Silently closing her bedroom door
The BBC website has just published a feature on Wandering Scribe, and there is currently a link prominently featured on the BBC News homepage.
I've talked about WS here before, but I really think it is an excellent blog - it is beautifully written and often tremendously moving. More than that though, Wandering Scribe is a voice from a place where we don't often hear voices. I hope that the exposure will have at least two effects:
1) That it will help WS get back on her feet
2) That it casts the spotlight onto a whole group of people who are currently not doing so well in Blair's Britain.
Even if the blog is a fake (and I don't think it is) then the second point is surely worth making anyway, isn't it? After she was interviewed by the New York Times the other week, WS finally caved in and put a paypal button onto her blog to enable people to leave personal donations. This simple act put her in something of a dilemma: clearly any money that was donated could make a real difference to her quality of life and might set her on the way to escaping from her car and in to proper accommodation. On the other hand, WS clearly saw it as a personal defeat; an acceptance that she was in trouble and needed outside help. It was a big hit on her self-esteem, and you can see from her posts that the presence of that button is weighing on her mind.
That button also put me in something of a dilemma: I donate to the homeless charity Shelter every month directly out of my salary. Should I also give some money directly to Wandering Scribe? I'd clearly like to help her out, but I can't help everyone can I? Should I donate to WS simply because I read her blog?
It's something I'm still wrestling with.
You can see from the number of comments on her most recent post that the exposure on the BBC has already driven a huge amount of traffic to Wandering Scribe's blog (145 and counting). Sadly, the publicity seems to have been a double-edged sword, and lots of the comments are from trolls. It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach that idiots like these anonymously fire abuse at anyone, nevermind someone who may be vulnerable.
People can be such arseholes.
I've talked about WS here before, but I really think it is an excellent blog - it is beautifully written and often tremendously moving. More than that though, Wandering Scribe is a voice from a place where we don't often hear voices. I hope that the exposure will have at least two effects:
1) That it will help WS get back on her feet
2) That it casts the spotlight onto a whole group of people who are currently not doing so well in Blair's Britain.
Even if the blog is a fake (and I don't think it is) then the second point is surely worth making anyway, isn't it? After she was interviewed by the New York Times the other week, WS finally caved in and put a paypal button onto her blog to enable people to leave personal donations. This simple act put her in something of a dilemma: clearly any money that was donated could make a real difference to her quality of life and might set her on the way to escaping from her car and in to proper accommodation. On the other hand, WS clearly saw it as a personal defeat; an acceptance that she was in trouble and needed outside help. It was a big hit on her self-esteem, and you can see from her posts that the presence of that button is weighing on her mind.
That button also put me in something of a dilemma: I donate to the homeless charity Shelter every month directly out of my salary. Should I also give some money directly to Wandering Scribe? I'd clearly like to help her out, but I can't help everyone can I? Should I donate to WS simply because I read her blog?
It's something I'm still wrestling with.
You can see from the number of comments on her most recent post that the exposure on the BBC has already driven a huge amount of traffic to Wandering Scribe's blog (145 and counting). Sadly, the publicity seems to have been a double-edged sword, and lots of the comments are from trolls. It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach that idiots like these anonymously fire abuse at anyone, nevermind someone who may be vulnerable.
People can be such arseholes.
posted by swisslet @ 22:46
9 Comments:
At 8:46 am,
Threelight said…
It has occured to me on more than one occasion that maybe the blog is a fake, but then I continue reading on...
I'd think, when WS finds her feet, it would make quite a good foundation for a book.
At 3:25 pm,
Erika said…
I really hate to say this aloud, but, while I generally don't stoop to hurling abuse at people, I am among those with very little tolerance for young people seeking handouts. I haven't read this woman's blog so this is in no way related to her, but my gut reaction when I am asked for money by a seemingly healthy person (which is VERY common in the area of Toronto that I live) is to wonder why exactly it is that they're not getting a job. Mental illness? Addiction? Just like the freedom?
I will give money by the handful to people busking or selling newspapers or trying to make a living somehow - they don't need to don a suit and tie and start pimping for The Man - and anyone who lives their life without expecting handouts can live anyway they damn well please, in my opinion, but I do not feel particularly magnanimous towards people that just hold out their hands and expect me to dig into my pockets. In Mexico, where poverty is FAAAAAARRRRRR more severe than it is in Toronto, and resources considerably less common, you will see barely a handful of people begging; the rest sell gum on the Metro and water bottles by the side of the road. I respect them for that. Is that awful of me?
Regarding donating to WS, I suspect she's going to be doing fine now that the entire world is focused in on her predicament (think the tsunami victims versus the Pakistan earthquake victims). Direct your money to someone or something that is not the media's flavour du jour.
Man, what a horrid comment this is. You will forgive me, ST, won't you?
At 3:44 pm,
Jenni said…
My theory has always been that it is better to give to organized non-profits than directly to individuals, since the non-profits are in a better position than the general public to suss out the fakes. When I worked for the American Cancer Society, I quickly (and sadly) learned that there are too many people that will go to great lengths to con people out of their money.
Not saying that this is the case with WS, of course.
The unfortunate side effect of this is that some people who truly ARE in need are too proud to seek help from these organizations...
At 5:38 pm,
Ali said…
If you were face to face with her, would you give her some money? How much would you give?
Those are the two questions I asked myself before donating to her.
If it's fake, which I doubt, well, ha ha on me. If it's real, I helped someone in genuine need.
At 6:50 pm,
HistoryGeek said…
I've lived in a lot of cities with panhandlers. I've worked with homeless folks (some of whom panhandle, some don't). Despite all this experience, I still struggle with this.
As for WS, I recognize that she would like to have gotten out of her situation without help, but there does come a point at which a little help is needed and I'm glad that she is accepting some help.
At 8:01 pm,
swisslet said…
re. her possibly being a fake.... here's what one of the commentators on WS's blog said, and I quite like it:
"Mr Colgan recalls Beckett being challenged over why he'd given such a large sum of money to a beggar who was obviously a con-merchant.
"I thought he was, but I just couldn't take the chance," Beckett replied."
She's getting more positive comments today, and she's emailed me too and seems to be hanging on in there.
All that publicity very much a mixed blessing though. Have you read some of the comments?
ST
At 8:14 pm,
swisslet said…
(that's Samuel Beckett by the way)
At 11:30 pm,
Stef said…
Is it wrong to have comment envy?
At 3:39 pm,
Anonymous said…
'I'd think, when WS finds her feet, it would make quite a good foundation for a book.'
WOW! What a great idea. Someone should tell her immediately!
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