this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2026

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Parasite (lemmy.world)

submitted 20 hours ago by The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world to c/curatedtumblr@sh.itjust.works

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[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 39 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

i have a friend who was doing a twitch fundraiser, right? it was a fundraiser for a good cause. i DO fundraisers for a living. So i pop on, say hi, she doesn't recognize me, i drop in 50 bucks because fundraiser and i could afford to tighten the belt that month. like, this is a normal donation in the charity world. She Did Not Tell Me that she was eating a slice of lemon for every dollar that was donated. Oh My Gods i have never felt so guilty for doing a fundraiser i tried to stop her. I had no idea this was a huge donation for twitch.

honestly, i still feel kinda guilty and it's been years.

[–] Vile_port_aloo@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Clip it?

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

This was years ago and i have spent like a total of five hours watching twitch(they were all that stream to see if anyone else would make my mistake. She explained the rules better when people logged in)

[–] MeatPilot@sh.itjust.works 15 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

So what was the plan if there was a $1,000 donation?

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

Honestly? I think they spent the money in their heads (she was also in the group she was fundraising for) before they ate the lemons in their heads

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 32 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Paying your friend to eat 50 lemon slices in a row is a fantastic story at least. That's hilarious.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 27 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

accidentally paying your friend to eat 50 lemon slices in a row.

five whole lemons.

i really wish she'd told me. the lemons on my lemon tree are sweet, not sour. why did she use her own lemons

[–] DeltaWingDragon@sh.itjust.works 13 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

If she used sweet lemons, the whores would steal them

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

i have had exactly zero whores try to steal my lemons...

i am dressed pretty slutty.

am... am i the whore?

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

am… am i the whore?

Yes however we all enjoy your lemons 😉

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago

here eat 50 slices

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 42 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Twitch streamers, YouTubers, only fans, unrelated but scalpers probably belong here as well.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 37 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Scalpers aren’t really living off the hospitality of others, they’re taking advantage of illiquidity to create arbitrage and fuck over regular people.

[–] Eternal192@anarchist.nexus 1 points 18 hours ago

Doesn't matter how they are taking advantage, they are still parasites.

[+] Jax@sh.itjust.works -8 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Scalpers aren’t really living off the hospitality of others, they’re taking advantage of illiquidity to create arbitrage and fuck over ~~regular people~~ consumers.

We shouldn't act like the consumer isn't a part of the problem. The scalper can scalp because the consumer will consume.

[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

So Ticketmaster did nothing wrong? Yea... no. Don't victim blame. That's also scum behavior.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not victim blaming, the scalpers need someone to sell to in order for there to be a profit. Yes Ticketmaster are scumbags, that doesn't change the fact that there were plenty of consumers ready and ravenous for a chance to see their favorite artist live (artists making money from the scalpers buying from Ticketmaster, whether for themselves or their label).

Should consumer protections be put in place? Probably, but I think that's more or less kicking the can down the road. People need to vote with their wallets, giving money to scalpers is effectively allowing Ticketmaster's scheme to work. Yes, it is predatory. Yes, it is scummy. No, the consumer is not faultless — they are essential for the scheme to work.

[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Nobody votes with their wallets when capitalism is the only choice. It's exploitation or nothing.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah you'll have to help me understand why people didn't have a choice to simply not buy from scalpers. Were they holding guns to their heads?

[–] Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 1 points 4 hours ago

Because people aren't a hive mind. Voting with the wallet doesn't really work on limited luxury goods due to population scale.

Something like concert tickets or any luxury good is in such a low supply that there will always be enough people with more money or credit than sense.
So there pretty much isn't a choice of not buying and prices eventually getting lower. The prices of luxury goods will always be as high as possible and thanks to population scale and ad campaigns, that's going to be rather high.

Though don't get me wrong, im not advocating in defense of buying expensive useless shit. I've quit quite a few things and at least one addiction because the price rose above some predetermined limit. Just that the voting part doesn't really work anymore.

