Zero Effs

Some people can talk a good game.

Talk, talk, talk.

It's the ones that share so much about how great they are that creep me out.

Especially when no one else agrees.

But it can work in other ways, too.

Sometimes, you stumble upon stuff you never really ever wanted to know.

For example, I recently learned about a trend on one of them newfangled (aka quite old) social media hades holes that is just someone begging for money.

They livestream for cash.

A lot of them struggling.

It is quite sad.

Some of them even admonish their viewers for not giving enough.

You can do better than that!

Oddly, it apparently works.

Actually, I have no idea.

I don't want to dig any further into it.

I will say, though, part of me is impressed.

One of the things about growing up Korean is that you have quite a bit of shame.

You carry it.

That is, you are raised to have it.

How you can bring shame to yourself, and more importantly, shame to your family.

Honor is sacred.

And at first I thought, about these streamers, have you no shame?

And I think, some of them don't, but some oddly shift it the other way. Not only do they have no shame, they shame their viewers. 

They shame their donors!

How dare you not give to me. After all I've done (nothing but asking for money).

It's the smart play.

Weeds out a lot.

Like how scams often contain typos and bad grammar intentionally. For it filters out everyone else so only the most susceptible are left.

Easy pickings.

Anyone who gives money to someone in need is a saint.

But giving money to a stranger online because they demand you do so is an interesting consequence of, I think(?), analog loneliness.

People want to hear their name out loud. Want to be thanked. Want to be shamed, even.

They want a friend.

Shame is many things, but it's not alone, especially amongst livestreams.

So all of that to say, here is my Venmo:

Just kidding.

But if you're offering...

I shouldn't joke.

Listen, if you're cutting checks...

Is that what they still say? Cutting checks?

I think that's right.

I hope it's all some sort of artistic statement. Begging streams. Some sort of ironic tragecomedy.

Like those pranks they play on people just to see what they do.

And they film it.

But I know, I know, somehow, that would be worse.

There's a picture of near century old Billy Shatner eating a bowl of cereal from the driver's seat of his car.

And I've seen a lot of folks saying that is their goal.

To be able to live with that zero of an eff to give.

Eating corn flakes at a red light.

I just see negligence (or self-driving) at best.

And I love Bill Shat.

So he gets a pass.

But begging for money live streaming is just stratospherically worse.

I dig the chutzpah, though.

Shameful, but ballsy.

So these digital folks with their pixeled palms out, I'm hoping its some weird ai thing. But I know it ain't.

I know it ain't.

It's as real as anything is these days.

This coming from an optimist.

Optimist Prime.

Tick tock, tick tock...

⏰ = 💰

🥺