Band Aid 2014.....Really?

[DuchessofNorks]

Ok, I get that its a good cause but seriously?? ANOTHER rehash of that same song? Plus, Geldof has recruited One Direction for the new version

AIBU to think its time to "rip off the band aid" so to speak? The least they could do is write a new song...

Why would he tackle issues close to home when he can declare war on a disease? Famine, poverty, Ebola. He loves a bandwagon.

Some deeply evolved thinking being shown here

People will buy it especially with OD. Its a good cause. Relax.

In fact, I shall buy it now, its 99p.

I'd rather give money to people who know how to use it, which isn't Bob Geldof.

Please give to DEC or an established charity. This is going to be a long term problem, leaving many Orphans - who need more than a food parcel or a drug parcel.

How is the money going to be spent then?

I had thought that they were already closely itw UN (whose global appeal is still short by many millions).

I wonder what all of you who
are slagging off BG and this single are doing to raise money to help those afflicted by this crisis? If the answer is nothing then tbh you have no right to criticise those who are...

I thought most of the singers looked a wee bit lost/embarrassed(because they didn't know the words) and didn't like it at all....with the first version I loved trying to name all the singers...sadly now I don't know 99% of them...I thought they were singing heal the World...hey ho!

After just watching this weeks Panorama about ebola it was a real eye opener, showing first hand the effects of this wicked,evil disease...I just hope they find a cure very soon.

So, Geldof is a shite, some of you are 'still upset about Peaches' - and he isn't, obviously, the cock! Others think he should support something else entirely.

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON???

Just give money to a charity or don't. But leave of the wholly fake 'I know better' shite. You don't. You haven't spent 30 years of your adult life lobbying for this. You didn't learn the horrible lessons Geldof and the Trust had to from 85, you didn't reorganise your entire life to do this.

Get back into your armchairs and let the adults get on with their work!

Yes, Geldof gets to renew his fame now and then, some artists get to enhance their fame and pretend to care. And we should all buy into this shite, rather than donating to Red Cross or Medicine without borders, who actually do a job in the region.

So, you don't want to acknowledge anyone elses reasoning then, GoodKing? Just have a pop at a man who has spent 30 years fundraising and lobbying. Suggesting he does it to further his music career /fame is laughable.

It really is disappointing the number of people who just want to slag off Geldof without actually knowing the facts of his fundraising, how Band Aid Trust works, where the money goes etc.

My opinion is as valid as anyone's.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/ebola/11236278/Why-Adele-was-right-to-ignore-Bob-Geldof-and-Band-Aid.html She said it better than I could.

It is of course good if the song is raising money, and if there is no doubt whatsoever it does not end up on fire arms in civil wars.

I also find this article well written www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/11/17/they-know-its-christmas/

And it highlights that nobody knows where the funds will end up, after studying band aids own terms and conditions on the website.

Good King -that second link is brilliant!

Lobbying? For what? He charges £50k plus for the pleasure of speaking at events.

And? He has every right to earn a living and every right to raise money for charity. Both of which he does in ways he has every right to keep to himself.

I am assuming the Washington Post link is the 'white saviour' piece! The one with the amazing straw man assumptions:

For example:

1. They know it is Christmas, they are Christian - well the song lyric could mean they are so ill they may not even have the wherewithal to acknowledge what would be a major holy day! But no, take it an the worst light!

1. There won't be snow in Africa = a lack of geography and homgenises Africa. Well, there was a drought... so it was a piece of hyperbole. Africa is a big place and most UK citizens have no idea what piece goes where... do you really expect a song to do in 3 minutes what Geography teachers can't in 5 years?

3.As the performers are white and British(ish) they are wilfully ignoring the black African performers also raising money. Well, no! They are just adding their voices (literally) to the money raising efforts. Actually this one is the most fucking irritating straw man argument I have read. So very patronising to all, black, white, African or not! I said as much earlier. And this nice, well educated white woman is as patronising as any, to both African and British person alike, whilst publishing a nice new book and asking for research grants to further her own career....

1. Where does the money go? Well, when they know how much they have got they will spend it. When they start selling they will start approaching specific agencies... they can't promise what they have not yet raised. Again the writer harks back to 85, when all involved have acknowledge that he best of intentions caused major problems. But Band Aid itself is not one of them - YOU ARE. You and your government and its rich backers and business, your pension funds etc etc.

You may have guessed, I am not convinced by her rhetoric at all!

Well, some of them are Muslim rather than Christian, so it does not really make sense either way.

I find it interesting that you are making a point that you know of the article you are assuming I am linking to, but wont read it? Then it looks like you have read some, and give some botched response to some of the issues.

Why does it matter so much to you?

After all, we are in our armchairs, and you are an adult who must get back to work...

And me, I should get back to watching game 8 of the Chess World championships. As you were.

The bits on Ethiopia miss out that at the time the south of the country's farmers were doing ok and it was only the poor transport infrastructure that was getting it to the north. The external food aid caused cereal price to crash and drove lots of southern rural farmers into greater poverty.

This lesson has now been learnt as have many through well intentioned but poorly thought out development. Unfortunately for years this has been the case and many aid organisations obviously didn't share their screw ups/lessons learnt. Up to 20 million Bangladeshi's could suffer early deaths due to arsenic from well intentioned water pipes put in by the West.

Just a quick look at - www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/ top ten global deatsh perhaps this amount of focus is needed elsewhere.

I've read it before and hashed together my opinions of it, GoodKing. The writer has an agenda that has nothing to do with Geldof, Band Aid etc. She has a book and a research proposal to sell.

And it matters to me because of the history of Band Aid, how came about, how it educated me and others of my age. I hate the blanket condemnation of it and I hate, even more, the 'white saviour' routine, as I think it patronises all sides of that argument.

It would be more useful if more people focussed on what is happening NOW rather than continually rehashing history as if Geldof/Band Aid were the root cause of all ill in Africa.

Especially as in the furore WE are continuing to cause problems - that is each and every one of us in the UK. Via government, international aid, pension policies etc.

Focus the vitriol where it is most due!

Yanbu. But I've read Dead Aid so I'm biased

I'm not sure that the reasoning of Dead Aid is relevant to the Ebola crisis.

Just watched this for the first time and checked the lyrics. Not sure why the whole chorus hasn't been changed to "heal the world" rather than "feed the world" which is rather irrelevant with Ebola.

Anyway I see now why some artists weren't comfortable with the sentiments. I think giving to MSF or any of the other charities working over there is vital but I can't in all conscience buy this record.