To find Bono a publicity hungry pillock?

[batshitlady]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35035025

I think he's seen the Paris shooting as a chance to grab the limelight and feed his bloody messiah complex.

And I won't touch the other stuff because you clearly have no idea about anything.

You 'wont touch it' because you're taking it all very personally for some reason.. Ho hum...

Or she may just think it is pointless trying to discuss something in AIBU with someone who appears to be determined to BU.

Bonio was quite palatable compared to Madonna's staged pavement antics. My stomach contents churned as she sang "I close my eyes" as she closed her eyes, then waved her hands in the air. Dunno what she was reaching for, God? Humanity? Check the camera was in the righ position? Madonna on her knees singing Like a Prayer! I couldn't shake the video imagery from my brain

How long until Coldplay turn up?

I'll never forgive the bastard for downloading his album uninvited onto my apple account. His name is mud in our house. Tosser.

I'm genuinely mystified about why people are incensed by Bono. As far as I can see, he wants to do some charitable stuff as well as being a rock star. What's not to like?

I won't touch it because you are talking a lot of shit and have already made it clear you know very little about him.

I could talk about U2 all day long, but not with someone who comes out with such crap that they never talked out about Ireland

I agree with OP. U2 moved their tax operations abroad at a time when their nations economy was in such bad shape. That alone means they have no right to comment on anything as far as I'm concerned.

Huh? So a band sing about something in the 80s, putting their lives at real risk, and are then pilloried for making a legal and sound business decision a couple of decades later? Really?

I'll ask again, OP and others who feel so incensed, what have you done for your fellow man recently?

Stick to the issues please and stop trying to get personal OurBalnche.

You've no idea what I or anyone else gives/does for charity and if you found out, you may be surprised and a tad embarrassed.

U2 for 20 years exploited an Irish tax exemption scheme that was introduced to aid indigent artists and in 2006, in response to the ceiling on its tax-free status, they moved their prime money-making unit to the Netherlands. Thus Bono managed to avoid paying tax on 95% of his income. Now this for you amounts to nothing more than a 'legal and sound business move' and has no moral ethical implications at all for a self-styled Mr Benevolent, 'look at me saving the starving Africans'? I think you might find yourself in a minority by taking that view...

It's a bit galling as an Irish person, listening to Bono urging people to 'make poverty history' when he's doing his best to pay as little tax as possible.

Taxes that might help alleviate poverty in his home country.

Stop trying to get personal? On a thread you start slating another person just because they are famous and rich and are not acting according to yur personal preferences? That is more than a tad hypocritical.

And no, I wouldn't be embarrassed at how much charity/philanthropic work you might do, I do a lot myself! That's why I asked. It is very easy to sit in an armchair and get all het up. It is not as easy to actually do something that makes a difference.

And as far as I can see, U2 and many others, have taken advantage of legal regulations that any government can rescind or re-draft, at any time. I think I should find myself in a majority that would expect any government to do something about it, but would also assume that no government will, especially if we, the electorate, don't kick up a fuss.

You started a thread that rails against a famous rich person, you got some of your facts wrong and now you are getting annoyed because someone, who doesn't even like the music or public persona that you are denigrating, has pointed out your inaccuracies. Maybe you need to have a longer rethink...

People hated Bono long before the tax evasion came out. But why?

Just as an aside, I do feel irritated that Bono is evading paying tax in Ireland. At the same time, confidence in the government is very low in Ireland, with excellent reason. I'm not sure that I'd feel like propping as my good deed for the year either.

Ah! OP got that bit right, blythe (sorry U2hastheedge ) he is a self aggrandising, publicity hungry pillock and always has been, even way back in the 80s - well, post tank top era

Every Christmas Eve Bono takes part in some carol singing on Grafton Street in Dublin. I'm usually on Grafton Street on Christmas Eve but make sure I avoid it all

The thing that gets on my tits about Bono is his lecturing the 'little person' on poverty in Africa etc.

If anybody out there is sitting on the share of the pile of beans which should belong to a poor African farmer, it's certainly not me, it's Bono and his rich mates. He is a bit thick, because he doesn't seem to be able to see the link between himself and his mates being super rich and having squillions in the bank with there being less money to move around the economy and trickle down to the very poorest.

