Shadow Government
I see maybe five mutual-aid/GoFundMe posts every day across as many platforms.
That doesn't include international aid for regions we destroy; it's just people trying to eat and pay their rent and stuff.
I donate when I can, usually on a day when a client's check clears. On other days, I may share a link to my story or repost it with my followers. Most days, I just scroll past, hoping the next person gets that one.
Because our government's only interest is warfare, Americans are forced to cobble together this rudimentary shadow government across social media. It's a wildly ineffective system that also somehow still makes the rich richer.
These platforms are, of course, owned by war profiteers and wage thieves who shove Apple Watch ads in between medical bill GoFundMe links.
But what choice do we have? This is how it works now.
We direct funds to those who can articulate their pain with the most explicit prose or evoke rage against the system that springs us into action.
Every few days, we raise our arm a bit so that our phone may scan our face and beam five bucks to some poor soul who can't afford a pizza for their kid.
But not before the banks get their debit card processing fees. Not before the venture capitalists get their five percent cut.