July 9, 2002

5:11 AM

"I've done my part, now I need you to do yours. I believe that this world is a good place, and if someone needs help, then they should ask for it. SO I'M ASKING... Please help me pay my debt. "

Karyn's done her part, people, by racking up $20 000 in credit card debt, buying Prada, and fancy coffee, and designer clothing. Isn't it time you did yours, by paying that debt off for her?
(link from Erika, via 3WA.)
posted by kristin (46 comments total)

Sounds like www.sendmeadollar.com, or the Private Eye 'Eye Need' classifieds.

I have no idea if Karyn is real, or even if she is, if she's genuine about reforming her freespending ways, but at least she's upfront about it. You can contribute if you want, but don't expect anything back. Me, I think I'll pass.
posted by salmacis at 5:19 AM on July 9, 2002

"I am the girl at the office that MAKES YOU SMILE. " Ahh, so she's THAT kind of a girl... ha.
posted by banished at 5:26 AM on July 9, 2002

Fashion magaiznes are like therapy. They make me want to be a better person.

That is so beautiful.
posted by amarynth at 5:27 AM on July 9, 2002

Now THIS is the girl that a poor writer like me needs in my life. My heart swells at the thoughts of her warm and caring words of love - "Darling, I love you almost as much as Lord & Taylor..." - and those sweet words that would follow the passion of lovemaking: "So, it's ok? It's only $300.00..."

Ah, the fashion shows I would be given. Walking home from the bus stop, the thought of the designer delights that await me would vanquish all thoughts of my bagged lunch.

Yet, I cannot help to feel the dark dreams that would come in the night. In my dreams, they call me "Mister Douglas", and I am surrounded by acres and acres of green crops... There is a man named Hainey that comes to the door who smells strongly of whiskey.. I scream into the darkness, the sound piercing the night as I sit bolt upright...
posted by Perigee at 5:45 AM on July 9, 2002

I have more debt than that. not even counting my house or car. Send me a buck!
posted by presto at 6:03 AM on July 9, 2002

Ridiculous.
posted by internook at 6:10 AM on July 9, 2002

At first I thought it was a cruel spoof on Third World Debt.
posted by Marquis at 6:13 AM on July 9, 2002

and then we find that Karyn is really the nom-de-plume of an African king, trying to raise money to fuel his private jet
posted by LuxFX at 6:20 AM on July 9, 2002

I wish there was a way to deduct money from her Pay Pal account or something...
posted by jalexei at 6:22 AM on July 9, 2002

"Since I had no money to go away for the Fourth of July, I stayed in Brooklyn. I used my UNLIMITED PASS subway card to go to Manhattan, and walked around and thought about life. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. "



That sentence is pretty much worth the price of admission right there.
posted by kristin at 6:22 AM on July 9, 2002

salmacis beat me to it: she should place an 'Eye Need' ad, though she'll have to do a better job of making her case.

(Though isn't the difference between her site and the entire advertising industry -- 'I deserve this, and someone else should pay for it' -- just a matter of degree? I half-expect her to be signed up by, oh, I don't know, Bloomingdales or something. If this isn't already a cunning piece of viral marketing.)
posted by riviera at 6:25 AM on July 9, 2002

"I've done my part, now I need you to do yours."

I looked at the site and laughed at it. Debated for a few seconds whether or not it's intended as a joke. I figure that's about all you could consider to be "my part" in this.

I think it must be a joke, considering the tripe available on The Daily Buck. It reads like Jeanne Teasdale.

Some people need a lot less for better reasons, as we have heard. More than once.
posted by jmcmurry at 6:27 AM on July 9, 2002

Here is a new twist on the victim dilemma:

Is Karyn a victim of the avid consumerism of our times? Has she done her part by shopping and others, namely our society, are responsible for making her life okay again?

Or is she responsible for her own actions and should she take all that spare time she has to walk around NY and get a second job to pay off her debt.

