Should Chris receive donations? -

[A-Stump]

Using this as a place holder so the other thread can stop being derailed. I'll bitch about it later but yeah I guess come here to discuss if Chris should get donations, instead of clogging up the logistical side of the actual drive.

 

[Greg Sestero]

As I said in the other topic, Chris doesn't deserve donations. Even if he were homeless, there'd be worthier candidates for charity. On the other hand, if Chris is actually struggling to scrape by on his , I can at least understand why people would be moved to pity him a little (even if the ethics of helping out Chris rather than Africans/crippled people/etc. are sketchy at best).

What I don't understand is the notion that we have to send gift cards/food/blankets rather than money because Chris would piss it away on junk. If he's still buying junk at all, then giving him gift cards will contribute to that junk. Chris is going to say, "Hey, I have free food this month! That means I can spend my food money on porn!" If you give him $20 of soap, then he can spend an extra $20 on rubbish. Your gifts may be fixed, but his cash is interchangeable with anything, and he'll simply buy less of whatever it is you're sending to spend the remainder on something useless.

If he's so desperate that he's not buying junk at all, then we might as well just send him cash rather than gift cards. It's the same difference.

 

[Tubular Monkey]

He's a big dumb child. He needs all the help he can get. To be honest, this kind of devastating tragedy has forced a fresh start on him. They need clothes and necessities. There's nothing wrong with charity. But do not expect appreciation from either of them if you donate. Beyond that, and this is being cruel to be kind, the more those two have to fend for themselves, the better off Chris will be in the long run. They are professional leeches, and would gladly remain so.

 

[Some JERK]

Great thread. We really kinda needed a lightning rod for this shit.

Here's my take: Chris should absolutely receive donations if people want to send them. Not because he deserves them, but because people want to send them. I don't actually care what Chris wants. Chris has proven more times than can be counted that what he wants, and what will make him happy would actually be unfair or harmful to other people, so what he wants counts for nothing.

But if you want to donate to Chris then you should. You should do it because something in you tells you that it's right. And you have a right (and some would argue a responsibility) to listen to that and see it through. But if you want donate to Chris because you want to change him or prove something to him, or provide him with some sort of 'turning point', realize that you will not accomplish any of that.

As i said in another thread, i'm not giving Chris anything because I don't feel any responsibility or compulsion to do so. My responsibilities lie elsewhere, and every spare cent i get goes towards those responsibilities, and always will. But that's my personal philosophy and i understand that not everyone shares it. Cool. as long as you're not trying to make me hold your values, I don't give a fuck if you don't hold mine.

So yeah. I think Chris should absolutely receive donations. I hope the people who are donating really do something awesome that they can be proud of whether Chris flushes it straight down the shithole or not. Fuck him. You guys show each other and yourselves what you're capable of. I'm actually interested to see the end result.

 

[Greg Sestero]

Nobody expects to be thanked by Chris unless they're

On the other hand, people do seem to think that their money is going to help Chris out. It remains to be seen how they'll react when Chris posts on facebook about the new Sonic and MLP products he's bought. If he receives free food and clothes, he doesn't have to put his to its intended purpose - getting him the essentials - and he can continue to throw tax money on blow-up dolls and dildos like he's always done.

 

[Coldgrip]

As I said in the other topic, Chris doesn't deserve donations. Even if he were homeless, there'd be worthier candidates of charity. On the other hand, if Chris is actually struggling to scrape by on his , I can at least understand why people would be moved to pity him a little (even if the ethics of helping out Chris rather than Africans/crippled people/etc. are sketchy at best).

What I don't understand is the notion that we have to send gift cards/food/blankets rather than money because Chris would piss it away on junk. If he's still buying junk at all, then giving him gift cards will contribute to that junk. Chris is going to say, "Hey, I have free food this month! That means I can spend my food money on porn!" If you give him $20 of soap, then he can spend an extra $20 on rubbish. Your gifts may be fixed, but his cash is interchangeable with anything, and he'll simply buy less of whatever it is you're sending to spend the remainder on something useless.

If he's so desperate that he's not buying junk at all, then we might as well just send him cash rather than gift cards. It's the same difference.

I think you hit the nail on the head, though I'd like to add; the're already organizations in Chris' city that will help out families in need as well as his church. So Chris is going to get (or at least have access to) all the help he'll need. Which I'm sure him and will then promptly squander as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

 

[QI 541]

There's homeless people who aren't assholes, are less fortunate than Chris, are employed, are less likely to waste charity, and don't have an insurance settlement waiting for them. If I were to donate, it wouldn't be to Chris.

