To wonder about 'slebs and charity.

[NettoSuperstar]

So I'm watching 'Let's dance for Comic Relief', fun show for a Saturday evening, we're enjoying it.
And then there's a 'this child will die' section, and then Nicole Sherzinger, the American with a new single to promote appears.

It's all about money for the 'slebs involved isn't it?

Yes-if it wasn't they'd be handing out their millions (without taking a cut from a chart album).

Same goes for Ms.Cole-surely she would want to hand out malaria vaccinations.

Yes. Completely.

It's hard to say. I find it sad that "entertainment" is necessary to persuade people to support charity to such an extent. However if that is what it takes then so be it.

That's what made me cross think, the malaria bit.

I've had malaria, it's not fun, but luckily I could afford to pay for treatment.

Think comic relief is a great charity but so is SO many others and they do not get a whole night on the BBC with loads of plugs in the weeks before hand. I think you are right too a lot of slebs do it to promote themselves or because everyone is is doing it and they cannot be seen to not take part.

I can't stand Comic Relief and I can't stand slebs' emoting for the cameras, then wiping away their crocodile tears and going back to their comfortable homes and forgetting all about it, other than to bask occasionally in the warm glow of the memory of their bit for "charidee". I am thinking particularly of the four non entities in a slum for ooh, 12 hours or something which has been heavily plugged for the last fortnight.

I will have to pay out for it. DD's school is having wacky hair day, and I'll get her a nose, and give her the required quid.
I don't think it's bad for her to watch kids with nothing.
What I do find incredibly distasteful is slebs not even from here, just appearing on the show for self promotion.
It puts me off.

Don't like comic relief and all these kids of things. But, some celebs do charity work like visit sick kids, have them at their concerts etc - and even if they are mega rich, this kind of thing can't be easy and I'm sure they get upset just like everyone else. Have to take my hat off to those that do this kind of work - ofteny behind the scenes - we don't really know what they do for charity so hard to totally judge.

I think comic relief is a brilliant thing, but i do believe that some people are only on it to raise their profile. I remember at one of them a while ago, can't remember if it was comic relief or children in need, but take that gave a quarter of a million. they said they had done an advert and that was the money they made from it. I thought that was a lovely thing to do but then it also made me think if thats how much they get just from doing an ad, how much money does a sleb make and then surely it would be better for the slebs to give money and not act like an eejit. there are some truly good things people are doing for CR but at the same time there are some who could give substantial money and it not really affect them. maybe they do, but im a bit cynical. it would be nice to hear of a sleb doing something for thier fellow humans, with out feeling the need to have it announced and filmed.

i agree about cheryl cole. think of the money that she must have made when she had malaria. all those photos used, interviews after etc. you would think she would give all that money to help other people with malaria who would actually die without it. she was in a private hospital and getting loads of money from it, you would think that having malaria a disease which kills millions of people but being able to afford private medical care would give you a bit more compassion towards other people. I bitched and moaned about having a c/s and staying in hospital but once i thought about the millions of women who will have children without seeing the inside of a hospital let alone being able to have a c/s made me very much appreciative of what i had. i can't do much to help those women, but cheryl cole could easily make a difference to others, not even in a direct financial way, but by using her public profile to raise awareness. correct me if im wrong but i have seen her do nothing for malaria, or even at the time nothing really about the effect malaria has on the world, it was all about "poor cheryl"

it's both and it's symbiotic.
Stars get publicity and good pr.
the charities get more money through association.

I didn't see the Comic Relief thing, but I see what you're talking about.

YANBU.

It reminds me of the huge Live Aid concerts all over the world in 2008 (I think it was 2008!) to mark the anniversary of the 1st Live Aid.

So a range of concerts to highlight to plight of starving kids in Africa and other impoverished countries, fair enough.

So they fly Madonna and other slebs and all their crew, kit and minders all over the world to perform (and raise their own profiles)....

Yeah, cuz that will help both the carbon footprint and help us normal people to learn more about poverty.

Meh.

I don't see why we are assuming that any empathy felt on screen must be crocodile tears. That a person has a certain job does not render them incapable of normal human emotion, or does it?

In an ideal world there would be no Comic Relief because no one would need charity, but it's not and they do. So other than high profile slebs encouraging the general public to feel and to donate how would anyone raise money for causes?

Of course you could say the good old fashioned community way, like small local charities do. I saw a man collecting for his regiments battle association in the supermarket the other day, he was about 80 and had one leg. Why are we not just as cynical about that? Clearly sending a one legged old soldier to raise money is tugging at our heart strings too, no?