Not sure the point of this article. Of course there are more or less deserving, more or less craven. It's a platform for anyone to use, that's the whole point. Don't want to give? Then don't.
As far as I can tell, the key takeaway is that the NYT has no trouble shaming the poor and middle classes for not having the support network the well-off can mobilize. I know executives who I wouldn't trust to run a bake sale without FTC oversight, but every time they fail there's another c-suite job waiting for them somewhere. Their panhandling is just done out of sight, over a good Malbec at the Capital Club.
I think the takeaway had more to do with the shift from "man life really threw me a curveball and I could use some help" to "my spewcial schnequflake needs a new violin and we renovated the kitchen last year, someone else please pay for it"
Right. I don't see much difference between this and people who have asked for money over the years. Some have been totally worthwhile, others have been straight up fraud.
Same thing, on the internet. Someone should patent it.