable saying that because doing so makes me feel like I’m drifting into Republican waters. And my boat is the USS Social Democracy. My boat and I hate GOP waters. We want to kick those waters back to the 1950s where they can hang out with Jim Crow laws and anti-Communist hysteria.
And Facebook perhaps you could help out would be fundraisers. Before people post their call for money maybe they can get a prompt like Is this going to make me look like a scammer? or Do you really need a fundraiser or do you need to spend less money on beer?
*I just want to clarify I work 75 hours a week at low paying jobs. I’m not throwing myself a pity party. I like my life. This is the least miserable I’ve been in decades.
Andrew Hall is the author of Laughing in Disbelief. Besides writing a blog, co-hosting the Naked Diner, he wrote two books, Vampires, Lovers, and Other Strangers and God’s Diary: January 2017