Profiteering Creeps vs. the Good and Decent

[Amelia G]

It really bugs the hell out of me when there are people who try to profit off of something like the Katrina disaster. I'm talking about the sort of people who ask you to buy their products and they will donate a portion of profits. Note that most of this profiteers offer a % of profits and not actual gross proceeds. Then they just make enough expenses that there are no profits. Most of them do not have real businesses either i.e. they are thinking of throwing a club night or making arts and crafts or something and, despite lack of experience in that arena, asking other people to support their fledgling business because, although they are not a registered charity, they are planning to give later. Yeah, right.

If a genuine going concern of a business decides to donate part of a regular ongoing profit stream, I think that is decent if they are doing it that way just to make sure they are giving what they can afford. If they are doing it to make people buy their products, I think that is vile.

A Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance spokesperson pointed out that, even if the middleman asking you to give through them is legit, the middleman is taking a skim. If you want to give, you should give directly to the charity.

I'd like to add that of course giving directly to someone you know needs help makes sense too. For example, a lot of people in the Houston gothic scene are providing temporary housing to people from the New Orleans scene. There is a town in I believe Tennessee where the local churches and suchlike basically paired local families with their counterparts from a stricken town so that people were assisting each other on a personal and direct level.

[Pull~My~Hair]

yeah theres this car company that is saying...$50 of your purchase of a new car will go straight to the red cross in your name...first off..who fucking cares whos name its in...second off 50.00 for a 25,000.00 car..doesnt seem right

[Evilbink]

Someone is always willing to be a leech on tragety. Hopefully people will see these kinds of "deals" for what they really are, and steer clear of them.

[HeadlessBill]

Apple is allowing you to donate money to the Red Cross through the iTunes Music Store. 100% of your donation will go to the Red Cross.

[a_small_death]

I trust apple as far as I can throw any corperation, and that is not very far.

[Pull~My~Hair]

I trust apple as far as I can throw any corperation, and that is not very far.

yeah corparations are heavy...by the time you pick them up you just want to put them back down again...i think my record in corporation throwing is like....22 inches...