I have a sad and tragic story...Or do I?
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.
Looks like he missed
I was having a little wander around Steemit this morning, visiting places I don't usually go. You know how it is, one link leads to another and so on. Anyway...
Begging
There seems to be a proliferation of begging posts. I'm not talking about the usual charities and community fundraising things. There are plenty of those.
These are personal stories. They are designed to evoke pity in the reader. I'm not going to link any because that would be mean but I noticed a bit of a theme...
Sad emotional content
The writer has suffered a setback in life or (in some epic cases) a string of personal tragedies.
Images that pull at the heartstrings
These are incredibly heart rending images in most cases but nearly all of them are sourced online from the usual places. None (that I've seen here) feature pics of themselves or their personal circumstances. This leads me to suspect the use of emotive imagery as a tactic.
Skint
Although the range of emotional tragedy/setback varies, there is one constant and common theme. MONEY and a LINK to a crypto wallet so you can, at your convenience, donate some of your money.
So what?
I'm pretty sure you, dear reader, have suffered some sort of emotional setback at some time in your life. Many of you will also have known periods of being skint or down on your luck. How many of you post about this online asking strangers to send money to you? I'm guessing not too many. It strikes me as odd. The Spidey senses wake up. Is someone trying to scam me? Hmm...
Hard
Maybe I'm cynical and hardened to sob stories. I've fell for a few in my time and the lessons were hard.
What to do?
I hope you will keep your wits about you. Perhaps you should do some research before first handing over any of your hard-earned money to faceless people who could literally be taking advantage of your good nature. I'm not calling anyone a liar -- perhaps they're genuine -- but scammers exist. They exist here as much as anywhere.
Be careful!
Helpful
If this was helpful to you in any way, please consider sending me all your money. It will help me feel happy and fulfilled knowing I did almost fuck all to receive it.
If you want, you can let me know in the comments whether you think writing personal sad stories for monetary gain from complete strangers is something you agree with.
Love, Anj xx
Other eclectic articles
Being in New York and running into this kind of thing on a daily basis, it really makes me in automatic investigative mode when I stumble upon a post like that. Although, more often than not I'll just pass it altogether. Could be I miss some real stories but that's just how it goes....
Hiya @eonwarped
I usually do the same. Pass. If someone's genuinely suffering and I see proper proof, then maybe I'll be more inclined to help.
Thanks
Digital begging is a fascinating phenomenon. The fact of these wretches posting their sob stories on Steemit reveals many aspects about their situation. First, they possess computers. Second they have access to internet. Third, they are familiar with cryptocurrencies and markets. Fourth, they have been approved at a crypto-exchange. Fifth, they have bank accounts. Sixth, they have a stable address, which indicates that they either own or have rented at the same residence for some years.
Most, if not all, of the poor have none of the aforementioned amenities of civilization. They may have first and second, but certainly not the rest. In essence, these begging schemes are the less well-off requesting the more well-off to subsidize lifestyles beyond their station.
haha BOOM! Exactly @soo.chong163! They've got more than many if they have access to all these things. Makes me feel better about finding them amusing now :P
thanks
Very true... though there are genuine requests for help, a lot are also taking advantage of the kindness of others. We just have to be mindful of these, and yes, your advice is sound - Perhaps you should do some research before first handing over any of your hard-earned money to faceless people...
Thanks @arrliinn. I agree. Some are genuine but it's important to check :)
I’ve noticed quite a bit of that too, and the donating money for feeling sorry for someone... well, I guess that’s just not my thing. Like you said, who hasn’t been skint or have/is having hard times in life... shit I could post for days about that shite but I don’t want to focus on negatives! Besides, why beg when you can change a situation yourself.
Hahah I love what you’ve written at the end 😂 ok I’ll give you all of my money! I however agreed/don’t mind if someone is having a bad time and just wants to post or rant about it in writing, but the soul purpose of their blog being about asking people of donate them money... nope not for me!
Hiya @sunsethunter
Couldn't have said it better! That's what makes me squirm a bit... these are usually adults in good health, working age. If they can't be bothered lifting themselves up to fix the situation it's not my job to do it for them.
Yes, I love reading a good rant or general moan about life. Just when the 'gimme money' part comes that it turns me off :D
Thanks
Exactly! That’s the problem with people moaning/complaining is a lot of the time they are looking for sympathy or maybe someone to tell them how to live their life that they will only just go and disagree with anyway.
We are the only ones who can make changes to our lives, sure we can take and ask for advice of course, but take it onboard and move forward with stuff!
I do sympathise with people going through hard times as we have all been there, but we can also all get out of it!
But yea, the begging for money has nothing to do with sorting out a problem! I have no time for that!
Peace:) hope you have a great day
Thanks @sunsethunter
I agree: mostly we just need to purge the bad stuff, get the feeling people are listening to us, that they care. Listen to their advice, ignore it lolz XD
Normal stuff.
Have a great day too :D
STOP