Stine: ‘I gave a stranger on the internet money for bras’
Apr 15, 2024, 5:14 PM
In this photo illustration, the Reddit logo is displayed on a cell phone and computer monitor on Feb. 13, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Photo illustration: Mario Tama, Getty Images)
(Photo illustration: Mario Tama, Getty Images)
“I gave a stranger on the internet money for bras” is a phrase which will usually illicit a series of uncomfortable questions. ‘Was it an onlyfans girl?’ or ‘Was it for naked pictures?’ or ‘Why are you paying people for naked pictures?’ would all be acceptable first reactions to that statement. But I gave a stranger on the internet money for nothing in return.
I was on the social media app Reddit when I saw a post from a young woman who was just venting. It was her 25th birthday, and she had been called into work, a pretty standard inconvenience in the lives of adults. But as I kept reading I saw her express how hard it was for her to make ends meet as a single mom, making $13 an hour at a call center, and her hope was that she could have spent her birthday with her daughter as opposed to working.
She talked about how she was trying, but she couldn’t seem to catch a break. I looked at her post history, and I saw that she had been struggling for several years. Her most recent post was how to keep defunct bras from completely falling apart and asking how to repair them. Her history showed someone trying to navigate social services for her daughter, or how to write a letter to the power company asking them to not shut off her power.
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I sent her a DM, and asked if I could send her something for her birthday. She was surprised and sent me her Venmo information. I gave her a couple hundred dollars and a gift card for a company that makes durable bras. (Forgive me for not naming it, I had to Google it.)
A point with the random act of kindness on the internet
Her reply upon receiving my gift was, ‘Thank you so much, now I can buy a cake for my daughter.’ I wished her a happy birthday and proceeded with the rest of my radio show. I didn’t plan on talking about it to anyone, but then Pleasant Paul (Paul Holden) asked me for a commentary, and I felt as if I could use it to encourage others to do the same.
My point is random acts of kindness keep our society functioning, and it can be for anyone, at any time. So do yourself a favor and find someone who could use a random act of kindness and give it away. Not for “karma,” not for the “good vibes” but just because you can.
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