cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13799288

Going to hell? We're already here!

all 39 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 54 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Images like this make it difficult to distinguish satire from reality, especially on April Fools Day.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 41 points 2 years ago

    The real crime here is how much money the companies selling the products made from the plasma make.

    Scam poor people out of their plasma, then charge sick people horrendous prices.

    Sound bad? Yes! But thankfully there's a solution! It's.. drumroll guillotines!!

  • source
  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    donate plasma
    pay rent

    Am I missing something

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Huh, TIL. I've donated at blood drives in the past and got a cookie but that was it. Must be different.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago

    The US approach to donation is odd, to say the least. You can't be paid for blood, or organs. Blood products, like plasma, aren't actually regulated and you can be compensated for them. The companies that collect those blood and organs you can't profit from? They can make money from those transactions.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Here you can get up to 40€ per donation, max 50 times a year. So in theory, you could maybe earn a third of your rent this way (best case).

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago

    My own daughter has had to sell plasma to pay her bills for the past 2 years and it breaks my heart. I had a heart attack in 2018 and am on SSDI. Still I found a way to give her $900 over the winter.

  • source
  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    She wouldn't be able to donate because she has a full sleeve, you need to see her veins...

    So it must an April fools!

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Maybe she doesn't on the other arm or has a usable vein elsewhere 🤷

    The veins in my arms are difficult to find, so when I need blood extracted they use one on the back of my hand. They could do the same with her..

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    They can't/wont use hand veins for this, since they have to extract, process, and return the volume not used. IME they wanted an arm vein and only went after the inner elbow for the needle site. The hand vein likely isn't large enough to use for this purpose.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Where are ya'll going to donate blood where compensation is legal? Most places have banned that practice.

  • source
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Donating blood is uncompensated to my knowledge, but donating plasma is definitely compensated, but very low. My wife was just complaining that the local donation center only offers $90/week, and that's with 2 donations. It's like 35 or something for one session, and a total scam for those who are desperate for money.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Yeah where I'm from you can't donate blood, plasma, platelets, your eggs or sperm, or be a surrogate in exchange for money. That was working okay for a while but after the pandemic hit they've become desperate for donors.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    Want a Big Mac? Sell a kidney!

  • source
  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Back in my old job I actually did this.

    You could make $400 a month for 30 minutes a week. It was better than a part-time job, but definitely still a testament to the fact that we're all being robbed of our labor, seeing as how you shouldn't need it if you're a working adult.

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    Fuck Grifols

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Interesting fact though: plasma donation is an effective way of dramatically lowering PFAS and other "forever chemicals" as well as possibly microplastics in the bloodstream.

    True story.

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Literally my roommate.

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Not if any of those tattoos happened recently you're not.

  • source
  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    I got money for donating plasma. It was cool.

    Lots of people need plasma.

    I don't think this is as hellish as everyone is pretending, this is straightforward supply and demand.

    Red cross is way worse, since they ask for donations, sell blood at a profit and don't disburse any compensation to their volunteers.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    The point isn't that you're paid for plasma, it's that you have to sell plasma to pay rent.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    Got it. I was responding to the comments, which are mostly complaining about plasma being paid for.

    The issue of someone selling plasma specifically to pay rent is obviously worse, but at least they get paid. No compensation at all for donating for-profit blood to "charities", which is way crazier and exploitative.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    Boy Boy made a great video about this. A lot of the blood is actually going towards silicon valley tech billionaires who think other peoples blood can cure aging. Companys also sell the blood at a profit so it's not like they're actually better than the red cross who give the blood to actual hospitals. There is a reason we don't allow people to sell their organs. Giving too much plasma can be dangerous. It shouldn't be any different.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    If you're donating valuable anything to a for-profit organization, you should be compensated.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    So you're saying it's better that you donate plasma to companies that sell it to silicon valley bros at the highest bidder than donating for free to the red cross and having it going to a hospital?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Nope. Nice imagination, though

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Thank you! I envy your imagination though in thinking that the red cross can donate the blood plasma to hospitals while also paying the donors a bunch of money. Seems like it would cut into the other important work the red cross does just so they can compete with for profit companies that sell the plasma to the highest bidder where it goes to tech companies wasting it on fake anti-aging cures. But what do I know.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Not much about the red cross.

    The red cross doesn't "donate" blood; volunteers donate blood to the red cross, who sells that donated blood to hospitals for hundreds of dollars a unit.

    The red cross takes in nearly 2 billion dollars annually from donated blood in what is not called "profit" because the red cross is classified as a "nonprofit" who sells donated blood.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago

    That's the future (neo)liberals want for our country! Wake up!

  • source