2026-09-05 20:24 UTC
@ramsey@phpc.social Reading this back, I also think I need to draw a line between "vanity project" and "evil." I think a lot of these places aren't evil per se. They just don't exist to do good - they exist to make someone with a lot of money *feel* like they're doing good. This can, and up to a point *does*, overlap with actually doing useful and positive things for the world.
But it's still a loose proxy. That's what we're seeing: situations where vanity and charity don't overlap, and it becomes clear which force is animating these organizations, and the answer isn't flattering. That doesn't mean donated money is totally wasted, it means there's a complex trust issue at play, where I have to be honest with myself "this place is primarily about someone's ego and incidentally about fighting oppression - what floating point percentage of my donation will do something that matters?"
I'm not saying they can't act as allies, but when you're relying on them as allies, you're scraping the bottom of a barrel.
Replies (1)
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@ramsey@phpc.social 2026-09-05 20:31
@MaddieM4@raphus.social Good point. The discourse is so polarizing on any topic these days, when someone is critical of anything, the automatic reaction is to assume a good vs. evil stance, hence the defensiveness others are displaying and my statement that I can’t view them as evil.