An Alternate Life, Help support my project Options

[cmac]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/caseym...a-photo-project

I've started this photo project that I've been interested in since moving here that I'm trying to raise money for. If you can't donate I would appreciate it if you could pass it on to anyone that might be interested. Or even a facebook/twitter post to get the word out would help tremendously.
Thanks everyone for your help.

[Dogmeat]

I don't understand quite what the point of this is ...

[cmac]

raise awareness, sell books, curiosity on my part, create something artistic, become a published author.
it's kind of documentaryish. i think a lot of the homeless have interesting backgrounds and interesting stories and i'd like to share that with other people.

also kind of an offset experience to see the power of the internet and marketing through social media outlets. some random dude just donated $100. that's craziness...

This post has been edited by cmac: May 24 2009, 05:31 PM

[Dogmeat]

you have to have sniffed a LOT of glue in life to be fucking homeless in this country.

srsly.

[pysex]

you have to have sniffed a LOT of glue in life to be fucking homeless in this country.

srsly.

i hope you're joking

you can't be that ignorant

[FORSAKENR320]

with the amount of aid and funding going around to help "special need" people... i also find it pretty unacceptable to be homeless, unless by choice.

[cmac]

i think a lot of it is by choice. especially here. i've been told that panhandlers can make close to 6 figures. obviously tax free.
but there are definitely exceptions.

This post has been edited by cmac: May 24 2009, 10:28 PM

[Dogmeat]

i hope you're joking

you can't be that ignorant

No, not really.

[pysex]

No, not really.

you mean to tell me it's completely impossible that someone who just lost their job with the way the economy is is homeless....

you don't have to be on crack or a drunk to be homeless...sometimes the world can actually fuck you sideways

[impala454]

I have seen stories and studies on homeless people like this, and yeah it seems a lot of them chose it. They simply don't want a home and a job and bills, etc. I admit there is a certain appeal to being completely "disconnected". Which is why during these stories you'd see them being offered jobs or places to stay but they refuse because that's the reason they're out there.

cmac I must admit, while I commend you for making this a "project", I think it's downright pathetic that you're taking donations to do it. You have a college degree and a full time job. You talk about some of them making six figures and then have the gall to ask others for money to give to them? Come on. I find it hard to beleive that you're not going to profit from it when you're charging $30 for your signature.

I will never give a homeless person a cent. I have offered them food before and on multiple occasions had it thrown back in my face. I will definitely not offer it again.

---------

Sorta off topic, but this brings up another thing that's pissed me off lately. I have been seeing these high school kids out trying to raise money for whatever it is they're doing, taking a trip somewhere or whatever. But it seems nowadays instead of having a car wash or bake sale or doing some kind of productive work, they just stand out on the medians at the stop lights with a bucket and cutesy little posters asking for money. This kinda crap needs to stop. What in the world is that teaching them?

[cmac]

i'm not shocked that out of all the compliments and positive responses, the ONE negative thing would come from impala
a large amount of anything creative created these days is done with contributions from others.
i'm just using my resources wisely.
and i never said i wasn't going to profit from it. all i said was that i didn't want to exploit them. i'm making a freaking donation to help the homeless for god's sake.
and don't think that i'm not using a good portion of my own money too.

[Dogmeat]

you mean to tell me it's completely impossible that someone who just lost their job with the way the economy is is homeless....

you don't have to be on crack or a drunk to be homeless...sometimes the world can actually fuck you sideways

No, they shouldn't be homeless, because my entire life just got devoted to paying for their fucking houses for them

[impala454]

i'm not shocked that out of all the compliments and positive responses, the ONE negative thing would come from impala

my comments weren't the only negative ones, and I see zero positive ones. you keep thinking I have some personal vendetta against you on here. ever think that perhaps I just don't agree with most of what you have to say?

a large amount of anything creative created these days is done with contributions from others.
i'm just using my resources wisely.

it sounds to me like you're using other people's resources

and i never said i wasn't going to profit from it. all i said was that i didn't want to exploit them.

haha ok... you said you don't "wish" to profit from it... massive difference...

i'm making a freaking donation to help the homeless for god's sake.

again, it's others that are making the donation it seems, not you. and IMHO giving them money doesn't help them.

and don't think that i'm not using a good portion of my own money too.

how much?

