Another one? It should come as no surprise to the typical Facebook user that an escalating number of their so-called friends publishing posts are asking for money. The most common of these publicized appeals comes from GoFundMe, a fundraising website which allows individuals to receive electronic financial payments for their own personal causes. In many cases, such as freak accidents generating seemingly unpayable medical bills or situations in dire need of crowdfunding help, this method allows people to tap into the vast human network of bountiful capital. However, a serious threat to our cultural identity arises when thousands of people demand money for trips around the world and countless other unnecessary endeavors.
There is absolutely no shame in asking your friends for help. Many people are delighted to help someone have the opportunity to do something they truly love, whether that be a service trip to Uganda or living expenses for an internship in another city. The fundamental idea behind helping people fulfill a personal cause by shifting the financial burden from the shoulders of one individual to that of many individuals is sound and laudable. Often, people will post asking for money after a horrifying natural disaster or case of extreme financial burden where the need for assistance is abundantly clear. I’ve seen GoFundMe pages helping to rebuild a home after a natural disaster or offset funeral costs for a beloved family member. From these scenarios, it’s obvious these crowdfunding websites do incalculable good by connecting caring and willing donors to people in fraught situations through the rapid power of social networking.
However, when posts with established and substantiated need are increasingly replaced with requests to fund a new Macbook Pro, the implications for our culture are widespread and dangerous. Key to comprehending this peril is understanding what a fundraising post communicates about the original creator. Let’s suppose someone just created a GoFundMe drive and shared it to Facebook. When one makes this public appeal for money — which, mind you, has zero expected return — she is essentially saying that not only is she incapable of achieving her stated goal on her own, but also that it is your responsibility, the viewer of the page, to provide the money for her. Furthermore, it communicates an unwillingness to solve the problem through personal proactivity and determination. Maybe this hypothetical person claims to be unable to fund this personal endeavor, but how really true is that? For a goal which someone thinks is so important to her that she has requested others to finance it, it’s absolutely logical that she should have tried to fund it on her own by working a job.
Part of the problem is the ease with which someone can create a fundraising page, effectively connecting a financial plea with an army of potential donors. Add in several shares on social media, and what started as an online post an hour ago has now reached thousands of people. Judith Newman of The New York Times sums up this new GoFundMe social development incredibly well: “There is nothing new about asking your friends for help...but that help was confined to a small group of people you actually knew. Now, no such boundaries exist.”
As for effects, the trend of an ever-increasing number of fundraising appeals ties in perfectly to the documented narrative of our growing entitlement society, making the classification of the Baby Boomer generation as the “me” generation seem paltry compared to the “me, me, me” generation we likely have today. Whether this development is a cause or an effect, the belief that because you want something but are unwilling to do the work to achieve it and therefore it is the responsibility of others to provide you the funds for it creates a culture contrary to the values of willpower and resolve in our past. As a workable formula for those considering making a GoFundMe, I would suggest clearly demonstrating how your efforts to fund this project have been unsuccessful despite your determination and efforts, over and above the empty claim that it means a lot. More people would certainly be receptive to helping out. Maybe work a job to pay for half?
Certainly, many of the GoFundMe pages are for worthwhile causes that just need a little financial help from some friends and family. One could further argue, to my disagreement, that the implications for these fundraising posts are minimal. But the next time you see a GoFundMe page, I certainly hope you ask yourself whether that person truly needs your help. And, crucially, is it really your responsibility to pay for it?
Ben Yahnian is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.yahnian@cavalierdaily.com.
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