Problem is, these arguments have been endlessly rehashed in previous threads and Seth has already defended himself countless times. At this point, it's just redundant. Those of us who have been there to see a tip given out know how amazing the experience is.
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Seth C Travels - 6 Month Road Trip Giving $500 Tips
- Thread starter Seth C
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Problem is, these arguments have been endlessly rehashed in previous threads and Seth has already defended himself countless times. At this point, it's just redundant. Those of us who have been there to see a tip given out know how amazing the experience is.
vas_a_morir
Banned
Weird thing SethI never realized before now that this was your brother and I must have missed the Indiegogo campaign. Have fun and I'll be watching.
edit: I sent a friend request on Facebook as that's something I check more often and I talked to you more just waiting in the line for the Wii than than I have most of my other friends in the last decade.
lol! I waited in line for the wii, too! I was back home in Ashland, though. Looking back, we all made a mistake.
The two viewpoints are pretty much irreconcilable, which is why the debate really won't "end" beyond one side sitting on its hands.
LaserBuddha
Member
He is right. I'm not out to stop it or anything (people hopefully knew what they were donating to, even if they didn't really understand it or how wasteful it is compared to doing anything else of a charitable nature with the money), but the whole thing is just kind of gross and makes me cringe when I see the thread pop up. The fact that only a minority of the money is going to a random person now kind of says it all to me, much less what I think of the significance and impact of giving $500 to a random server in the first place.
A gratifying experience, surely. But no one says it isn't gratifying, and being gratifying doesn't count for much.
I agree. This is essentially a charity for lower middle income folks, with an administrative expense ratio over 50%.
This is a "feel good" story much more than a "do good" story
Jinfash
needs 2 extra inches
You could have ignored the post instead of only shooting down part of the argument, thus legitimizing the rest.
Metroid Killer
Member
Shakes my head at some of these comments already. A guy is sharing/giving joy all over his country and you come in to educate him what he should and shouldn't do? He's not forcing people to donate, he's being quite transparent about the expenses, he has found a meaningful niche in his life and people are willing to support him.
It's like saying that donating to a dog shelter(doing a good deed) is a bad thing to do when you could donate to cancer research instead(doing an even better deed, depending on perspective).
The way I see it, this has little to do with charity even. It's about spreading happiness where you go and it's fucking inspiring to see.
Go Seth, has been funny to witness this from the beginning.
It's like saying that donating to a dog shelter(doing a good deed) is a bad thing to do when you could donate to cancer research instead(doing an even better deed, depending on perspective).
The way I see it, this has little to do with charity even. It's about spreading happiness where you go and it's fucking inspiring to see.
Go Seth, has been funny to witness this from the beginning.
Cow Mengde
Banned
Ignore the haters Seth. Have fun doing it. Tell us when you're in NYC. We could do a GAF meet up then.
freenudemacusers
Member
If you're stopping in Fargo or Bismarck, you really, really need to eat at Kroll's Diner and get some knoephla soup. so good.
Yes, it did. That's why this thread has nothing to do with raising money. The trip is funded, it's happening. It was funded exclusively through the $5,000 raised on Indiegogo (for which people RECEIVE actual products that they presumably like), from friends and family, and from local businesses. Why everyone cares so much that my storefront was Indiegogo, I'll never understand. Does everyone nag Wal-Mart about how they spend their profits?
Also, same as last time, anyone is welcome to join me -- free of charge! So...
Put your time where your mouth is. You want a 6 month trip? You're welcome to hop in the car with me. There, you can have your free trip. I guarantee you'll have an excuse for why you don't want to do it. I get it, you have a job (I did, too!). You make lots of money (I did, too!). I've heard it all. Bottom line, you want to bitch but you don't mean a word you say. The reality is not many people want to sign up to spend 6 months driving 16,000 miles, eating sandwiches from the grocery store, editing video for hours every day, handling media requests, and sleeping on strangers' couches. Oh, right, and coming back poorer than you left.
Care to prove me wrong? Open invitation. Take it. Go on, I'll pick you up wherever you are in the US and you can ride along for as long as you'd like. I could use the company anyway.
The administrative expense ratio to this point is 0%. No, wait, sorry. It's MUCH higher than that but I've just eaten the entire cost out of my own pocket so that the administrative expense for the charity could remain at 0%. So I've given away $24,000 thus far while taking absolutely $0 from the donated money to pay for business expenses, food, state fees (just ate $15 last week to file some paperwork), web hosting, etc. Zero. Zero, zero, zero. Just deal with it, I can prove it if you'd like, and then move on with your life. You'll be happier, I promise.
And please...back to the road trip? I didn't ask for funding for a REASON. It was so this thread could avoid this and people could enjoy the adventure with me (free of charge to all of you, I might add).
ZeroGravity
Member
The amount of people who think they have some kind of moral obligation to lecture everyone on how they should or should not spend their money will never fail to amaze me. It's kind of sad.
Good luck, hope you great time doing this.
Good luck, hope you great time doing this.
fatigues_gasolini
Member
If you want some ideas on where to go or grab a beer in Madison let me know. Plenty of beer flowing here.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Yes.
