In a society that bleeds us for every cent it can get its claws on, why would we be expected to turn around and donate anything?
We've been trained that nothing happens without payment... if you want my blood, make an offer.
this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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It's always young people who're asked to step up. Again and again. Save the environment whilst corporations fuck us; care for the aging population; buy a house and contribute to the economy; fight in proxy wars over a politician's pride. And now it's give blood whilst still being charged extortionate medical costs. Why don't the older generations step up for a change?
Did you bother to even read the (very short) article? Basically the whole thing is about how people age 40-65 donate more than half of all blood in the country, and that the significant declines in blood donations has been in the under 30 demographic.
With less blood donors, blood becomes more expensive and therefore increases medical costs. As the most generous donation demographics continue to age, those that can still qualify to give blood decreases.
I don't think they were talking about how older generations need to donate more. My take on the article and their comment was that younger generations are being asked to "step up" and help the country/people, but in return get shafted on life.
House and food prices doubled over the past 2 years while pay stagnated. Medical bills soar without any signs of universal healthcare being implemented in my lifetime. Student loan debt was temporarily deferred, but now might even need to be reversed with interest. The most the Red Cross can do is say, "We'll give you a shirt if you donate! And maybe a chance to win Super Bowl tickets!" But in return hospitals can charge $219 for the blood.
Overall it's demoralizing. While people should donate because it's needed, it's just a symptom of a larger problem of young people (adults participating in society though) being expected to keep giving without having their voice heard.
I hear what you're saying, but young people like us not donating blood only ends up screwing us later. We're not hurting "the olds" by not donating blood. The point of the article is that when people donate blood when they're young, they tend to continue doing it more throughout their lives.
If you're looking for personal rewards, it's a free way to reduce the microplastics in your blood stream, of which young people tend to have more. And it's just the right thing to do. This seems like a fairly poignant example of misplaced, impotent intergenerational anger.
Not donating blood isn't how this gets resolved. But, I do understand how symbolically this feels weird. Nevertheless, as I recall, people under 40 are more likely to suffer injuries involving massive blood loss (guns being the #1 cause of death for people under 18 surely plays into that), and reducing the available blood supply doesn't seem to get us anywhere.
Oh, sorry. I'm not saying I think its a conscious decision to screw people over or that people only donate since they get something out of it. I think it's just one more social responsibility that gets lost under the rest of everything going on.
I'm hearing it better now and generally agree. Thanks for clarifying. It sucks that it is that way, and it sucks that things being sucky makes good people more sucky. But I'm not blaming, just bummed.
Student loan debt deferment was a joke as it merely shifted the problem down the road.
The system that charges 70k for a four year degree still exists, maybe we should take care of the gushing artery instead of continually giving unsustainable blood bags to them. No pun intended for the current thread.
Why? So when we need it they can sell it back to us for $10k/liter?
Seriously. It's a fucking racket. Gimmie a slice of that cheese.
This is why I "donate" plasma instead. Still helping people, can do it more often, and my first month after a long break gave me $600 in 6 visits
It's gonna drop down to maybe $150-250 in the next month but it'll still be at least $25 for an hour out of my day twice a week.
Would be nice if there were no monetary system so it weren't so exploitative but hey, I'll keep dreaming
they told me I'm a plague-ridden queer and that I'm not welcome. Happy to accommodate.
Pay me. Well. This is like restaurants paying $9 complaining that nobody wants to work. If I go to the ER and get an aspirin it's like $3k. But they want my blood for free. How much would it cost if I needed a pint or two of blood in the ER?
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The young people also need free medical care and education. No wonder number of donors is dropping. When you are suppose to give something away they plea your goodness of the heart and helping others. When you need transfusions it's several thousands of dollars thank you.
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I'll do it but it will cost you 1,000 a month or 10,500 a year... And I might not go every month...but you still have to pay.
We live in a subscription based society after all.
Weren't gay men barred entirely? Yeah, I was considered "high risk" by category all those years despite being squeaky clean. Big regrets now, huh.
