Mutual aid spam is becoming a problem on the Fediverse.
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i had helped 2 people through Mastodon who seemed to genuinely need it on Mastodon a few months ago. I think it is nice to know that I can help people who need and they might help in my time of need.It is functional.
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Is it weird that I've never heard this term "mutual aid" before this thread but apparently everyone here knows all about it?
Anyway. There's just no way I'd give real money to someone asking for it like this because for every real person there must be a dozen scammers at least. It honestly seems crazy to me that this could work and people could send money.
If people are giving money away like this then they're part of the problem IMO. You're encouraging scammers, and perpetuating the practice, diverting money away from the people who actually need it.
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Is it weird that I've never heard this term "mutual aid" before this thread but apparently everyone here knows all about it?
May be an American thing? I don't know have never heard of it or encountered it.
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It isn't really that odd, considering you've only been here a couple of weeks. Mutual Aid is a foundational idea in most if not all anarchist projects and theory.
There may be many scammers, yes, but the goal remains the same - get help to those who need it from those in a position to give it.
As for being part of the problem, I must disagree. Scammers aren't leeching just this, they'd be present in any system purporting to help others (in gov't systems this is called fraud), the goal of these grassroots aid projects is to help those who fall through the cracks of more formalized systems and decentralize some aid in case the church/NGO/gov't can't or won't help (see the Hurricane Helene/Katrina responses when FEMA is overwhelmed).
Means-testing recipients is kinda a dick move anyway: those who have demonstrable need will have a harder time getting aid and time/money that should be spent helping are now spent with verification.
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I just mute all of them.
It may be my "3rd world syndrome" but to me, someone with internet access and a social media account who post regularly, is not in poverty. More likely a spambot.
My local beggar, in contrast, is a sincere person who tells me that he just want some cheap boxed wine or something to smoke. Refuses food or any kind of help. Cash only.
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It's a very terminally online leftist thing. You would see it in communist/anarchist leftist spaces, people retweeting posts of disabled/neurodivergent people asking for help with rent.
I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with it, and kudos to those who donate. But it quickly turns into a popularity/disability contest of who can fit the most disability categories in a GoFundMe.
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Hah.
I've probably been kicking around the fediverse longer than you, it's just this particular account that's only a few weeks old.
Anyhow, feel free to continue giving money to people asking for it on lemmy i guess.
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Fair 'nuff. I hadn't really considered an alt account.
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Personally only seen one asking for help and it was just a fella in my instance (super small) saying hey if u live in ___ my friend needs a place to crash at, retoot if possible (sounds super legit)
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I first heard it in 2019 or 2020 from the queer community but I have a feeling it has deeper roots
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Mutual aid is not giving random internet assholes money because they begged for it. I'm not saying they should be banned from doing so, but calling it mutual aid is 100% a scam. Mutual aid is given freely, within a pre-established network.
Hosting a friend on your couch for a week cause they're in between apartments is mutual aid. Feeding your friends without expecting anything in return is mutual aid. Enabling e-begging is not mutual aid.
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Aha. I consider myself leftist, but not in the ml corner. I had never encountered it.
Cheers for explaining!
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Not trying to change your mind on giving money to internet grifters but having a cell phone is pretty much a basic tool of survival these days even if you're destitute. Phones more than a couple years old are basically e-waste and cost nothing or are donated/trashed all the time. Even a WiFi only phone can be the best tool someone has to find shelter, food and get important weather updates.
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Americans have had to invent novel terms to avoid using the 's' or 'c' word with politics. 'Mutual aid' is a term usually used to refer tk grassroots organizing of communities to cover basic needs like food and medicine.
Referring to a common internet scam as 'mutual aid' is doing more work to smear the term than anything.
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When I was homeless, I had a cell phone. It's pretty hard to find work without one. And I don't know if it's still the case, but at that time if you are on any sort of government assistance you could get a phone paid for.
As it is really difficult to get out of poverty without one.
That sad, I don't hand out money on lemmy. There are folks in my community I know need help too.
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Its tough cause we want to help people in need but also dont want to be scammed. Theres gotta be a better way to do this!
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Even if it's a recent phone, new flagship phones cost less than a month's rent in many places. It's not like phones are unattainable for homeless people.
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Seems like a great way to poison the concept of "mutual aid" before most people (such as OP) have even heard of it.
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"Mutual aid"? Is that what scammers are calling it now? What exactly is "mutual" about this interaction?
I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a community where people who are struggling financially can ask for help or plug their GoFundMe or whatever, but allowing these guys to essentially cold call individuals with DMs/Mentions is unacceptable.
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I see a lot of people asking for mutual aid, and it's often "I've had a hard day and just want some McDonalds, please help"
OK, that's not mutual aid, and you shouldn't be asking for that under that hashtag. if you need help paying your rent, or with gas money so you don't lose your job, that's something that appropriate for mutual aid. asking for money for vices should be something you do off the hashtag, or on your OF or something. mutual aid is for people helping where they can, when they can, for problems that are serious and life-altering. and nothing else.