LaserBuddha
Member
You want to know why this bothers people? Because the donors felt an itch to do something good after reading his story, and so they plunked down $50 or whatever. Maybe they will or won't give anything else toward charity this year, but we can pretty safely assume that this is $50 that definitely won't be going to another charitable cause, if it was going to go to one before this.
These people will defend their decision, but if you put in front of their face any one of a million other sad/touching real-life stories from other charities, they would be vastly more moved by those, and would have spent their money much more wisely on that instead.
But this story was on GAF, and it was so small in scope that donors could sort of witness the effects of their own donation and get gratification from that. So seeing the money going to a non-cause like this for that reason, this instead of any number of real desperate causes out there...well it sometimes feels evil instead of just stupid.
comedy bomb
Banned
You can't leave WI without having a Spotted Cow.
It's probably not about you, but rather about that story with the transgendered personal scamming their way to an elective surgery recently.
I think people have a problem with the hollowness of the whole thing. Receiving $500 for no good reason may make the person cry in the moment, which makes for good video footage I guess, but what is it going to do for them when they get home? Pay off half a credit card?
Maybe some followup videos with people talking about how the $500 bucks changed their life. That would be interesting
SEGAvangelist
Member
This is awesome. Check your PMs, dude!
Good on you Seth.
If you happen to change your plan and come to Houston I got a proper queen bed you can sleep on, instead of a couch.
Good luck!
Impeccable
Member
You should hire a film crew and turn this into a proper documentary.
Salvor.Hardin
Banned
I don't doubt that 'the experience is amazing'. But when you're thinking about charity, you have to detach yourself from the momentary pleasures you gain from expenditures aimed at your own happiness. Instead, you should be thinking about the fields, victims, and patients that need really could use your help.
Think about where your donation would i) benefit society the most, ii) be utilized most effectively, iii) encourage change.
Donating can be a daunting task. It should be a daunting task. You have to decide between an endless number of causes while having a very limited amount of money. It's not something you should take lightly, and certainly not something where an 'amazing experience' is your primary concern. Take some time out, do your research, and donate wisely.
Somebody call Kickstarter!
Confused101
Member
Looking at your map, Seth, it looks like you're going to hit Oklahoma City. Would you consider going to one of the nearby cities that got ravaged by tornadoes instead? The city of Moore is quite close to there and they made international news with what happened there. I'm sure there's someone in Moore who could really, REALLY use some help.
Just a thought. Keep doing what you're doing.
Just a thought. Keep doing what you're doing.
The administrative expense ratio to this point is 0%. No, wait, sorry. It's MUCH higher than that but I've just eaten the entire cost out of my own pocket so that the administrative expense for the charity could remain at 0%. So I've given away $24,000 thus far while taking absolutely $0 from the donated money to pay for business expenses, food, state fees (just ate $15 last week to file some paperwork), web hosting, etc. Zero. Zero, zero, zero. Just deal with it, I can prove it if you'd like, and then move on with your life. You'll be happier, I promise.
I personally don't believe you are trying to profit from this, or that you will make money from it. Even if the whole trip cost $0, I still would think it's a waste of money.
But like you said, it's gonna happen, so there's not much point in arguing
Yeah, because I can afford a film crew. I'm already sleeping on sofas and my maximum food budget is $20, and I'm being criticized for spending even that much. I don't even have enough money to offer a friend $500 a month to be my camera person. If you know one that wants to work for free for the next 6 months, send them my way. I'd love that.
Looking at your map, Seth, it looks like you're going to hit Oklahoma City. Would you consider going to one of the nearby cities that got ravaged by tornadoes instead? The city of Moore is quite close to there and they made international news with what happened there. I'm sure there's someone in Moore who could really, REALLY use some help.
Just a thought. Keep doing what you're doing.
I'm going through Oklahoma City, but the tip will be in Moore. A wonderfully generous person in Los Angeles donated $250 but e-mailed to tell me that she didn't want the tip to happen in "her city" but would rather see me go to Moore. I thought that was amazing on her part and I'm really excited to bring a little good news to their town.
Mr. Blonde
Member
I concur with you and pj
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
Hit me up in Omaha when you get here and we will go to a good Pizza shop.
Metroid Killer
Member
Thanks for your posts LaserBuddha, Pj and Salvor.Hardin, I think you raise some very valid points.
As Salvor listed, it's about how much does it benefit society, is it effective and will it encourage change. And I think we can all agree that there's no objectively list of how donations should be shared between charities.
In end Seth is doing something actively spreading joy, I'm not, I'm sitting behind my screen arguing. Would it have been better if Seth spent his money on a degree in cellular biology and found the cure for cancer? sure, but he isn't. Nevertheless he's doing something meaningful and there's no way I can frown on that, let alone lecture him about it.
As Salvor listed, it's about how much does it benefit society, is it effective and will it encourage change. And I think we can all agree that there's no objectively list of how donations should be shared between charities.