[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 29 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Roman society is immensely grim sounding

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 30 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

Roman society is pretty much the basis for the western world. The Romans are largely the reason for the rampant patriarchy we have today among other things, for instance.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 1 points 1 minute ago

Our modern state is built on its foundations and they've been fucking us ever since.

[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

I totally agree - didn't they invent the word?

But yeah, reading about the patriarchal structure in Roman society was like...

Because there's a clear cut path from what they set up back then to where we are today. Thanks, Romans.

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 19 hours ago

https://www.tastesofhistory.co.uk/post/dispelling-some-myths-romans-railways-and-nasa-rockets

But not this one thing, which I see a lot.

[–] OutForARip@lemmy.ca -1 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Patriarchy has unfortunately been the majority across the world, it’s nothing to do with the Roman’s and everything to do with physical strength to dominate others.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 13 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

The Romans very specifically invaded what we today call Britain because the people who lived there were matriarchal. I am Cherokee, my tribe was also matriarchal before white people showed up. In my tribe, traditionally, when you get married your possessions belong to your wife and you join the clan of your wife.

Patriarchy has never been as widespread as patriarchs would like you to believe.

[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 7 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Both are true - Roman society is patriarchal in a particular way, e.g women were known by their fathers name (e.g Agrippina Claudius is daughter of Claudius) and considered almost like property of their father, until they were married off to a husband, and were henceforth known by their husbands name.

Sound familiar? That's basically what Atomicbocks is referencing

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

You guys are getting paid??

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 1 points 2 hours ago

You need to be able to put your ankles behind your head.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

YouTuber since 2006, here: I have not received a single cent. They demonetized me (along with millions others when they changed their rules) shortly before I hit the $100 payout threshold and then kept the money.

[–] JayDee@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

There's still examples of people being paid to live in peoples' homes as sex servants and whatnot, let's not act like this kind of thing just evolves out of existance. I think I even remember a reddit post of someone talking about how a married couple paid for their tuition in exchange for being a plaything for them while at college.

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 11 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

There are stories in British tabloids every few months about how young women in university are paying for their education by being available at the whim of wealthy sugar daddies.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

If I had been able to do that as a man, I would have 100% been on board with it. I don't see any issue with the situation as long as both parties agree to it.

Although I guess I technically did it since the job that was fucking me had tuition reimbursement.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Personally I think the sexual exploitation of the youth to pay for the job training to become wage slaves isn't something a society should be proud of.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

You can also view it as independence and agency. Why shouldn't I capitalise on my resources?

Broadly speaking that's only an issue if the former is much more powerful than the latter and I don't think that"s the case in the UK. There are plenty of other ways of funding education that are very much accessible but selling booty is easier and more fun than flipping burgers why not?

The real pain point here is society's judgement towards sex work.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 1 points 8 minutes ago* (last edited 6 minutes ago)

Gonna be real bro, I think you should take that blood lubed orphan crushing machine you're defending and shove it where the sun don't shine, then sell the video because it's just society's attitude about exploiting the hope for a future keeping you down, maaaaan.

Or maybe you can just admit that there's a difference between taking up sex work because you like it, or at least don't mind it, and selling yourself to gross old perverts for tuition?

There's always going to be a power disparity built into people dangling your future on a string in front of you, it comes as a package deal with the capitalist cannibalism of its own youths.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

my body looks weird. lots of scar tissue. i was a regular model at the art school and they loved me because i'm so fucking lumpy. my mother would be so ashamed to learn i had to take my clothes off for money to get through school, because i also had a full time and part time job and loans and that still wasn't enough to survive. she's a prude though, this was art. that one is a secret between my wife and i (who funny enough did it at one of those mormon schools, so she got to wear a swimsuit)

[–] IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

It's literally influencers and celebrities.

[–] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Kato Kaelin comes to mind....