I really should know better by now

[avevale_intelligencer]

I don't know why I keep doing it. I relax, I think I'm among friends, I tentatively bring out an idea that's close to my heart and I watch someone jumping up and down on the tiny shining thing because they choose to believe I've said something quite different. I don't think "Wouldn't it be nice if we could change our attitudes to the way we think about work and creativity" is quite the same as "Creative people should be let off work and everyone else should support them"; but I daresay I read old books of logic. Anyway, I don't suppose it would have cost me so much sleep if I wasn't still raw over the other thing, but as it is I don't even have the energy to be offended over what kind of person they obviously think I am.

Sorry for wasting everyone's time.

Comments

[soren-nyrond.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't read the first discussion -- didn't want to be Depressed.
So this may have been said already. But I have Long Thought that it would be a Good Idea if a series of £10 funds were set up.

This can work wherever and whenever a bunch of people get together (semi-)regularly. Everyone agrees to put £1 per time (less than the cost of a drink) into a common fund. If you work in (nominal) 10s, that produces £10 per meeting. That £10 is then *loaned* to a needy creative person. They do creativity: everyone benefits. Later, when they're flusher again, they repay the £10. In the meantime, more £10s have been collected, and lent, and creativity has happened.
It would let people buy the sheet music of a song they've wanted to play. Or contribute to petrol to get Z from A to B and back, for a filk or a story-telling session.
For a small regular input, people get to see creativity at work.
And, as the song says "Every Act of Creation needs a Lot of Soap". Or is that washing a Nyrond ?

[cleverthylacine]

I have seen the floating economy of fandom in action many times, and for all that people on Fandom Wank make fun of us when we take up a collection to replace a ficwriter's stolen laptop or post wishlists, in a world where what we do best is not valued by the larger society, taking care of our own is only good common sense. I have benefitted from the largesse of others and I have paid some of it forward and hope to do more.

I go back and forth on the subject of 'the world owes people a living'. On the one hand I do not think it's right for anyone to be a leech, and I'm not sure how far I trust governments to take care of people anyway. In my youth I was quite convinced by FM Busby, Rand and Heinlein...

But on the other hand, I don't think G-d puts people into the world without the intention that they ought to stay there and do their Will and fulfil the divine purpose, which probably isn't to starve on the street.

[soren-nyrond.livejournal.com]

Personally I have strong objections to me starving on the street. However, living on reduced rations in a comfortable apartment, well furnished with books and wrtiing paper, and with good supplies of port and Silver Dragons .... I might be able to cope with that.

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

There's a charity giving site where they collect via paypal and give small amounts of money to people... I can't remember what it's called now, but I've given them money before.

[filkergem.livejournal.com]

Was it perhaps Modest Needs, at http://www.modestneeds.org/ ? If not, that's still a very worthwhile place for US folks to check out. I plan to send them money very soon now.

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Yes! Modest Needs. I loved its original premise, which was that they weren't asking anyone to donate so much money that they'd feel aggrieved if they were scammed, and they were making relatively small donations to people to cope with sudden emergencies.

Random acts of senseless kindness

[aunty_marion]

...or something like that. I try to "pay forward" things that have been given/done to/for me. For instance (and a very pointed instance too!) - Zander and Janet kept me mentally afloat when I was depressed and out of work, and even fed me more than a few times, without asking for anything in return. So now that I'm solvent and no longer (quite so) depressed, I have the finances and energy to do the same for them, or anyone else who I perceive could do with a lift in life. If this means producing random Cthulhus, stripping half a hall's worth of wallpaper, knitting unexpected cardigans, turning up with a car and a sewing machine.... Well, why not? I can do it. Why shouldn't I? People have done much the same for me, *without expecting reward.* And so it goes round. Someday, probably, when I'm down on my life and luck again, someone else will pull a rabbit out of an invisible hat for me.

I don't owe them anything. They don't owe me anything. But if you can - do.

Re: Random acts of senseless kindness

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Yes; when (relatively) poor I benefitted from the kindness of fans in many ways; I hope I can pay that back to some extent now.