I do more than enough for my privilege level. I'm not doing more until my level of freedom is higher than "if someone at work doesn't like me, I'm kicked out of decent living".
Used to donate, would get about 15 calls a day asking me to come donate the next day. Not sure if daily blood donations is sustainable.
Exactly this, my job has called in that donation bus a few times. I always go because its an excuse to not work for an hour and I get a cookie.
After the first report came in I got some very helpful blood info. After that it got frustrating, as donating blood is very much in support of the public good, but the org that handles it will turn around and sell it (as part of someones hospital bill), then spam you with emails and calls asking for more...
Yeah, I stopped giving blood because of the constant harassing phone calls.
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I donated blood once because I needed to know my blood type and it was the cheapest way to find out. The Red Cross sent harassing phone calls for YEARS after that. It stopped after I told them I just returned from a three week trip to Mali.
The day my mother passed, she received at least 3 bags of blood. All it brought her was a few unconscious hours. I don't have the words to describe how overwhelmingly thankful i was that day and still am for those individuals who gave their blood to my mother.
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I'll donate when I can afford to get treatment for the condition that makes me anemic.
I can't even afford health insurance, I need to keep all my blood inside me.
I'm in Canada, but my province also has a shortage of blood donations except... they got rid of the blood donation clinics in a bunch of cities in 2015, including my own, saying they could easily get the province's needs met in major population centers and there was no need for it? Just bizarre.
Well as a gay they never wanted my blood before so I'm just going to go ahead and keep it.
If they would let gay people donate it would help a lot
Now I have to tell my coworkers I can't give blood because I keep having anal sex every 3 months.
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Can't smoke weed
They user to do blood drives in the office but they kept laying off people that managed it....
I've tried donating, but every time i go they ask so many questions. Things like, "who's blood is that?" and "why is it in a bucket?".
I'm just trying to help, gosh...
I used to donate a lot and dealt with the harassing phone calls and because I wanted to do my part.
After a series of bad donations where my arm looked like a crime scene, I finally got someone who knew what they were doing with the needle. I remarked how glad I was they got it on the first try and mentioned how bad it usually was. The technician told me with a straight face "oh yeah most of the others are butchers, I'd never donate here". I donate a lot less now.
Red Cross and other orgs if you're reading this, go undercover at your own facilities and you'll see why fewer people are donating.
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Continued streak of tone deaf conversation of the world after the start of the pandemic. The world has changed fundamentally, but maybe if we pretend hard enough that people just need to "step up"...
I donate blood regulary and I actually enjoy the process. Where I donate they are all very kind and afterwards I can sit in a room with endless food and drinks. I even get a little bit of money for my troubles. Would recommend just giving it a try. If it's not for you nobody blames you if you never do it again.
Edit: An extra is that they check your blood for a lot of stuff and if they find something you know very early and can treat it easily. Free blood checkup.
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Make donations of blood give you healthcare funny bucks - we can spend them on life saving procedures or loot boxes!
Hmm let's see. I constantly get harassed multiple times a day to do it. Even though I'm underweight and can't donate. Ive told them this. Even when I met the weight requirement donating only caused me trouble. Last 2 times I donated they had to hold the needle in my arm because their phlebotomists suck. Im not a hard stick. I can literally set an IV myself but its not like they'll let me. If I had not gotten a full unit they would have thrown it out. Im not going through a ton of effort to throw it out. I have to work and given my past issues dont like donating on days I don't have off.
On top of that, the time before that they sent me to the ER because I was still lightheaded and couldn't stand after waiting an hour. I got to pay an ER and ambulance bill for the privelege of giving my blood away for free. Its not surprising ive soured on the idea. Donaters take on all the risk in our for profit system and get none of the profit.
I used to donate blood pre-transition, but my first try after transition I got told that I would need to "have my medicines approved" by some home office for...being on testosterone. Literally no difference between my blood and a cis man's. Called the office on the number provided. They never answered. I left a message. They never called back.
:(
Didn't they used to pay people for plasma? Has that gone away or have the rates not caught up to inflation?
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