I think the comparison to MLM is pretty shitty, honestly, since MLMs are essentially a scam? Ko-fis and Patreons are honestly closer to busking than anything else and the amount of money changing hands is very small and voluntary, for the most part.

The thing that I feel like the first post also doesn't get is that a lot of people throw monetary support at people because it provides the incentive to keep doing largely free content. In the era of the side hustle, many people just DO NOT have the time to spend doing hobby stuff; some monetary compensation helps offset what is basically a labor cost.

IDK this whole thing seems very strange to me, when looked at in comparison with other communities like musicians or crafters.