Wednesday 4 March 2015

GoFundMyLifestyle - Panhandling 21st Century Style

Whoever came up with the idea of crowd funding websites really hit the jackpot. Of course, there are many genuine and deserving cases of people who need money in emergencies , such as life saving surgery. There was a recent story in the news about how crowd funding was used to raise money to help a disabled pensioner move home after he was mugged by scumbags. It was heartwarming to see that there is still hope in humanity.

But crowd funding has also attracted scores of unscrupulous individuals who see this as a gateway to obtaining easy money without having to lift a finger - well, apart from typing up a short sob story, that is. These are probably the same sort of people who turn up their noses at some poor homeless person begging on a street corner.


I have previously written about the unfortunate case of Jahi McMath. 15 months later, and this circus is still going on. The GoFundMe that was originally set up to move her from CHO to another facility is still up and running, even though she was moved over a year ago. And in the meantime, we have seen how the family have been spending those donations. But enough about Jahi's family for now.

Recently I received a link to this other GoFundMe site:
Buy a Car for Rania El-Alloul
"This campaign is to help raise funds to buy Rania a car and also raise awareness of the issue. No woman with Hijab or any other religious symbol should be treated differently anywhere, let alone in a court of law.
We want to buy a car for her because she is separated and on welfare. She went to court to try and get her car back. It was taken because her son drove with a suspended license.
Any excess funds will be directed to her legal fees or as requested by Ms. El-Alloul."

Now, I don't care if this woman  had gone to court stark bollock naked, claiming that her rights as a nudist were not being respected. What I do object to is this culture of entitlement. There are millions of separated women on welfare from all walks of life, races and religions, (including Muslims) so why should she be special? And why did she allow her son to drive with a suspended license? What if he had caused an accident or even killed someone? So she had her car confiscated, big deal. It's got nothing to do with what she was or wasn't wearing. She broke the law. Tough!

Another case I have been following recently is that of a mother who lost her baby and set up a GoFundMe to bury her child.  I am not going to go into too much detail out of respect for the family, as this is a very recent case. All I will say is that a couple of weeks ago, this same woman was bragging on Facebook about the new luxury car her husband (who incidentally is in the military) had bought her as a Valentine's gift. 

No doubt she has been left with crippling medical bills, but then again, she was advised by the doctors treating the baby that any intrusive treatment was futile. 

IMO, these people are in the same league as the scammers who prey on vulnerable people on online dating sites. This culture of entitlement is just wrong. Of course, we all have our dreams, be it an exotic holiday or a new home. But people need to learn the value of money and value qualities such as intelligence and hard work.

I would rather give some spare change to this guy, at least he is honest!



Now, how can I raise some money for that new car I've been dreaming about......

Sunday 8 February 2015

Misogyny is alive and well, unfortunately.

A barrister called Michael Osborne has recently been in the news for a blog post he wrote about rape and consent, which he originally titled 'She Was Gagging For It' (he has now edited this just to rape and consent). According to Osborne, it's ok for a man to rape a woman who is too drunk to say no, because after all she was 'gagging for it'. This pathetic excuse for a man also refers to men 'red blooded men who are out on the rut'. He has now edited and toned down some of the things he wrote, but the damage has already been done, and the original comments have been widely circulated in the media

Looking at his blog, it seems that he only publishes comments that are in agreement with him, I know mine won't get published, but at least I know he will have to read this:

Gagging for it? Seriously? This must be one of the most disgusting blog posts I have ever read, and what is even more revolting is that all the comments on your article seem to agree with your misogynistic attitude. Do you delete any opposing views, by any chance?
A woman has got the right to wear what she wants, she could be walking around stark bollock naked if she wants to and NO ONE has the right to make her do anything she does not want. And that includes coercion, in the manner of plying her with alcohol and/or drugs.
Not only is this article degrading to women, but also to men, as you seem to bring them down to the level of animals who cannot control their urges. Also, by your logic, it seems to be ok for a man to have sex with a woman he has knocked unconscious with a baseball bat? What about necrophilia? After all, dead girls don’t say ‘no’
Incidentally, Osborne also opposes the prefix 'Ms', his exact words are:

 And is it just me, or are women taking over the world?  And is it just me, or do you share my dislike for the prefix ‘Ms’?  It’s all to do with political correctness, or so they say, but speaking for my wife, and I suspect millions of other wives, when she agreed to marry me, convention dictated that she took my name and became Mrs. Osborne.  She does not wish to be referred to as Ms. Osborne, nor does she wish to be known as my partner.  It’s absurd!

It seems that not all dinosaurs are extinct.