Act of Kindness
or Pure
Exploitation?
I've been homeless, I've slept on the streets, and I've been in vulnerable positions when I needed something from somebody. So when I see videos of people experiencing homelessness, giving them food, money or gifts, and filming the whole interaction for social media clout, I don't see kindness.
I see Exploitation.
And honestly, I think it's disgusting. Not because I object to people helping someone experiencing homelessness. Quite the opposite. I object to someone's desperation being turned into entertainment, and someone else's vulnerability being used to build an audience.
If your algorithm is anything like mine, you'll have seen these videos; they range from giving a few pounds, to more substantial amounts of money, to elaborate gifts the person has to open in a variety of novelty ways. The one I've just seen featured a woman asking for £4. That's less than a cup of coffee, and the woman had to justify what she wanted to spend it on. The person filming made her promise it wasn't for "poison" (I assume the creator meant drugs). Eventually, they accepted that it was for a hostel. After a bit of back and forth, they actually wanted to drive her there rather than simply hand over the cash. And finally, they gave her the money.
Let's just think about that interaction. A woman who is already in an incredibly vulnerable position is asking a stranger for £4. The stranger has the money. They have the camera. They control whether the interaction is recorded and published.
They Control the Narrative.
What does the person experiencing homelessness get from having their vulnerability broadcast to strangers?
Giving someone money does not buy the right to their dignity.
Giving someone food does not buy the right to their image.
Giving someone £4 does not buy the right to turn their desperation into entertainment.
And I don’t think we can have an honest conversation about consent without acknowledging the enormous power imbalance involved. Can consent really be considered straightforward when someone is desperate for money, food or somewhere to sleep? If someone is offered £4 in exchange for allowing their most vulnerable moment to be filmed, that’s not a level playing
field.
If the act of kindness is genuinely about the person receiving it, why does an audience need to be there? I'm not claiming that everyone who makes these videos is deliberately malicious. I'm saying that good intentions don't cancel out exploitation.
Calling something kindness doesn't make it kind.
And giving someone £4 does not give you ownership of their dignity, their image or their story.
I've experienced homelessness myself and I know what it feels like to have very little power. I know how it feels to be judged differently because of your circumstances. And I know that when you're in that position, dignity matters.
So I'll say it plainly:
Someone else's homelessness is not your content. And yes, I think this trend is disgusting. I think filming people at their most vulnerable, turning their desperation into entertainment and then inviting millions of strangers to watch is profoundly dehumanising. We shouldn't need to be persuaded that someone deserves dignity simply because they are homeless.
Something I find particularly disgusting about these videos is the way they position the creator as the hero and the homeless person as the grateful recipient.
The creator becomes the protagonist. The person experiencing homelessness becomes the story. Their poverty becomes the backdrop against which somebody else gets to demonstrate their generosity.
And millions of people can watch.
People experiencing homelessness are not props. They are not content. They are not opportunities for engagement. They are people. People with histories, relationships, families, trauma, humour, talents, hopes, opinions and dignity.
And yes, sometimes, people genuinely need help. Help them, buy them food, give them money if you choose to, signpost them to services. Talk to them and treat them like human beings.
But you don't need to film it.
I deliberately haven't included a link to the video because I genuinely don't want to give it any more traffic. The comments are a mixture of "wow, you're so kind", "they only want it for drugs" and people, like me, who find the whole thing deeply disturbing. But these "creators" thrive on the controversy. Every comment builds their channel or "influence". Even angry comments help build their audience.
So don't comment. Don't share it. Don't give it views. If the content relies on someone's vulnerability to generate engagement, the most useful thing we can do is refuse to participate in that economy.
If you do want to help, I've included links to organisations that helped me when I needed it:
Thanks Melissa …… so true.