Even if donations were meant to offset capital gains it is still a generous act. I think it is impossible to make the statement "There's likely no generosity here" without knowing more information.
Paying your taxes to not end up in jail isn't generosity. Paying taxes is being part of a system that you've benefit from.
If you gave more money to charity than is owed in taxes - and that was yours that you reasonably and fairly earned - then you could argue there's generosity involved.
You're correct in saying that without more confirmed information, we can't know how much or if any generosity occurred. I did however say "likely no generosity" - which is different from saying a firm statement of "no generosity here" - so my statement isn't impossible.
And since you seem so concerned, you can't donate your way out of paying taxes because your total charitable deduction can’t exceed 50% of your adjusted gross income.