Gone off Eddie Izzard a bit although it pains me to say it

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

just that, really. I suppose I feel in my gut that his latest mammoth marathon effort (and every respect to him for achieving it as I was born in same year and couldn't even run for 5 mins) is not 100% about raising money for charity. I do wonder just how much "cor blimey you are just SO AMAZING and compassionate" type of validation any individual needs.

Why label a disagreeing opinion as "hysteria"?! Honestly? It's a discussion forum, people are allowed to have a different opinion and express it. No ones been hysterical.

It would only take 55 of them to donate 1 million to reach it...

I like him and like him a bit more after this.

The transgender label confuses me, but then all these labels coming out confuse me. Homosexual, yes, bisexual, yes, asexual, yes, but pansexual?!

I read that he's a bit girl and a bit boy, why does he need the label? He's a man who likes to wear makeup, have nice nails and wear heels. Why can't we just leave it at that?

I'm pissed off that he did all that and still had a full set of unchipped nails at the end of it, when I can barely manage a day on the sofa with mine.

lowers tone of thread

I think it is inspiring. I'm training for my first marathon and bloody hell it is hard. I'm genuinely inspired. People on this thread have said it makes them want to run. There are a lot worse things people do for publicity.

I would want shed loads of validation if I managed this - and what on earth is wrong with wanting that?

Mind you - I'm not a huge fan of David Walliams - but that didn't stop me thinking his swimming efforts were amazing - and donating etc.

The ONLY thing I don't like about the frankly WONDERFUL Eddie is that his nails are a bit pointy instead of oval.
Everything else about him, his work ethic, his drive, his humour, his legs :) , his doing entire sets in another language, and the small matter of running around South Africa for a month is wonderful.

It's fine to go off him a bit. It's fine to idly ponder the motives of high profile charitable acts. Your personal reaction to something is just that and you've been honest. Intellectually, I think you know it's not what you'd have liked as a reaction.

The problem with your thread and the reason for the reactions you've caused, is your comments about well lots of people lose a parent at 6 and why can't he just write a cheque. It's at that point your personal reaction to something in the public eye becomes a judgement on his right to his own honest and personal reactions to HIS grief and his life situation.

It's mild I grant you but in the aftermath of his gargantuan effort, you aren't just pondering motive, you're implying he should have done differently according to your sensibilities. It's that which people are reacting to.

He's a fabulous man and of course no act is purely altruistic. The ego and personality of an individual who does stand up comedy on an international stage isn't one of shy retirement. Not his public persona at least. I actually think he's very honest about his drive to do comedy or big events. And I think it's only a fraction of who he is. Behind that, I think he's quietly many other admirable things too.

Perhaps the problem also lies with the way we're encouraged to shy away from admiring huge personal success or feats or to deride those in the public eye in insipid and unkind ways.

Anyway, I can't agree bibbity. I sort of understand but I think you've misjudged.

Would have Eddie over the screechy " look at me, I made an exercise video" camel toe Davinia.
Just if we are slagging people off, you know.

Yes, you can't help wonder the motives. Something to do with losing his DM also maybe something to do with being a cross dresser (or trans or whatever he is) in the early days when it was not always happily accepted.

I hope it means he lives many years longer, due to the huge amount of exercise, and that he hasn't burned himself out somehow or ended up with arthritis.

It's not one disagreeing opinion it's many and in my opinion yes they were verging on hysteria but that is just AIBU and that's how it is here.

He's smart, compassionate, intelligent, very, very funny and talented, generous, hard working, humble, sweet, a brilliant live performer, courageous and tenacious.

If my DSs turned out like him, I'd be very, very proud.

Really, I think your idea of hysteria is disproportionate. Lots of people having the same point of view doesn't equal hysteria. I've seen many threads in AIBU that turn into a much more vicious pile on. I think people have actually been quite reasonable!

Regarding the question of why the need to do 27 in 27 days, my understanding (and also the reason he ran in South Africa) is that this was also meant as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and each marathon represented a year spent in prison.

I love him , also seen him live ( a lot less funny these days imho but still) I can see that he is doing the running as a personal challenge he wants to achieve , and raising mo et at the same time so I get what you mean op. I also agree with bertran no one is truly altruistic .
But he's Still a ledge and what an incredible feat of endurance either way .

Well there you are then. We are certainly all entitled to see things differently aren't we?

The problem with being famous is there will always be a level of criticism that whatever they do is for "publicity" and "the self". I used to wonder about the type of people that would be churlish enough to do this to someone who has just raised a fabulous sum of money for charity, and I find it really sad.

I think he's great.

Intelligent bloke, very articulate and very funny. Has just raised 1.5 million quid and done something incredibly challenging- I've only ever run half marathons and the thought of sustaining that for a month at double the effort is gobsmacking.

Go Eddie.

I might not have been a mega fan of Eddie before, but TBH I am more of a fan now than I was before. Total respect to the guy.

How weird to start a thread being a fan but now less of one for putting his body through sheer torture and raising millions. Can't work out the point of the thread.

Is it just the british thing of knocking someone's achievement?

I think he's fab. A really genuine nice guy. He may be crave limelight but don't all famous people who put themselves on stage like that.

My friend was celebrating a big birthday last year in a restaurant with her family. Her son in law saw Eddie in the restaurant and asked him if he could come over and wish her happy birthday as she is a huge fan. He came over and sat down at the table for a chat with them for 5 minutes before he left to do a show. At the end of their meal when they went to pay they found that he had paid their entire bill for them. Nice nice guy.

This is a bit random but I've never forgotten that episode of Friends when Phoebe tries to do good deeds without it making her feel good about herself and fails. It must be really difficult to do something as extreme as what Eddie did and not feel at least some sense of achievement/accomplishment/euphoria. Hell if I had done that I would be screaming it from the rooftops!

There have been some big charity challenges over recent years and I don't think it's unreasonable necessarily to question some celebrity motives in participating - unfortunately not everyone's motives are as ethical as perhaps they would like us to believe and sadly recent history has shown us that some big name charity fund raisers that were around during my childhood were not what they appeared (although I am not suggesting for one moment that this is the case here - only that I wish perhaps I had been more careful in questioning things). I'm probably not explaining myself very well.

Fwiw I quite like him - Geoff Vader is all I'm saying

hysteria gosh you must be very sensitive Nicky if you think you've read any hysterics on this thread.

DO NOT look at any other threads in AIBU or you may just faint with shock.

nulgirl gosh if anyone had done that for me, I'd have thought they were a self serving cunt. How very dare he!

I love him. I think he's amazing. Funny and smart. He massively pissed me off when he involved himself in the Scottish referendum but all the same I still think he's fab.

I think the marathons and the money he has raised are a huge achievement. I don't know if he had any other motivation but presume that the overwhelming one was to raise money.

Just read the restaurant story. He really is lovely.

OP, As a charity worker, I I think you are being unfair to think poorly of someone who has gone out of his way to do something amazing for the sake of other people. He has probably inspired other people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to do something for charity. He has apparently also donated privately.

And as someone who's mother died when I was 2yo, I am slightly offended at your comment about the 'millions of people who have lost a parent at a young age' (I'm paraphrasing). That seems to belittle the impact such a loss would have on a person.