[cmac]

wow, only you would turn a thread like this into a quote breakdown.

my comments weren't the only negative ones, and I see zero positive ones. you keep thinking I have some personal vendetta against you on here. ever think that perhaps I just don't agree with most of what you have to say?

your comments are the only negative ones i've received directly about the project, and i'm discussing positive that i have received outside of this site. i didn't just promote here believe it or not. i think the three generous donations from random strangers explain this pretty well. people are supporting it, and i'm pleased with the progress. i've gotten $200 from random strangers so far. the power of the internet.

it sounds to me like you're using other people's resources

resources, meaning kickstarter.com, a website created for such thing. twitter.com, facebook.com, digg.com, reddit.com, and others. marketing my project. no one is making anyone donate. if you feel it's a good cause, donate. if not, don't. does self marketing and promotion bother you? does the offering at church bother you, or the "help the cancer patient" bucket at the checkout at the grocery store, or any of the other billion situations where people ask for donations? or shold everyone just do anything at all on their own counts. if people are passionate, they're generous. i've donated money and food to the homeless on my own count before. this is bad in your eyes? granted i don't know their situation but i give them the benefit of the doubt. is there a problem with ambition and asking for contribution to a cause? there are people on kickstarter asking for help producing records and creating iphone apps. is this a problem? is mine more "moral" because i'm donating to an organization. they're offering just as "silly" as "awards" as i am. it seems like a great service that encourages creativity and imagination. positive thngs.

haha ok... you said you don't "wish" to profit from it... massive difference... rolleyes.gif

you took something out of context as usual.
"I don't wish to profit...........from the plight of the homeless or exploit their current state, so a donation will be made to Denver's Road Home organization from the book's proceeds."
In other words, i am not exploiting the homeless. I am giving them money and donating to an organization.

again, it's others that are making the donation it seems, not you. and IMHO giving them money doesn't help them.

i'm toying with giving them giftcards to restaurants or something similar to ensure that they buy something that they need to survive, but i'm not sure yet. who cares who's making the donation. it's my work, and a donation exists. you actually have a problem with where it comes from? you've heard the phrase "a donation will be made in the name of..." right?

how much?

$500 isn't going to cover my costs. so as much as it takes to cover my overhead. probably around 2-300 more.

[impala454]

wah wah wah, emo emo emo. post something like this on techsans and cry about getting criticized. color me surprised.

I really don't feel like quoting right now so I'll just say:

1. How did I take your "I didn't say I wasn't going to profit from this" out of context? To me that says you will possibly profit from it. How else could you possibly spin that? Especially from you charging $50 for a $20 book with your signature in it (lol).

2. I still believe giving the homeless anything is an exercise in futility. What do you hope to accomplish? You're giving a fat person who doesn't want to get in shape a giant chocolate cake.

3. No, my comments weren't the only negative ones. Unless you consider people accusing you of sniffing glue a positive comment.

[cmac]

because i said i'm not profiting from their situation. i'm giving them money. i'm making a donation. The bum fights dvds are profiting from the homeless' situation. there's a difference. i wanted to clarify that, that's why i said it.

i'm missing the sniffing glue comments? there are many debates regarding the homeless. this is part of the point of the project. i'm not seeing any negativity towards my project except yours.

making something creative, bringing notification to the homeless, entertaining peoples curiosity, learning, and having fun. i'm not trying to save the world.

if you don't wanna help, i'm ok with that, but i find it hard to see how anyone could see this as a stupid idea. i'm sure someone here is interested in this project outside of being critical which is why i posted it.

[Mommy]

Sorry, but donating to the homeless isn't an issue I go out of my way to support. There are other causes that I see as more important. Good luck on your project though.

[impala454]

Pretty much every post in the thread save for yours or pysex's are negative... see post 4 for glue sniffing comments

i never said i wasn't going to profit from it.

i'm not profiting from their situation.

Is this like the "I think the Rockets will win it" then 3 posts later and after game 3 "Lakers in 5"?

making something creative, bringing notification to the homeless, entertaining peoples curiosity, learning, and having fun. i'm not trying to save the world.

Entertainment... I guess... having fun... I guess if that's what gets your rocks off. Never said you were trying to save the world. Just wondering what you hope to accomplish. Like I said, giving homeless people money is like giving a fat person who doesn't want to change that a giant cake. Give them a bottle of booze or a jacket or something. Anything but cash money. You do that you might as well just go buy the crack for em.