Enough of the victim mentality. Take responsibility. Get another job!
posted by zia at 6:47 AM on July 9, 2002

She needs to go to church.
posted by brownpau at 6:50 AM on July 9, 2002

Ahh... what's the big deal? It's all just numbers in a computer anyway.

She should just declare bankruptcy.
posted by ph00dz at 6:51 AM on July 9, 2002

I wonder if she's told her Prada-toting friends about this new "virtual begging" scheme of hers.
posted by Fofer at 7:06 AM on July 9, 2002

Y'know, I clicked the link expecting to hate it and I ended up enjoying the whole site ;-)

She's in the shit & she's doing something about it...sounds cool to me. She seems to be having fun doing it which is also cool. As someone who has been up to their arse in debt in the past [following burglary] I'll applaude her approach...just stay away from the economy brand foodsuffs...

zia: Er, I think her second job is the website / eBaying.
posted by i_cola at 7:12 AM on July 9, 2002

She could at least do the decent thing and set up a juicy webcam for those who contribute.
posted by robbie01 at 7:19 AM on July 9, 2002

She could at least do the decent thing and set up a juicy webcam for those who contribute.

Exactly. I expect some entertainment for my cash. There's lots of things a cash-poor and fear-motivated young person can do on the internet for their debt. At least certain MeFi members who are soliciting donations for new glasses give us something in exchange.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:34 AM on July 9, 2002

She could at least do the decent thing and set up a juicy webcam for those who contribute.

Sure, she can just buy a web cam and throw it on the Visa.

I wonder if she's putting the website hosting on her charge card too...
posted by jerseygirl at 7:39 AM on July 9, 2002

Jeeze, if she really wants to get serious, all she has to do is put up some nekkid pictures of her up there (preferably with toys) and charge people for it.... Just like every other enterprising woman in need of money.
posted by eas98 at 7:42 AM on July 9, 2002

$20,000 is really nothing. A lot of people go more deeply into debt than that for a car, and typically pay it off within 3-5 years. Personally, I managed to rack up nearly $50K in debt over the five years I ran my own business, and it did take a rude awakening to get me to change my ways, so I sympathize with Karyn. But I won't be sending her anything while I owe more than she does.
posted by kindall at 7:43 AM on July 9, 2002

She's selling a Clueless VHS tape on eBay

Isn't she lovely?
posted by matteo at 8:16 AM on July 9, 2002

Kindall,
The interest rate on a car loan is typically not 20% or more, as it is with credit cards.

I think this is clearly a joke anyways.
posted by glenwood at 8:39 AM on July 9, 2002

Just like every other enterprising woman in need of money.

oh. silly me, working for it all these years.
posted by judith at 8:42 AM on July 9, 2002

The WHOIS for Karyn's domain lists:

Save Karyn
Save Karyn
Main St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
US
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Suspicious? Slightly.
posted by LeiaS at 8:45 AM on July 9, 2002

Ah, yes, the latest instance of what I like to call The New Panhandling.
posted by Su at 8:54 AM on July 9, 2002

oh. silly me, working for it all these years.

Jesus Christ! Judith has been working? What the hell is going on these days?

Judith, lie back with some chianti and dream of new shoes. A check is on the way, and you just email me when you need more cash.
posted by Skot at 8:56 AM on July 9, 2002

Judith, lie back with some chianti and dream of new shoes. A check is on the way, and you just email me when you need more cash.

skot is my hero. can you paypal me though? i was hoping to go shopping this afternoon.
posted by judith at 9:02 AM on July 9, 2002

Reminds me of an old bit on SNL --- she's earning her money, one quarter at a time.....
posted by szg8 at 9:18 AM on July 9, 2002

It's hard for me to call this woman's behavior deplorable while not looking like a hypocrite.

I'm a twenty-something male who is quickly learning that I cannot spend as recklessly as I used to. Especially lately, when my dream car has turned into a nightmare (I think it's the car in the famous Adam Sandler song. If i don't sell it before it's paid off at the end of next year, I'm going to take it out to my parents' farm and stuff it into the back of a shed, where it can do no harm to an unsuspecting America), moving put my checking account into the negative 3 months ago and every time I get ahead someone comes knocking at my door wanting to empty my wallet.

