system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: GoFundMe and similar services are the internet equivalent of panhandling and should be actively discouraged and socially unacceptable.

It seems like nearly every day I'm seeing a new post on my facebook feed asking me to donate to someone's friend. I see Today I Fucked Up posts on reddit with comments suggesting that they set up gofundme pages and ask for donations. 

No one would ever suggest these people go hold a sign up on the side of the road, but posting a request for donations online is totally acceptable.

When did it become socially acceptable to ask friends and strangers to fix your financial mistakes? Do these people feel no shame in telling the world that they have poor plannings skills, can't provide for themselves, don't know how to manage money or make sound decisions, or do we just not care about that anymore?

I'm not against charity or welfare. I'm a huge proponent of the social safety net and associated programs. But that's not what's being asked for here. I've got people asking for money to cover their move into a new apartment. Someone posted that their water heater broke and they need 5 grand to fix it - that sucks, but you won't die if you have to ask a family member to use their shower for a few days while you secure a loan. Today someone posted about stupidly giving $27k in cash to a friend to pay for a funeral and getting ripped off - that's terrible, but there are other solutions to that problem that don't require begging for money.

What's worse is that in all these situations, they just want a handout. I'd be at least a little more understanding if gofundme offered a method of arranging microloans. At least there would be some semblance of responsibility and intent to return the money.
gpt
> When did it become socially acceptable to ask friends and strangers to fix your financial mistakes?

There is an entire industry centered around credit counseling, bankruptcy, lending, financial advice, etc. It's always been there.

> What's worse is that in all these situations, they just want a handout.

So what? That's the entire idea behind charity. You can either give to a large organization that eventually trickles down to people, or you can give directly to people. Everybody knows what the deal is, and they do it willingly. Sometimes you just want to help someone. What's the problem with handing things out?