Virtue-Signaling/Charity Bragging/Whatever

Viani

So say Mr Bonethousands comes along with his set of cameras and a fat amount of money. "I will donate to your charity, and in exchange, I get to talk about how good of a person I am and how much better I am than everyone else who didn't donate, and use this donation to stroke my ego in the public eye." How much money would somebody have to donate for you to be okay with this arrangement? Would you refuse?

I see the word "virtue signaling" on Twitter a FUCKING lot and its bothersome. So yeah.

In terms of charity, if the person who wants to donate it is an egotistical attention-whoring asshole, would you reject the donation?

Hexartes

Wouldn't that just be virtue signaling?

Viani

i guess I dont know

last time I looked something up i desperately wished I could unlearn it so yeah.

Trying to police the ways people can self-shill their good deeds just seems so stupid.

Boney

I've got a good eye for business, so I tell Mr. Bonethousands that he has to triple his donation to brag about it

Klinotaxis

"signaling" doesn't actually imply dishonesty. some combination of nazis and rationalists watered it down to that rather than just sending signals in general

anywho

there are two practical problems with a donation like this. the first one is that if the person isn't genuinely sincere there's a good chance they'll half ass it, or do work that looks nice but isn't as efficient or helpful as it could be. but for just a monetary donation, where you the charity (who are presumably genuinely into this) get to control what's done, this is less of a problem

the second is that if this guy gets to associate himself with your charity but is an asshole, and is going to be public about being an asshole, it could lower the public opinion of the charity, causing problems

so if the money is enough to overcome the projected future loss of donations, i'm cool with it

MetaFour

Apathy said:

but for just a monetary donation, where you the charity (who are presumably genuinely into this) get to control what's done, this is less of a problem

I'm told that there are even ways to screw up monetary donations. Like, if the donor specifies how they want the money spent, then the charity is required by law to use the money for that cause and nothing else. So if you hand over a check and write on the "For:" line that it's to help the victims of Hurricane Whatever in Florida... but Florida was barely affected, and nearby states were hit much worse, then the charity has to spend your money to help Florida. No matter how much they may think some other place needs the resources more, they legally can't act on it.

So basically, if you really want to help, give the money to a charity you trust, and don't tell them how to spend it, because they know what they need money for better than you do.

glennmagusharvey

Lots of businesses do charity work/donations/etc. in order to show their commitment to something.

I say, words are cheap, go ahead and I'll take your money as long as it has no strings attached or has only the proper strings attached.

Klinotaxis

ok, yes, i was assuming cash

glennmagusharvey

Besides, I get to make a speech about it too, so if I like you, I'll say things like:

"today represents a great day in the partnership between business and society"

and if i don't like you, I'll say things like:

"well, words are cheap, and they can do whatever they want, but i appreciate their thinking of us"

...only after taking the money, of course