In end Seth is doing something actively spreading joy, I'm not, I'm sitting behind my screen arguing. Would it have been better if Seth spent his money on a degree in cellular biology and found the cure for cancer? sure, but he isn't. Nevertheless he's doing something meaningful and there's no way I can frown on that, let alone lecture him about it.
Hit me up in Omaha when you get here and we will go to a good Pizza shop.
Sounds good!
Also, seriously, if any of you want to come along for one of the tips, just let me know. I'm always happy to have extra people around and I know some here on GAF can attest that it is a very rewarding experience.
Thanks so much for the offer. My sister is near Houston (in Conroe) and we've already given a tip there, but I can probably at least find some time to hang out if you want. You do have a Flying Saucer, and that's hard to pass up!
Lactose_Intolerant
Member
When is the book deal getting announced?
I wish I could do this, sounds like an awesome way to remember your brother.
I wish I could do this, sounds like an awesome way to remember your brother.
Shabadoo69
Member
I have a place for you to stay in Salt Lake City. There are some pretty good places to get some beer here too.
Cow Mengde
Banned
It's not the scope that matters. The willingness to do this matters more.
Confused101
Member
You're the man and so is that person who donated! I'm not sure how it will look when you finally get there, but saying that it's similar to an atomic bomb going off in the town is not too far from the truth. I'm glad you're going through there.
Sounds intriguing but...what is it?
Also, everyone offering a place to stay...thank you so much! I'll be making a list so that I can get in contact with all of you when I'm closer. For the record, the places I know I have friends and family I can stay with are...
Chicago, Minneapolis, Colorado Springs, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii (otherwise I couldn't afford to be there), Little Rock, Atlanta, and Springfield, VT. Everything else, as of now, will be couch surfing.
I'll be giving the tip in (or around) Potterville because someone claimed the perk and that is where they live. So I'm sure they have some ideas in mind (they work in Lansing, so who knows). So the purpose of the two days is so I have time to coordinate with them, work with their schedule, and still edit the video and fulfill any potential interviews with local media.
freenudemacusers
Member
it's not wierd, just a brothy chicken/potato soup with little doughy blobs. delicious. only thing I miss from ND.
The Faceless Master
Member
good luck and travel safely Seth!
No worries, I've had friends in Chicago for years now so I'm a regular. I've never been to Emporium. I feel like it wasn't open yet last time I wanted to go. I like Map Room, but I think my favorite is Local Option. They get a lot of more rare stuff, including Belgians. If you'll be around for your birthday you should come out for dinner with us.
Also, you're right about Pequod's. Easily my favorite.
TunaMarshmallow
Member
Seth, you may recall me voicing some skepticism about the project, but still encouraging folks to fund you if they liked the idea. Although I continue to have reservations, I'm glad to see you passionately pursuing something that is important to you.
Will you be hitting anywhere in Canada or overseas? If you can swing it, I encourage it!
If you wind up in Canada, I know some people I could hook you up with in Toronto, Vancouver, and out East. And if there's any chance you'll wind up in the UK, give me a shout.
Will you be hitting anywhere in Canada or overseas? If you can swing it, I encourage it!
If you wind up in Canada, I know some people I could hook you up with in Toronto, Vancouver, and out East. And if there's any chance you'll wind up in the UK, give me a shout.
My plan was to fly from Seattle to Anchorage (very cheap one way, $120 or so) and then drive or take a train up to Fairbanks? I've never been so realistically I have no clue what I'm doing in that regard. The cruise departs from Anchorage and arrives in Vancouver, hence the decision to stay there a couple days.
I'll do my best! I'd love to go (back) to both Montreal and Toronto, but most of my US travels have been on the east coast so I've already dedicated some time to both of those cities. Vancouver, as you can see above is more of a technicality. The real problem is that by spending so much time out west (in places I've never been) the time in the east will be more compressed, and I definitely want to get home to be with mom for Christmas. If I can find some time though, I'll definitely swing by Toronto and take you up on that.
And yes, I do remember your response before -- which I always found totally reasonable.
There's no true objective list, but here is a thorough attempt at it:
http://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities
It is in no way detrimental to society to drive around making it rain on pizza hut waitresses. Meaningful is a good word for it, but impactful would not be. While Seth is spreading joy to people who at the end of the day will probably drive in their car to their home, I will be making my modest annual contribution to charities that prevent the spread of malaria and parasitic worms. Then I will go back to making sarcastic comments on the internet, which is what gives me joy.
I wish I would have paid more attention to this effort when it was in the fund raising stage..
How come you're going to Billings in between Glacier and Yellowstone? Staying in Helena instead would shave off ~150 miles of driving, and the trip between the two parks is really beautiful. Generally the farther West you stay in Montana, the more scenic it's going to be.
Also, I'm about an hour outside of Yellowstone. If you're doing a $500 tip in the area I might want to stop by!
Also, I'm about an hour outside of Yellowstone. If you're doing a $500 tip in the area I might want to stop by!
I don't know if this is true but if it is that's kinda ridiculous. Especially considering most of the places where he's giving away $500 would be considered vacation spots.
LaserBuddha
Member
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