Does Charity Cause More Harm Than Good?

[arebelspy]

Oh and this thread is one of the most offtopics thread. This thread is some kind of moral dispute thread more or less and has very little to do with economics of earning money. That said maybe OP got it in the opening post don't donate is best from pure economical view.

Exactly, which is why it is in Off Topic.  This is where we discuss everything else.

(Which means you were pointing out the obvious).

It is now; at the time it was in General Discussion.

[RetiredAt63]

At what level of off-topicness do things become eligible for Off-Topic and not General Discussion?  We've had charity discussions on General Discussion before.  Just curious.

Off Topic has lots of interesting and wacky topics, I love this part of the forum.  The financial part of my life is basically on auto-pilot, I come here for everything else.

Oh and this thread is one of the most offtopics thread. This thread is some kind of moral dispute thread more or less and has very little to do with economics of earning money. That said maybe OP got it in the opening post don't donate is best from pure economical view.

Exactly, which is why it is in Off Topic.  This is where we discuss everything else.

(Which means you were pointing out the obvious).

It is now; at the time it was in General Discussion.

[tlsv]

We visited an orphanage in 2014 when we were in Africa.
Ever since, my son's savings jar has been dedicated to that cause.
Our money is used for their solar power project, education of the children and yes, to feed them.
It was a true wake up call to see how little some people (children) have.

Other causes I happily support are Big Brothers/Big Sisters, The Girl's & Boy's club, Habitat for Humanity, local shelters that house women and children leaving abusive situations and medical research.

[arebelspy]

At what level of off-topicness do things become eligible for Off-Topic and not General Discussion?  We've had charity discussions on General Discussion before.  Just curious.

Off Topic has lots of interesting and wacky topics, I love this part of the forum.  The financial part of my life is basically on auto-pilot, I come here for everything else.

Generally when they become mostly irrelevant to "Mustachianism" or spending/finances.

Usually they'll go overlooked at that point, but often if they become argumentative, or political, that's when they might get moved.  Most people don't want to see politics argued in every thread, so even though it's somewhat relevant to Mustachians who's in office (though I'd argue it's less relevant than a lot of people think), it's something we try to move into one place a lot of times to keep the other parts of the forums more on topic, if that makes sense.

People are a little less kind when arguing stuff they disagree about, and people disagree about off topic stuff much more frequently than they do when someone's just asking for advice, offering a financial tip, etc.

It's never a black and white thing, but a judgement call, and we try our best.

[EAL]

I work in social services and see a lot of misuse of assistance. I also see some people working really hard who for reasons such as language barriers, lack of education, horrible parents, etc. need and deserve help.  I very rarely give directly to charities, I don't trust them and their discression. I seek out individuals/families and give directly to them for my "charity." I know where its going and that it isn't being misused.

[RetiredAt63]

Thanks for the feedback.

Some of the nastiest arguments have been in Off Topic, true, although a few other threads have come close.  I suppose it shows how wildly different we all are once we get past the common topic of personal finances from the mustachian viewpoint.

At what level of off-topicness do things become eligible for Off-Topic and not General Discussion?  We've had charity discussions on General Discussion before.  Just curious.

Off Topic has lots of interesting and wacky topics, I love this part of the forum.  The financial part of my life is basically on auto-pilot, I come here for everything else.

Generally when they become mostly irrelevant to "Mustachianism" or spending/finances.

Usually they'll go overlooked at that point, but often if they become argumentative, or political, that's when they might get moved.  Most people don't want to see politics argued in every thread, so even though it's somewhat relevant to Mustachians who's in office (though I'd argue it's less relevant than a lot of people think), it's something we try to move into one place a lot of times to keep the other parts of the forums more on topic, if that makes sense.

People are a little less kind when arguing stuff they disagree about, and people disagree about off topic stuff much more frequently than they do when someone's just asking for advice, offering a financial tip, etc.

It's never a black and white thing, but a judgement call, and we try our best.