But do I put up a website? No. I have made the decision that I must make sacrifices in order to make things better for myself. I don't need digital cable, or new clothes. I need electricity and transportation. God willing, I will claw my way out of this hole that I have dug for myself. And I will not ask America to bail me out.
posted by schlaager at 9:39 AM on July 9, 2002

She needs a government grant.

After all, she's only doing her part as a Good American so the Terrorists Don't Destroy Our Way Of Life.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:44 AM on July 9, 2002

Like what does she have to loose, just plain tackiness. So she lost her pride, hey lets send her each a buck. Why so she can really be in dept. See her solution is her own downfall as it's her nature to shop till she drops, or in this case runs out of funds, never being dept free, is her reward. And along those lines these are how pyramids schemes work, yet where is my return.........a bill. I'm willing to send you each a buck, then each one of us will do the same, send a buck to each other, as long as I'm first in line, to receive, shall we.
posted by thomcatspike at 10:03 AM on July 9, 2002

The WHOIS for Karyn's domain lists:
Save Karyn
Save Karyn
Main St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
US
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Suspicious? Slightly.

Smart? Definitely. I wouldn't be too surprised if a 26-year old woman who owes a wedge might not want to give out her address...
posted by i_cola at 10:43 AM on July 9, 2002

If only she were an airline.
posted by mecran01 at 10:53 AM on July 9, 2002

She lives in Brooklyn. She can make plenty of extra money in the evening, on the stroll.
posted by a3matrix at 11:14 AM on July 9, 2002

This biatch sums up everything that's wrong with New York.

Prada is SO fucking four years ago, sweetheart.
posted by evanizer at 12:43 PM on July 9, 2002

We need a word that means "obviously fake Web page meant to rile people up." The equivalent of "troll," but referring to a site. Woll? Soll?
posted by GaelFC at 1:42 PM on July 9, 2002

The interest rate on a car loan is typically not 20% or more, as it is with credit cards.

Well, the interest rate is not 20% on credit cards, either, once you get on a payment program. I'm paying as little as 0% on mine, thank Ghod.
posted by kindall at 1:55 PM on July 9, 2002

She should probably reconsider letting this one get away.
posted by modofo at 3:07 PM on July 9, 2002

She makes me want to call her credit card companies and ask for an interest rate increase.

As someone in the 3wa thread noted, at least this will (hopefully) drive her bandwidth costs through the roof.
posted by michellew at 5:13 PM on July 9, 2002

If you can get past the brazen shamelessness of the site, it's pretty funny -- especially in regard to how little she offers in return for strangers paying her debt.

Quote: "Not all my e-mails are as friendly. Some guy named Crumz is pretty pesimistic. I don't think he likes me very much. And since I'm such a PLEASER, my main priority is to WIN HIM OVER. Crumz wanted to know what he would he get from giving me money, and I told him not much."
posted by rcade at 8:29 PM on July 9, 2002

Let us come together in God's name and rip her guts out.
Amen.
posted by Kodel at 11:54 PM on July 9, 2002

Save Karyn got an extra 1000+ hits yesterday...we've done our bit people ;-)

And those lovery people on 3WA...what a fun bunch of happiness! 'Burn the witch!!'

Remember people: Honesty & a sense of humour have no place in the modern world. OK?
posted by i_cola at 4:19 AM on July 10, 2002

she put up an FAQ.
posted by jerseygirl at 7:25 AM on July 10, 2002

The interest rate on a car loan is typically not 20% or more, as it is with credit cards.

If you have poor or bad credit, you'll be lucky to get that low a rate. Same thing with credit cards. Why do you think poor people stay poor? Once you're caught in the credit trap...

*sigh*
posted by hurkle at 10:29 AM on July 10, 2002