Is it really a random 'act of kindness' if you're being forced into participating?
Four TikTokers weighed in on the philosophical question when they all found themselves caught in the middle of pay-it-forward chains at drive-thru cafes. What did they do next? They surely didn't kill 'em with kindness.
They all came to the same conclusion: you don't owe anyone to act 'kindly', especially when you don't want to.
It's a hot take, but it turns out that many support their decisions as was evident in the comments sections of all these TikToks.
So, if you ever find yourself caught up in a similar situation while in a drive-thru, remember: plenty of people won't judge you for deciding to be the supposed killjoy.
The one who ended the "conga line of morality"
TikToker Grace Johanna decided to end what she called a "conga line of morality" while grabbing her order from a Starbucks drive-thru, in March earlier this year.
"Today I went to the Starbucks drive-thru to get my little drink and sandwich as a hot girl does, and I go to the barista pay, and he goes, 'You don't have to pay me today,'" Johanna recalled in her TikTok which now has over 1.8 million views.
The Starbucks employee then informed her that the person ahead of her chose to pay for her order "as a nice gesture."
She relished in her good luck until the employee dropped the "bomb" on her that the pay-it-forward chain had been going on for at least five people before her.
@gracejohanna What would you do in this situation? #starbucks #kindgesture #fyp #storytime
"So you're telling me that these people were shamed and caught into this conga line of morality that they had to give the gesture back?" she asked.
The TikToker decided to take matters into her hand and ended the pay-it-forward chain with her.
"That defeats the whole point of someone doing something nice for me. I am the one that was helped, and I am not helping anyone else," argued Johanna.
And as it turns out, many who watched her video actually agreed with her.
One barista even chimed in and commented, "I 100% agree w this; sometimes it's important to indulge and appreciate a nice gesture without feeling obligated to pay for anyone else. (sic)"
The one who said "#notmyproblem"
Another TikToker, Austyn Noravez, shared a similar experience, that too at another Starbucks drive-thru, in April 2022.
Noravez filmed a video of herself sipping on her Starbucks iced drink, with the caption over the top, which says, "It finally happened…I broke a pay it forward chain," followed by a purple devil emoji.
She hash-tagged the video with "#notmyproblem" and said that although she didn't take part in the pay-it-forward chain, she "did tip the drive-through worker, though."
@austynoravez I did tip the drive through worker though #fyp #evil #notmyproblem
Someone claiming to be a barista commended her and said, "That's the way to do it! If people are at Starbucks, then they have money; us baristas likely don't."
Another commenter shared a similar experience and said: "I've actually broken pay it forward chains both times it happened to me. No shame I'm not paying for someone else's order lmao my drinks like $3 (sic)."
The one who said "not on my watch"
Here is yet another video that showed no care for pay-it-forward chains at a Starbucks drive-thru, and this TikToker did not feel guilty either.
Late last year, Mike Cakez filmed himself smiling and bopping his head and captioned the video "me after breaking a 20-person "pay it forward" chain in the Starbucks drive-thru. (sic)"
@mikecakez Not on my watch
Under the video, he wrote "not on my watch," and once again, most commenters praised him for not going along with the forced act of kindness.
"You went to Starbucks to buy your food, not anybody else's," one user commented.
"As a Starbucks barista, I am glad you did," said another.
The one who ended a 23-car streak
Even this one is form a Starbucks drive-thru.
TikToker Mac Tray, in January of this year, found himself caught up in a 23-car pay-it-forward chain.
"At Starbucks, they were doing the pay for the person behind you thing. I pulled up, and ended a 23 car streak!!" read the video's caption.
He claims that they "tried to set [him] up."
@mac_tray How y’all feel about this am I wrong? What would y’all have done? #starbucks #viral #fyp #payitfoward
To be fair, his order was worth only $6, while the person behind him had an order worth $46.
The video's caption read: "How y'all feel about this? Am I wrong? What would y'all have done?"
And as it turns out, most people would have done what he did.
The top comment under the video with over 78,000 likes read, "I ain't paying for anyone. Starbucks is a treat from me to me. (sic)"
"I don't agree with pay it forward. It puts pressure on others; it shouldn't be a thing (sic)," wrote another.
Overall, maybe just avoid Starbucks drive-thrus if you don't want to get caught up in the middle of a pay-it-forward chain.
4 Times When TikTokers Broke A 'Pay It Forward' Line & Refused To Feel Guilty
Source: News Article Viral
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