Police kill man in Haiti over allegedly stolen rice
According to CNN, "Haitian police shot and killed a man they suspected of stealing rice in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince on Thursday, leaving his body on the sidewalk for hours as his family mourned." Later on in the story it said witnesses reported that there was no looting going on at the time.
This man died not as a casualty of the earthquake but as a casualty of the ensuing anarchy that international forces have not had the power to contain.
So celebrities have been forced to take up the slack. Yesterday's headline compliments of MSNBC:
Star power helps garner more Haiti donations
Clooney-led telethon is one way celebrities use fame to aid in disasters
Yes, the leaders of Hollywood are turning the crisis in Haiti into another red-carpet event, but in truth, their help will be far more significant than those who are criticizing their glamorous donation process. If the celebs were donating quietly, they would not be able to raise as much $$ from the rest of society. I spoke with several people who were waiting for this telethon to donate because being a centimeter closer to the fame and beauty of Hollywood via a phone call is so appealing. And I do believe that the celebrities truly are committed to the cause.Matt Damon didn't wait for the earthquake. He's been trying to raise money for Haiti for a while now.
The point of my first entry: this blog will satirize the tippy tops of the entertainment industry as well as others, but I am not insensitive to the benefits that they add to our daily lives.
I agree that celebrities can do so much for any cause by rallying people to donate on top of celebrities' own contributions. But I'm curious as to what this says about us, that we need celebrities to get us to donate. And further, do we actually need celebrities to donate? Can we come up with a better way of informing the public about these situations (and isn't that supposed to be the news media's responsibility)?
ReplyDeleteThere were very similar fundraising type events following the tsunami that hit Thailand and surrounding area in 2004. Celebrities donated money in a very public fashion, as well as actually went over there to help with relief efforts. This not only caught the public's eye and helped raise more money, but it was also great PR for the celebrities themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe previous commenter posed a question asking for a better way of informing the public, but I think this is one of the most effective. I suppose ideally a less lavish and starry-eyed introduction to the world's events and need for donations would be preferred, but this method has proven to work...why fix what isn't broken?