I'd be happy to contribute to something yearly in order to help during the holidays, this community means a lot to me despite knowing mostly no-one and having made no real connections over the years. But you've all helped me grow and learn significantly.
Tell HN: Thank You
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Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#12Who are you?
Nobody - but I think anyone has the capacity to make another person's day a little bit better.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#13Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#14Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#15In my mind, I have an image that the median HN user works at a startup or FAANG company, getting paid a generous salary and living comfortably enough to not need to worry about these basic needs.
Thank you for highlighting that there are others out there who down on their luck (to put it mildly), with many things out of control. For example, the user who posted from Ukraine really struck a chord with me. Who would've thought last Christmas that this one would be so different for Ukrainians?
What you have done is amazing. HN is truly a fantastic community. I wish everyone a wonderful and happy holidays.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#16I feel bad that my immediate thought wasn't "what a wonderful gesture" but instead was "how many of those in need were scammers?"
It's weird to me that I like to think of myself as a positive person but come up with that sort of thing.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#17I feel bad that my immediate thought wasn't "what a wonderful gesture" but instead was "how many of those in need were scammers?" It's weird to me that I like to think of myself as a positive person but come up with that sort of thing.
Most people frankly went out of their way to assuage that concern with their initial e-mail to me. And even if one or two wasn't 100% legitimate... I'm OK with that "hit rate". Helping those truly in need makes those necessary mistakes worth it.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#18I feel bad that my immediate thought wasn't "what a wonderful gesture" but instead was "how many of those in need were scammers?" It's weird to me that I like to think of myself as a positive person but come up with that sort of thing.
Maybe it would be useful to have some kind of organization where people down on their luck but truly through no major fault of their own could anonymously register and receive some assistance. I think more people would be more generous if they didn’t think it was largely going to scammers.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t help everyone, just saying that it would be probably much easier to get more support for this.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#19I feel bad that my immediate thought wasn't "what a wonderful gesture" but instead was "how many of those in need were scammers?" It's weird to me that I like to think of myself as a positive person but come up with that sort of thing.
Most people frankly went out of their way to assuage that concern with their initial e-mail to me. And even if one or two wasn't 100% legitimate... I'm OK with that "hit rate". Helping those truly in need makes those necessary mistakes worth it.
That's good to hear, thank you.
Thing is, I'm totally OK with some "inefficiency" in public programmes like healthcare or food security.
And thank you for being a good person and doing something when most people just wish that someone else would take care of it.
Re: Tell HN: Thank You
#20Thank you too! With the war in my country, we're barely meeting ends, and couldn't prepare for Christmas. I wasn't sure about asking for help, but we've been struggling for a while, and even the holidays weren't looking to be any cheer for us. Although I doubted that we deserved it - there are many people who have it much worse, forced out of their houses, - I still reached out. I don't know if it's right of me to do so, but I surely am glad to see my family having better holidays.
I feel depressed about life, following news, and the world feels ever more grim. Just two days ago I found out that a developer of one of my favorite games "Stalker Clear Sky", died in Bakhmut, fighting on the front lines... And there are suicide drones and rockets flying by my location occasionally. We have regular electricity shutdowns.
But this helps. We've bought Christmas presents for my brother, got food to last the days, and we'll have a good celebration for New Year, what with a cake, meat and other foods of value. It's a kindness that makes me feel better about the world and people out there.
Thanks :))