 

[RP 520]

Does he deserve it? No. Will he get donations? Yes.

Something I've thought about is the possibility that Chris will obviously warp the potential lesson to learn from this into: "disaster=free stuff for me and asspats". This might result in Chris later on trying (horribly) to fake illnesses or other events to get games and asspats from people. Then of course this will fail hard and he'll resort to petty begging either online or, if worse comes to worse, on the street.

 

[GFYS]

I personally don't think he deserves donations, but I wouldn't argue with someone if they decided otherwise.

I really don't think it'll do any harm or good. Chris cannot be helped. Even the greatest windfall will ultimately result in failure. I know I'm not alone in that sentiment, and I think it's reasonable for folks to voice this opinion. I think they do so, because they want to help those, who the think might not be thinking rationally about the Chanders' spending habits or the nature of their current circumstance.

I know a lot of donations aren't based on any kind of reasoning beyond the simple satisfaction of doing something the individual want to do (ignoring the argument of its practicality). Some folks donate for the sake of donating, like I might scratch an itch or pet a kitty. If it satisfies you, and you won't get arrested doing it in public, I say do it.

We shouldn't assume everyone who donates must be a white knight, or trying to extinguish some kind of liberal guilt. I think it could also be a funny dick move to throw in Chris face... To show Chris that his sworn enemies care more about him than his family or imaginary friends, to show we're wealthy enough to do so, so Chris might be reminded of our existence every time he uses one of the donations, etc. etc.

With all that said, I'm not sending him jack shit, now.

 

[Jin]

Personally, I don't think so. Mostly for the same reasons that have already been mentioned. And his response to everyone's generosity will probably go something like this.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/1 ... e-homeless

But seriously, while I don't agree with giving him donations, I can't help but respect the kindness and benevolence of those who did.

 

[Greg Sestero]

Once he gets it, him and his mother will most likely go back to being the self-centred, spoiled adult children they are, with no regard or consideration for the people who have done so much for them.

Go back to being self-centered and spoiled? They never stopped. Chris finally succeeded in emotionally manipulating his "trolls" into pitying him and sending him money. Like I've harped on, Chris receiving free food means that he can spend his tugboat, which is supposed to be for food, on anesthetizing himself in various unhealthy and counterproductive ways.

A passing familiarity with compulsive behavior should tell you that a disaster like this would exacerbate Barb's hoarding and Chris's lust for pokeymans; those outlets are their emotional anchor. Thinking about it, I'm sure that Chris's desire to purchase inordinate amounts of toys for himself informed his desire to find money for essentials from another source, e.g., donations.

If Chris were a normal person, I would say he needs to hit rock bottom, but I'm not certain that he's capable of getting to a point where he'll engage in self-reflection the way that he needs to. His ability to play the victim rather than see his current situation as a result of his own actions is nigh infinite. No disaster, not even the death of a loved one, is capable of changing someone's self-destructive behavior unless 1. he himself caused that disaster and 2. recognizes that he caused it. Chris is capable of circumventing that second step by creating imagined or imaginary villains where necessary.

Maybe the best thing we could do for Chris is really to buy him toys. I just don't know. I mean obviously there are homeless people who'd benefit from charity more than Chris, but decisions based on empathy are difficult to quantify and rationalize. You can only watch someone fail so many times before wanting to help them succeed for once. We can't get Chris the professional help he needs, and a new Sonic figurine or 3DS game would at least make him a little happier. You might call that enabling behavior, but it's not really enabling when Chris's chances for positive change are so slim to begin with. If people want to throw him some cash out of a sense of sympathy, so he can at least have that one thing he holds onto, I wish them bearspeed. Theirs are gentler souls than mine.

But thinking that the end result of material assistance for Chris wouldn't be vidya is MORE GRATING THAN METAL NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD. Chris has never missed an opportunity to waste his money on things that most of us wouldn't consider essential or even worthwhile. The consequence of Chris receiving tugboat (or something that has to be paid for with tugboat) has always been the satisfaction of his childish urges. Chris just lost his house, and I feel for him as much as a stranger could under the circumstances, but in the absence of some serious introspection, disaster will make him want more pokemans and hedgehogs to comfort him, not less.