[cmac]

Pretty much every post in the thread save for yours or pysex's are negative... see post 4 for glue sniffing comments

i'm pretty sure dogmeat's comment is a shot at the homeless, not about the project.


do you not see a difference in these two statements?
i don't wish to profit from the plight of the homeless.
i don't wish to profit from this project.

huge difference. please refer to forsakn's comment about you taking things out of context.

Give them a bottle of booze or a jacket or something.

i just might. the #1 goal is not supporting the homeless. i just wanna give them something for their effort. i'd rather them do something productive, but that's not my call.

This post has been edited by cmac: May 26 2009, 09:59 AM

[impala454]

i'm pretty sure dogmeat's comment is a shot at the homeless, not about the project.

I didn't say what they were referring to, but they sure seemed negative to me.

do you not see a difference in these two statements?
i don't wish to profit from the plight of the homeless.
i don't wish to profit from this project.

huge difference. please refer to forsakn's comment about you taking things out of content.

There's zero difference. Your project is about the plight of the homeless. If you profit from it then you will be profiting from the plight of the homeless. It's not out of context at all.

[Spectatrix]

For fuck's sake, Impala, just lay off...

[impala454]

It takes two to tango babe

[Mommy]

It takes two to tango babe

OOO you're calling a married woman "babe"

[Dogmeat]

OOO you're calling a married woman "babe"

Hey babe, relax about it! Just chill babe, chiiiiiiiiiiiiillllll!

[Mommy]

Hey babe, relax about it! Just chill babe, chiiiiiiiiiiiiillllll!

I'M APPALLED

[Dogmeat]

I'M APPALLED

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABE, DONT BE APPALLED, JUST CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLL BABE CHIIIIIIIIIIILLL!!!!!

wow.

calling chicks babe is fucking lame

[Mommy]

haha... BUT BABEEEEEE

it sounds whiney to me.

[chook]

Chuck, you're just like my roommate Paxton. While I think that the homeless are doing it by choice in this country, but it isn't a bad thing to do. So what if they want to get smashed and drink? You drive a big truck, use up lots of resources using your computer and such not. We are all guilty of doing things and pointing out the weaknesses of others. It isn't about anyone being righteous, although Cmac my see himself as that. Its just a thing to do, some people like it some think its bad.

[cmac]

It isn't about anyone being righteous, although Cmac my see himself as that. Its just a thing to do, some people like it some think its bad.

no. i'm just curious. and i think they'll have good stories

[impala454]

Chuck, you're just like my roommate Paxton. While I think that the homeless are doing it by choice in this country, but it isn't a bad thing to do. So what if they want to get smashed and drink? You drive a big truck, use up lots of resources using your computer and such not. We are all guilty of doing things and pointing out the weaknesses of others. It isn't about anyone being righteous, although Cmac my see himself as that. Its just a thing to do, some people like it some think its bad.

I don't have a problem with the homeless doing their thing and didn't say it was a bad thing to do. In fact I mentioned that I thought there was a certain appeal to being "disconnected".

[chook]

no. i'm just curious. and i think they'll have good stories

using them for your entertainment?

[cmac]

no

[Dogmeat]

BRING BACK BUM FIGHTS!!!!!!!!!

[FORSAKENR320]

BRING BACK BUM FIGHTS!!!!!!!!!

probably the most productive and useful comment in this thread so far.....

[impala454]

I'll donate $50 for bum fights

[chook]

The asshole who started bum fights went to school with my cousin. He is on parallel with the Jerry Springer types.

[FORSAKENR320]

The asshole who started bum fights went to school with my cousin. He is on parallel with the Jerry Springer types.

here is a wierd question::

lets say that the man who created bum fights donated 100% (or the equivelant % of what CMAC is going to donate) of the profits from it to aiding the homeless.....

would he be any different than what cmac is doing now?

[cmac]

i'm not sure my project could even remotely be compared to beating the crap out of bums...

[impala454]

how bout bums beating the crap out of you?

[FORSAKENR320]

i'm not sure my project could even remotely be compared to beating the crap out of bums...

i don't know about that. both of ya'lls means DO exploit the homeless. your way is just approaching more along the pity-angle, and you may feel that you are doing this for a rightious cause. i am not trying to attack you or single you out due to our past of not agreeing with each other...


but pride is a very touchy subject. to me, someone who is voluntarily ignoring all aid from outside sources that are already in place probably won't care too much about having their "story" made public and "pitied"

[FORSAKENR320]

another reason i feel you are exploiting the homeless is because of the "market angle" you're approaching. every homeless person you come across is guaranteed to be a tragic tale of failure, "almosts" and bad luck. why must it be the homeless you get your stories from?


answer me a question, please. why is a homeless mans story so much more interesting that the average, blue-collar man? do you think they've seen more trouble? been through more? shed more tears, etc? to believe that is the absolute epitomy in arrogance. who is to say that the blue collar man hasn't clawed and bitten and dragged himself through hell to carve out an average living for his family and found a place of success?

the truth is, happy endings don't sell anymore. and THATS why you're exploiting the homeless.

