On Wednesday, the Union Solidarity Coalition launched a super-sized charity auction to raise funds for the crew members affected by the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes who may lose their health insurance due to work stoppages and standing in solidarity with the strikes. But amid the plethora of unique items and experiences readily available to bid for a good cause is a growing list of fake items to bid on that might be just as enticing as the real ones.
As of press time, the listings for the 50 items and experiences up for bid are going for anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. And there’s plenty to choose from, whether you want memorabilia, a signed script, Zoom calls, or a chance to grab a meal with famous actors.
Some of the items, while they may be absolutely delightful, are a bit on the silly side. For instance, you can bid for the chance to have Natasha Lyonne help you with the New York Times crossword puzzle, or John Lithgow to paint a watercolor portrait of your dog, or Adam Scott to walk your dog (but only if you’re in Los Angeles)—the kinds of items and experiences that nobody would think to want, but based on the bids so far, people absolutely do.
So, when some equally creative (but 100% fake) suggestions for celebrity experiences you could bid on started to emerge, they weren’t completely out of place compared to what was actually up for sale.
Soon, people began making their own fake charity auction listings, each wilder than the next.
For instance, people were into the idea of celebrities embracing some aspect of their character or public persona for fun, especially if it meant some kind of talking down.
It turns out that the suggestion of getting high with celebrities is incredibly enticing.
Some of the suggestions were seemingly far more random, but those who pay for them would definitely know.
And hell, we would pay a lot for hot gossip!
The sheer popularity of the meme is working twofold. It’s mocking the absurdity and randomness of the items and experiences up for auction while also bringing more attention to the charity’s efforts to raise money for industry workers who aren’t on strike but are being financially affected just as much by it. But it also shows that, with some introspection, if some equally absurd options were on the table, the Union Solidarity Coalition might be able to raise so much more money over the next eight days.