Edit: Sorry for the TLDR, I'll try to cut down on those. I said in the other topic that I felt I'd said my piece, but apparently my ability to sperg on about the fact that Chris will waste his money is pretty high.

 

[dogprince]

I never thought he deserved donations, but I don't think anyone deserves much of anything. People get what they get and stuff happens for no reason.

Sure, there are people who could use the money better and need it more. But was anyone going to donate to them? Probably not, or they already do. If money wasn't being donated to Chris it wouldn't be going to them anyway. It makes no difference.

I donated a few bucks since he's provided enough entertainment for me through the years to be worth those few bucks. I don't expect any thanks and I don't think he'll get better, not after the fire, not ever. He'll die someday as a weird lonely recluse still raging about stupid shit and pokemons. I just don't really care and don't see point in caring about people donating/not donating.

 

[Greg Sestero]

I never thought he deserved donations, but I don't think anyone deserves much of anything. People get what they get and stuff happens for no reason.

Sure, there are people who could use the money better and need it more. But was anyone going to donate to them? Probably not, or they already do. If money wasn't being donated to Chris it wouldn't be going to them anyway. It makes no difference.

I donated a few bucks since he's provided enough entertainment for me through the years to be worth those few bucks. I don't expect any thanks and I don't think he'll get better, not after the fire, not ever. He'll die someday as a weird lonely recluse still raging about stupid shit and pokemons. I just don't really care and don't see point in caring about people donating/not donating.

Oh no, definitely. Chris is basically getting money to piss away. Giving him a few bucks of that money so he can buy a new Hedgehog is understandable. And yeah, I'll concede the point that those few bucks probably weren't going to go to a homeless guy anyway. Nobody donates as much they could, and that sucks and all, but I don't donate that much either. It is what it is. What's brilliant about all this is that for most people, the choice ultimately came down to giving Chris money or keeping it. The option of giving it to someone who's really suffering doesn't enter into the equation as anything more than a hypothetical to play the devil's advocate.

It's when people act like giving Chris gift cards for food won't result in toys that I "care about people donating" to some small extent. He's getting toys, ultimately; if you want to throw him a toy because you feel bad, by all means go for it. It's not like I'm angry at the people that ineffectively tardproof their donation by giving him canned food or w/e; it just irks me a little to hear what sounds like doublethink to me. Giving someone with no income canned food might prevent them from spending money unwisely. Not so for someone like Chris, who receives a government grant to be lazy and can portion out its use in relation to what people have already given him to maximize vidya.

My responsibilities lie elsewhere, and every spare cent i get goes towards those responsibilities, and always will.

What a great euphemism for what i can only assume is family or religiously motivated terrorism.

 

[Foulmouth]

Should he receive them ? - Yes.
Does he deserve them ? -No.

 

[Greg Sestero]

Should he receive them ? - Yes.
Does he deserve them ? -No.

We're not the heroes that Chris deserves, but we're the heroes he needs.

 

[teheviltwin]

I can't imagine a better time to give Chris deodorant and shower gel that isn't that appalling Axe rubbish. This applies to most things Chris has. Although a single clown sweater wouldn't go amiss.

There's also the opportunity to add things like this http://tinyurl.com/qdcfhgh or more creative items that may be completely ignored but also just might help him.

 

[CatParty]

jesus christ. does it really matter? who cares. donate or not and shut up about it. please lock this thread before it just become arguments and tl;dr walls of text.

 

[3Yikes]

Chris "deserves" donations as much as most other people in his current situation do. There are hundreds, thousands of people who receive free crap from generous people every year, who are just as entitled and just as horrible (in different ways, at least) as the Chandlers.

Some pretty horrible scumbags got free shit after all sorts of disasters, big and small, but they didn't have their own wiki. So, honestly, if you are fine potentially wasting your money on them, then I see no problem donating money/food/vidya/various other crap to this guy.

 

[Grand Number of Pounds]

Personally I think the Ruckersville fire department is much more worthy to receive donations than the Chandlers. If there's anything salvageable in the house it's because of the fire department.

I agree that the Chandlers won't be grateful for the donations and unless Barb commandeers his tugboat for a bit that Chris will just resume his spending habits and buy useless stuff.

I really don't think anyone should be criticized for deciding to donate to the Chandlers or to donate to people or causes where the money will be appreciated more and used in a better way.

 

[KatsuKitty]

Don't like the sound of this thread so far. Running off to work now, so I'll think about reopening it later.