Oh look, another pointless manufactuversy! Would all the usual suspects line up to either defend or attack Greta Christina in accordance with your foreordained schismatic alignment in the Deep Rift Wars. I’m duty bound to attack, of course, because I’m permanently affiliated with Team Patriarchy. So, here goes: Greta could have bought more reasonable shoes at half the price.
What, you say my attack is too tepid? Well, that could be because I could not possibly care less how she spends her money. I didn’t donate to her at any point, but if I had, I would have been well aware of the fact that by donating directly to an individual instead of a charitable organization, I’d have been providing her with gift, no strings attached, and she gets to do with it as she sees fit. Had I donated $250 and had she purchased $250 shoes, I’d be saying to myself, “Well, good for her. I hope she enjoys them immensely.” Why? Because that’s what the spirit of giving entails in the situation where someone has openly solicited gifts without any promise of specific performance. If you don’t like that situation, feel free to donate instead to a nonprofit organization dedicated to specific causes, such as Foundation Beyond Belief or Camp Quest.
Some writers become immensely wealthy from their fans, while others go completely unpaid. It is not my place to judge anyone along this spectrum; it is up to their own fans to decide how much they want to spend on any given writer to help them continue their work. I’m not a particular fan of Greta’s work, but I’m not about to tell those that are that they should be indignant on my behalf.
