I agree it's a disturbing trend. What I haven't heard people talk about is that this is the natural extension of combining exploitative capitalism with the American narrative of individualism and bootstrapping. In short, we have always been headed here.https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1023304786513354752 …
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I would go further and say the ruse of these "poverty memes" is directly in line with what I've been learning about Republican morality. Republican morality says you're only responsible for yourself and your family. And you do whatever it takes to make it under your own power.
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Republicans are also against any kind of safety net or shared social responsibility. (This isn't strictly true, they just apply it selectively). But they feel like choosing to help someone else outside of your family circle is also a personal decision about personal values.
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So watching people in danger of falling into poverty being rescued by the personal sacrifice of another private citizen is exact how things should work in their world. The question for me becomes why do these memes also resonate with people who claim to have liberal values?
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When I see these poverty memes, it strikes me is that we can see the struggle of those around us in a way that was invisible before. This kind of thing has always happened. There are a few differences. The voyuerism, the virality, and the internet platforms that generate money.
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Much has been said about the rise of GoFundMe and other platforms that serve as alternative healthcare coverage. Part of it is the rise of healthcare costs and the gutting of the safety net for sure. But it is also a channel that didn't exist before.
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There have always been people who feel through the cracks in the system and had no recourse. Before GoFundMe, you know what would happen to those people? They would become homeless or they would perish. And you would never hear about it.
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The important thing about these internet platforms is that they are a real mechanism for wealth redistribution. On a smaller and more personal scale. But real significant amounts can be crowdfunded and delivered on short notice directly to people in need. That's new.
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Exactly how it should be done, voluntarily.
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