Reality Check
I was pretty disturbed by something I saw on MSNBC this morning. A Providence man named Jonathan Stark was interviewed about his Jonathan’s Card social experiment, where total strangers have been donating money to his Starbucks card, which other people can then use to buy themselves a cup of coffee. He describes it as a “take a penny, leave a penny” idea, or similar to the Italian caffe pagato tradition. He also described it as a beautiful example of people doing something nice out of the goodness of their hearts.
This experiment started with Mr. Stark trying to solve the problem of having two phones and one Starbucks card. He had the Starbucks My Card app on his iPhone 4, and was successfully visiting Starbucks several times a week. He ran into a slight snag when he installed the Android version of this app on his Nexus S, since Starbucks only allows the card information to be on one phone at a time.
He solved this problem by taking a screenshot of the card’s barcode and e-mailing it to his Nexus, so that he doesn’t have to waste precious minutes in the morning figuring out which phone to bring with him to Starbucks.
This worked and, being pretty excited about buying coffee with a picture, he posted all this on his blog and encouraged others to use the picture of his card to buy a cup of coffee.
Which they did, of course, but he was surprised to find that some people also put money on his card. MSNBC’s interest was piqued because this has caught on and there has been over $10,000 given and spent in less than a month via Mr. Stark’s Starbucks card.
Now, I’ll admit to being something of a Luddite. I use dollar bills whenever possible, prefer to write with a pen and paper, and still use a cell phone from 2006. I am currently learning how to make my own rugs, clothes, and blankets. I’m actually getting my hobby ideas from the Amish.
Some of my friends will wet themselves over exciting new technology, but I usually shrug and say that my life was just fine before that new-fangled thingy came along and I don’t really need it now that it has. And then I secretly worry about the technology-induced apocalypse or dystopia that is surely going to come about, a la The Matrix, Terminator, and Uglies.
It isn’t that I don’t care about computers and phones and virtual commerce; It’s not that this isn’t a cool experiment using social media; what really bothered me about seeing this interview on the news was the way that Mr. Stark described it: As being an inspiring and stimulating movement of strangers selflessly giving to strangers, something that some people have told him has renewed their faith in humanity.
Is it super neat-o that people can use a new technology to buy coffees for yuppies with smart phones? Absolutely. Is it a grand experiment showing the true communal love and solidarity that Americans have for others? Not really.
We are lucky to live in a country so rich that most people can spend $3.00 a day on a cup of coffee, and they can even spend another $3.00 buying one for someone who can afford to buy it for herself. That’s nice that we have that much money. I’m sure the phones and the apps for them are nice, too. But it’s pretty sad that we live in a country that is so entitled and insulated that we think buying an over-priced luxury item for well-off people qualifies as humanitarian action, rather than just being a fad where people with too much money and time get to play with new toys.
If you have money to give away and you want to do something nice for others, there are a lot of people in the world who need basic care. There are people who can’t afford housing. There are people who can’t afford food. There are people who have no access to clean water or medical care. In Somalia, according to an article in today’s Providence Journal, “hundreds of thousands of people face imminent starvation and death,” but there are also people begging on the streets of your nearest city.
It should go without saying, but a person who has a smart phone and drinks Starbucks coffee does not qualify as “someone in need.” If you do happen to notice that there are people out there who are in need, probably coffee is not what you should give them. It’s a nice gesture, but if they’re starving to death or suffering from Malaria, it’s not going to help much.
I’m not trying to tell people to stop spending their money on luxuries (although they should). I’m too much of a black pot myself to be pointing the finger at all the kettles out there. I’m just saying to quit fooling yourself. If you have “a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket,” want to be “super cool,” or “enjoy massive karma points” you should be giving your money to the Red Cross, Oxfam, Unicef, your local food bank or soup kitchen, or any of dozens of other reputable organizations that really are geared toward helping people in need. Starbucks cards are not the way to go.
This experiment started with Mr. Stark trying to solve the problem of having two phones and one Starbucks card. He had the Starbucks My Card app on his iPhone 4, and was successfully visiting Starbucks several times a week. He ran into a slight snag when he installed the Android version of this app on his Nexus S, since Starbucks only allows the card information to be on one phone at a time.
He solved this problem by taking a screenshot of the card’s barcode and e-mailing it to his Nexus, so that he doesn’t have to waste precious minutes in the morning figuring out which phone to bring with him to Starbucks.
This worked and, being pretty excited about buying coffee with a picture, he posted all this on his blog and encouraged others to use the picture of his card to buy a cup of coffee.
Which they did, of course, but he was surprised to find that some people also put money on his card. MSNBC’s interest was piqued because this has caught on and there has been over $10,000 given and spent in less than a month via Mr. Stark’s Starbucks card.
Now, I’ll admit to being something of a Luddite. I use dollar bills whenever possible, prefer to write with a pen and paper, and still use a cell phone from 2006. I am currently learning how to make my own rugs, clothes, and blankets. I’m actually getting my hobby ideas from the Amish.
Some of my friends will wet themselves over exciting new technology, but I usually shrug and say that my life was just fine before that new-fangled thingy came along and I don’t really need it now that it has. And then I secretly worry about the technology-induced apocalypse or dystopia that is surely going to come about, a la The Matrix, Terminator, and Uglies.
It isn’t that I don’t care about computers and phones and virtual commerce; It’s not that this isn’t a cool experiment using social media; what really bothered me about seeing this interview on the news was the way that Mr. Stark described it: As being an inspiring and stimulating movement of strangers selflessly giving to strangers, something that some people have told him has renewed their faith in humanity.
Is it super neat-o that people can use a new technology to buy coffees for yuppies with smart phones? Absolutely. Is it a grand experiment showing the true communal love and solidarity that Americans have for others? Not really.
We are lucky to live in a country so rich that most people can spend $3.00 a day on a cup of coffee, and they can even spend another $3.00 buying one for someone who can afford to buy it for herself. That’s nice that we have that much money. I’m sure the phones and the apps for them are nice, too. But it’s pretty sad that we live in a country that is so entitled and insulated that we think buying an over-priced luxury item for well-off people qualifies as humanitarian action, rather than just being a fad where people with too much money and time get to play with new toys.
If you have money to give away and you want to do something nice for others, there are a lot of people in the world who need basic care. There are people who can’t afford housing. There are people who can’t afford food. There are people who have no access to clean water or medical care. In Somalia, according to an article in today’s Providence Journal, “hundreds of thousands of people face imminent starvation and death,” but there are also people begging on the streets of your nearest city.
It should go without saying, but a person who has a smart phone and drinks Starbucks coffee does not qualify as “someone in need.” If you do happen to notice that there are people out there who are in need, probably coffee is not what you should give them. It’s a nice gesture, but if they’re starving to death or suffering from Malaria, it’s not going to help much.
I’m not trying to tell people to stop spending their money on luxuries (although they should). I’m too much of a black pot myself to be pointing the finger at all the kettles out there. I’m just saying to quit fooling yourself. If you have “a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket,” want to be “super cool,” or “enjoy massive karma points” you should be giving your money to the Red Cross, Oxfam, Unicef, your local food bank or soup kitchen, or any of dozens of other reputable organizations that really are geared toward helping people in need. Starbucks cards are not the way to go.