to think comic relief is a manipulative millionaire sleb lovein?

[glasnost]

After watching most of last night's nth comic relief can't help thinking it's ever more hypocritical in laying a guilt trip on us poor folk to get us to part with some of the dwindling cash we have whilst never getting to the root of the problem.

Political corruption, greedy pharmaceutical companies etc. Without addressing these core problems we'll keep on having comic relief as an annual salve to people's consciences while poverty and injustice continue.

Jonathan Ross et al who earn vast amounts have alot of front in standing there emotionally blackmailing us when the obscene wealth he and others like him earn is part of the problem. AIBU?

OP, YANBU.

op YANBU

Celebrities are human beings. They just happen to be famous and rich. There will be some cynical heartless ones involved for their own benefit, but I bet the majority truely believe in the goals and aims of Comic Relief. They just want to help.

If you don't agree with the aims of Comic Relief, if you don't agree with the way they go about it, fine. There is a big red button on the remote. It's called the off switch. Use it. But don't justify it by claiming that all celebrities are just using it to keep in the limelight.

FWIW, I think it is a good idea and I really enjoyed watching it last night.

I still think the OP is being MASSIVELY U. But that's me.

hissy I didn't claim the slebs do CR to keep in the limelight. My point was they've no right to coerce us into parting with our cash when they're obscenely rich themselves. Read the OP better and the entire thread better espesh posts from LNDMumm. Or better still bugger off back to telly land as you seem to be confusing the western way of life inflicted plight of millions of people with a mere tv prog. This aint tv lala land and a remote control. This is injustice that won't be remedied by us forking out once a year.

I stopped watching this a long time ago. I disliked the whole celeb circus and this view was confirmed when it was reported that Terry Wogan had taken a fee for taking part. Nice.

As Glasnost said earlier,it would be better to have people with first hand knowledge of the problems, people actually from these countries and communities, not posturing,overpaid greedy people who haven't a clue.

Glasnost, what sort of wonderful things have you done in your life to warrant such high-brow posturing?

As long as this country has proper democratic elections and open borders, I guarantee, your ideas of wealth redistribution on a grand scale will never materialize. Thank god! However, you will have a lot of sympathy in North Korea.

As for "real people", despite of what is better in someone's view, I suspect CR runs this format because of market research and what programme format actually generates the most amount of cash on the day. I also do not like Jonathan Ross and would rather listen to 'real' people, but it is X Factor and not "Battleship Potemkin" that attracts the audiences.

totally agree with glasnost !!

Glasnost you are being unnecessarily rude. OP expressed an opinion, so did I. Or course you cannot solve the worlds problems with one TV prgramme. It is impossible to solve all the words' problems.

My view is that even a drop in an ocean can make a big difference. OK, so I donate a fiver, a kid gets a moquito net, it hasn't stopped millions of kids dying, but it means everything to that one child.

Small things might not make a big change to the world, but it can mean the world to one individual. As far as I am concerned, if I have saved the life of just one person by an action, maybe my life has a purpose. Who knows, maybe I was born just to donate a certain amount of money to a charity that would change the life of someone for the better. Perhaps this is my "raison d'etre".

My post was in reply to several posters who inferred that it was a cynical ploy.

FWIW, did you watch the programme with Lenny Henry and other "slebs" as you call them in Kibera? Lenny Henry got so upset he actually bought a family of orphans a house out of his own money. He was demonstrably moved and distressed by the plight of this family. I suppose that was just such a cynical ploy too.

How do you know that Jonathan Ross doesn't donate large sums to Comic Relief? Perhaps he does, and doesn't shout about it. Donating is a private affair.

You didn't like it, fair enough. No one is forcing you to watch, so stop slating those of us who do.

You're right. F@ck em. I can barely afford organic quinoa as it is. You cynical, cynical.... Personally I am proud if comic relief and donated a decent sum that I don't have but can afford to try to help others who need it.

Interesting debate.

Quite, MadamDeathstare. It had crossed my mind that this is just a petty backlash at that equally preposterous, divisive and abusive thread.

As Glasnost said earlier,it would be better to have people with first hand knowledge of the problems, people actually from these countries and communities, not posturing,overpaid greedy people who haven't a clue

Forgive me, I am feeling very dim reading this thread, but surely that's what the local people in the CR films from Africa are doing?

Yes I realise the films are intodruced by a sleb, but who is the doctor who had to decide which of the four babies would die, or the nine-year-old girl crying with hunger and looking after her mother who was dying of aids, if they are not the people who are suffering?

Surely they are the people you are saying we need to hear from?

I try not to be cynical about this as otherwise what Is the point of it

Glasnost, XH and DS's father is West African. He used to get annoyed that the "west" always portrays his country as poverty stricken. It hurt his pride. I am well aware that not all Africans are poverty stricken.

Supporting CR does not detract from the fact that there are other things that need to be done to help developing countries to develop. However, all those long term things would take too long for those that need help now.

glasnost - that is a hugely offensive thing to say about Lenny Henry. Horrible.

Actually I'm going to report that post as it's so disgusting.

thanks for that advice madame deathstare.

i sponsor a little girl in Cameroon.

hope it is helping, but don't flatter myself that I'm solving the world's problems by doing so. Also support uk charities.

I think it is really difficult to know what to do for the best.

on balance i think it is better to give than not - regardless of your finnancial situation, so comic relief, while not perfect and deeply annoying at least encourages people to do that

I have been thinking about this all morning; "rich black man's guilt" and "token black" !!!?? WTF!

So you are saying he only bought that house because he is black, and had be been white he wouldn't have????

My God!

How did you manage to reply to my post 8 secs after I sent it hissy? Amazing. So obv it hasto be spelled out. How many other black people present or are visibly involved with CR? Apart from the many numbers of people dying on camera? Why should he out of all the other slebs be compelled to fork out for a house?

My God! You who are suffering white person's guilt if you cannot even entertain these possibilities.

Yeah, God forbid he should just see a situation that he wants to do something about and decides to help.

No, that cant possible by true! It must be because of the colour of his skin! So when my husband gave a donation was that "black mans guilt" too?! Despite the fact that he feels no more affinity with his African ancestors than I do with my Irish ones?!

DH is very easy going about perceived racism, because he knows the real thing when he sees it, and he has seen in it your post. You are offensive and vile. Any point you had to make has been blown out of the water with those ignorant and offensive comments.

Go and crawl back under your rock you racist maggot.

glasnost what crap.It may not be guilt I am not as presumptious to think I know how LH is feeling but perhaps the reality of what is happening to a whole section of the world with whom he shares ethnicity may just provoke huge feelings of gratitude for where his life is and how lucky he is to be able to afford to do that.I certainly would love to be able to give on that level if I was in a financial position to do so and I felt strongly about a particular issue.

glasnost LDNMummy does not speak for every African person and you are being a sycophantic idiot. And insulting.

And in fact, you are being racist and offensive.