It also annoys me that despite the fact that he avoids tax he believes he has the right to tell governments what they should be spending their tax revenue on. When he was challenged on his non-payment of tax he said that it was right that he didn't pay tax but he thought other people should do. Because apparently he knows better than the government how his money can best alleviate poverty and will spend it as such. Whereas ordinary people have to have it taken from them and then it's spend dictated by a multi-millionaire who has little idea of the realities of government spending because he doesn't use any public services.

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Whoops

Yadnbu - cant stand him. He is the epitome of bystander apathy. Didn't think he could sink much lower in my opinion

Ourblanche we are all allowed our opinions, including you. No need to get so personal or make assumptions about what other posters do or don't do for charitable causes. One thing has nothing to do with the other.

I think he's a massive arrogant dick out of touch with reality and I helped raise £100,000 for charity last year.

To be honest it's the way be behaves not what he does for charity that gets on my tits.

Does that only apply to me, MerdeAlor?

Is it just me that is not allowed to ask a poster who is railing against a rich, famous person for their charitable ventures what they do?

Why? Surely it is a reasonable question to ask someone who is railing, often erroneously, against the charitable works of a person, what their own stance is?

And I haven't said anything against her opinions as, had you read all posts, you would see I agree with many of them. It is the erroneous assertions I am querying.

It's the way he does what he does for charity as well though. Like that 'Red' shit. It's just like, 'consume, consume, consume, consume'. Buy a pair of ridiculously overpriced earphones or some bit of massively overpriced Apple luxury and we will give a tiny percentage of the proceeds to a farmer for a goat. It all buys in to the whole 'greed is good' mantra but glosses it over with a little bit of benevolence on the side.

I find it really distasteful TBH. It's like some kind of salve for the wealthy to feel good about their souls when they're still just consuming and spending money on themselves.

I'll tell you one thing, he watched the Catholic Church in Ireland and he learned. Boy did he learn. And stole their business plan.

You're quite right blytheandsebastian Public confidence in the Irish gov't in Ireland is very low indeed and not without good reason IMO.

But they, the Irish people, were extremely vexed ( the ones I know and work with anyway) with the Messiah being able to be allowed to speak at world events in the first place (at the EPP summit in Dublin last year). Even worse, seeing him preaching there from his soap box, about taxes when he’s a (perfectly legal I know OurBlanche but also perfectly hypocritical) tax dodger in Ireland. Saying that 'the Irish people bailed out the Irish people'. Er actually Bono, the Irish people bailed out the banks/Europe... The Irish people were definitely NOT bailed out! And continue to bare the burden. Whist he hid his money in a foreign shore and made sure the Irish people picked up the bill.

It Infuriates me to see such sanctimony. Whether in Africa, Paris, or wherever there's a photo op, he's there hugging and grabbing the limelight from those that are making the 'stands' he approves of and can get some kudos from. These people can range from Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela to George W Bush, Tony Bliar and the EODM....Anyone in fact.

His points of view are bland and child-like, completely supportive of the status quo and capitalist interest. Also I would argue he's doing more harm than good in Africa. mariemejamme.com/blog/open-letter-to-bono-and-bob-geldof/

Goodness this is time consuming.

But he doesn't see it like that - people take photographs of him so he inserts himself into scenes that he wants to be photographed - for his own, undoubtedly complex reasons. No need to beat him over the head for not being content to be snapped falling out of a nightclub instead. He's quite capable of caring about Mother Theresa etc whereas sanctimony implies he really doesn't. (I also believed him when he said he found all the meetings he had to go to in connection with charitable work terribly dull and hadn't bargained on there being so many them - but he still does it).

He does actually give a lot to charity and supports his wife who does oceans of charitable work - and many people do support the kind of charitable work they do; I'm not saying that your view about it isn't valid, only that this is a complex issue that many people do see differently, rockstars, religious or not.

That's about as far as I can go in this vein. Granted, his ego is probably as big as his biggest ideas, but there is much supporting evidence for his being well-intentioned and sincere.

Ourblanche that was so arse clenchingly patronising of you. I have read the posts thanks and seen where you agree and where you disagree.

You are massively overinvested in your insistence being right over Bon.

As I couldn't give a flying fuck about him I'll disengage with you and leave you to it.