Two recent tragedies sparked Go Fund Me campaigns – the LA wildfires and the murder of a coworker by the chef of a local Raleigh restaurant. Every time I see a Go Fund Me campaign, part of me is saddened by the recognition that when tragedy (or financial calamity) strikes in the US, the victims must rely on winning the Go Fund Me lottery.
Hopefully, their camping goes viral and they get a pile of money. If however, they are like most people who play the lottery, they won’t go viral. Instead they’ll get nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
I’m also struck by how many Go Fund Me campaigns say the money will be used to help pay for funeral costs*. The poor families and those living paycheck to paycheck need this money for living expenses much more than overpriced funeral services.
I see Go Fund Me campaigns for medical bills, car accidents, cancer treatments, extended unemployment and many other truly sad circumstances. It strikes me that in other first world countries, the government creates safety nets to help citizens. In the US, you are on you’re own. Good luck buddy. We’ve accepted that when tragedy strikes, you can Go F*** Yourself
*I think mortuaries, funeral homes and cemeteries take advantage of grieving families to sell overpriced products and services. If I suddenly lost a family member who contributed financially to the family, money would be needed for things like bills, mortgages, education, etc. A basic cremation is around $1000. Anything more than that is likely padding the coffers of the funeral industry at the expense of the family.