I got this little video on my email earlier today. Oh, it has all the ingredients for a YouTube success. Blind, impoverished person begging for money while sitting on the ground, cold hearted strangers throwing coins at blind guy, white upper class girl who “teaches him a lesson”. Ah yes, what a beautiful enlightening moment!
Except no. It is disgusting. It is patronizing and alienating. Because it is abusive to write something on a sign that the blind man cannot see and “rescue him” through the power of your awesome words. Because, you see, all it takes is a wealthy, well dressed person to actually show a disabled, poor guy “how it is done” and to succeed!
I am not even posting the video because honestly, I feel dirty after watching it. And the thousands of positive comments along the lines of “this actually made me cry” made me want to cry. Because this is the kind of marketing I abhor.
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