[cmac]

another reason i feel you are exploiting the homeless is because of the "market angle" you're approaching. every homeless person you come across is guaranteed to be a tragic tale of failure, "almosts" and bad luck. why must it be the homeless you get your stories from?

because this is the target audience i have chosen to learn more about? if i had chosen to learn more about say tenured professors, would this be exploiting professors? this kind of research goes on in graduate schools all across the country with incentives given in return for information. is it just because i have chosen people that have a stereotypical tough time in life that this is controversial?

answer me a question, please. why is a homeless mans story so much more interesting that the average, blue-collar man? do you think they've seen more trouble? been through more? shed more tears, etc? to believe that is the absolute epitomy in arrogance. who is to say that the blue collar man hasn't clawed and bitten and dragged himself through hell to carve out an average living for his family and found a place of success?

i don't know. this is probably the best way to describe this project. these are things i wish to find out. it mind end up the most boring thing ever where they tell me to get lost , or that standing on street corners is their 9-5. i just don't know. maybe they have families that they're struggling to feed. or maybe they have a significant other that makes 6 figures. i'm willing to bet that some of them have traveled the u.s. or at least have been homeless in denver for quite some time. i'm sure they've seen things that might amaze some people. or maybe they haven't. who knows? and of course tons of blue collar people have struggled just as much if not more. i could probably suggest that the homeless took the easy way out while blue collar is struggling to do the "right thing." people are probably much more curious about the homeless though because they can't directly relate to their problems and issues. most people don't know what it's like to sleep under a bridge at night. i want to tell this story.

like i said, knowledge is the main goal of this project. i'm highly curious. secondly, to make something creative. i have much more of an interest in the photography, crafting the language of the story, and designing the pages in the book, than making any money. i'll probably even sell the books at cost. or just have a stack of them on my own coffee table.

[FORSAKENR320]

because this is the target audience i have chosen to learn more about? if i had chosen to learn more about say tenured professors, would this be exploiting professors? this kind of research goes on in graduate schools all across the country with incentives given in return for information. is it just because i have chosen people that have a stereotypical tough time in life that this is controversial?

while what you say may be true, i still say the spirit of what you're doing is exploiting. i feel you've taken an approach that you KNOW will generate some popular feedback for yourself, on a subject that HAS been done before. oh well. i guess that if you catch some good fish in a particular spot, it'd be stupid to try fishing somewhere else... after all, our entertainment industry has been recycling for the last few decades and it seems to be going well for them, right?

i don't know. this is probably the best way to describe this project. these are things i wish to find out. it mind end up the most boring thing ever where they tell me to get lost , or that standing on street corners is their 9-5. i just don't know. maybe they have families that they're struggling to feed. or maybe they have a significant other that makes 6 figures. i'm willing to bet that some of them have traveled the u.s. or at least have been homeless in denver for quite some time. i'm sure they've seen things that might amaze some people. or maybe they haven't. who knows? and of course tons of blue collar people have struggled just as much if not more. i could probably suggest that the homeless took the easy way out while blue collar is struggling to do the "right thing." people are probably much more curious about the homeless though because they can't directly relate to their problems and issues. most people don't know what it's like to sleep under a bridge at night. i want to tell this story.

like i said, knowledge is the main goal of this project. i'm highly curious. secondly, to make something creative. i have much more of an interest in the photography, crafting the language of the story, and designing the pages in the book, than making any money. i'll probably even sell the books at cost. or just have a stack of them on my own coffee table.

you know, i think i can understand that. hell, i'll prolly even read it to be honest. but just don't kid yourself (or us). you're in it for alot of prestige as well.

i'm sure that writing a yuppie-greenie-style book will get you alot of yuppie-greenie-style-tang... (and i commend you for that, i do... very crafty and male of you to "non-chalantly" have your own book sitting on a coffee table in plain sight while entertaining a large-breasted guest....)

[chook]

The man is on a vision quest! Armed with change....we all can trust!