Woman Argues ‘Small Favors’ Like Asking For A Ride To The Airport Benefit Everyone Involved
When's the last time you asked your neighbor for a cup of sugar or an egg?
Rido / CanvaPro Many of us live in close quarters with other people — whether that be roommates, friends, family, or even our neighbors. But when was the last time you sat down with them? Lended them a hand with their groceries? How about asking for a ride to the airport?
Chances are it’s been a while — right? Well, you’re not the only one. Experts suggest that cultural shifts and economic conditions have influenced our psychology to the point where we go out of our way to avoid small favors.
Despite evidence that proves asking for favors actually bonds us with the people in our communities, we almost always choose convenience. A TikTok content creator named Amelia wants to change that.
Amelia said that people are underutilizing ‘small favors’ that benefit everyone — like asking for a ride to the airport.
Amelia theorized that the reason our society has become so averse to small favors has roots in capitalism, community, mental health, and the raging loneliness epidemic.
“There’s this thing called the ‘small favors economy,’ and the idea is that in the past, people used to rely on their community for things like rides to the airport or borrowing a dress for an event,” she said. “Now, with late-stage capitalism, those things seem so rude to ask for.”
Amelia blamed ‘late-stage capitalism’ for diminishing ‘small favors,’ saying, ‘It drives us further into isolation.’
Amelia argued that we’re being deprived of fundamental social interaction and community because of a fixation on money cultivated by the “late-stage capitalism” plaguing our nation.
Several times in history following economic crises, experts have used the term “late-stage capitalism” to essentially describe an environment where “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
For many people, that seems to be exactly the status of our nation today. With growing financial struggles and sociopolitical instability, it's a hard argument to ignore.
Despite the term including much larger themes of inequality, Amelia stressed that late-stage capitalism has also divided us to a point where we no longer ask for favors from our neighbors and friends.
We’d rather pay the money or go the extra mile to do things ourselves rather than inconvenience someone else.
“We just call an Uber instead of inconveniencing a friend. Or we could order a dress on Amazon and have it be here by tomorrow. Postmate our groceries instead of asking around to see if anyone has anything… it drives us into further isolation.”
Photo: GabrielPevide / CanvaPro
With “third place” community spaces rapidly decreasing in our country, people have lost the ability to connect with others. Not only is this contributing to rising rates of depression and anxiety, but it’s sparking a cycle of loneliness that’s prevalent in every aspect of our lives.
It seeps into our lives and even the relationships we share with our families — we’re pressured to be alone, to enjoy being alone, and to never ask for help when we need it. Of course, this does not help anyone in the long run — financially, emotionally, or physically.
Instead of favoring convenience, use ‘small favors’ to cultivate a positive cycle by building community, strengthening friendships, and curing isolation.
“It’s really not that bad, and in this case, it can be really good,” Amelia said of small favors. “Like if you ask your friend for a favor… it’s a great cycle. You’re deepening your friendship and stopping the loneliness epidemic.”
If you’re struggling with feeling alone, meeting new people, or even holding onto your friendships, ask people for something. It’s human nature to yearn for connection and to feel “needed” by someone else. You’re not being an inconvenience.
Everyone has the power to say “no” if it’s truly not something they can help you with, but usually, sparing an egg or a cup of sugar isn’t the end of the world, even in our current financial state.
So, don’t burden yourself with the fear of “owing something to someone” or being an inconvenience to someone in your community. Use the people around you. It’s not just helping you to feel better, but it’s making your community a better place.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.