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.

I'm a runner. An extremely slow one but I love it for so many reasons, gratification being one of them.

Even at the end of a 10k race I can hardly describe the euphoria of the crowd cheering and shouting my name, my family waiting near the finish line, the medal bring ceremoniously placed round my neck and the endless Facebook plaudits. It truly is a 'high'.

That's why we run. To feel good about ourselves. I'm middle aged and a stone overweight but fuck it, for two hours I'm an Olympic athlete.

I'm in absolute awe of his achievement. What an incredible man he is.

Yes you are unreasonable. You don't have to like him. However he has raised lots of money of charity and he is in a place where he can do so. Good on him for making something positive out of being a sleb. Don't be so mean spirited.

oh Bibbity, Bibbity, Bibbity, how very dare you

You do a very nice AIBU - you're not back in here barking that everyone's wrong and that I AM RIGHT

I like Eddie Izzard, but I have always been a bit about the idea of doing something difficult but ultimately pointless and then getting other people to pay you for it.

Yes running is good for your health but that much running is way in excess of what's needed to promote good health and probably does more harm than good

Don't get me wrong I like running and do a fair bit myself but its a purely selfish activity done for my own gratification, I don't expect to be congratulated I'm not finding a cure for cancer or saving orphans in war torn where ever.
I'm indulging in something that I enjoy its of no benefit whatsoever ever to anyone else.
I suppose I could ask my neighbours to donate £x to charity for every mile I run and then I could feel as if I was helping humanity rather than just being self indulgent

It should be a MN law that as a thread gets longer someone will try to put down pps disagreeing from them (him?) by using the word hysteria.
Thereby, losing the thread.

I love this thread. It shows why we should never go out of our way to seek the approval of other people. There's always someone who'll bring you down.

After all, who is the most annoying man in Britain today who deserves having bad things said about him? Yeah, the guy who ran a billion marathons to raise shitloads of money for charity. What a self-serving cunt.

The first person to resort to an overused rhetorical technique loses the thread?
There would be hardly any thread if we had to stick to logic and reason!

Lweji, like godwins law

He did it for his own gratification

First person to refer to "x bingo" loses the thread!

Totally agree with eastmidsmummy!!! Shame people don't direct their shit towards George Osborne !

First person to say 'cunt' loses
First person to use !!! Loses

First person to compalain people arent using their energies elsewhere loses

I got a bit miffed with him when he said he he can do this, anyone can, because no Eddie, most of us have to devote our time to the mundane activities of life like going to work and caring for family and doing the washing up etc. But I do know that wasn't what he meant and I adore him regardless so...

I used to go and watch a lot of comedy and Eddie was by far the best I ever saw. I think being a stand up comedian takes huge guts - to stand on a stage in front of hundreds of people with just a microphone- no backing singers, no dancers, no special effects. And audiences at comedy gigs can be savage.
I've run 3 marathons and raised a fair bit of money in the process. It was hugely challenging and I'm proud of myself for doing it but I did it because I wanted to, it wasn't an act of selflessness.
The thing about altruism is that everyone wins - the person on the receiving end gets helped and feels glad that there are nice people in the world and is more likely to help someone else when they're in a position to, and the person who is being altruistic gets a bit of a warm glow.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

Well he is 54, I'm a bit older but really to even dream of walking marathons seems impossible to me. Not because of all my worthy commitments btw. Or lifelong health probs.
Just wonder if my (reasonably fit) body could actually to that. Hard to compute.

"Shame some people don't direct their shit towards George Osborne" - random!

He did it for charity. And for himself. So what? It's big (unneccessary) achievement but he's raised enough money to do a lot of good in the world. And it was Sport Relief, so someone put him up to it, and the charities will benefit as much from his profile and attention to their cause as the actual hard cash. You know, a bit like Band Aid.

I get more irritated with people who want you to sponsor them go on a lovely holiday to walk up mountains in Tibet.

The thing about altruism is that everyone wins - the person on the receiving end gets helped and feels glad that there are nice people in the world and is more likely to help someone else when they're in a position to, and the person who is being altruistic gets a bit of a warm glow.
I don't see anything wrong with that

I think you need to look up the definition of 'altruism'

im going to go for a run now, inspired by Eddie izzard's achievement. If he can do 27 marathons, then I can easily do 20 minutes. I've not been since before Christmas and I keep putting it off because I've put loads of weight on since December and feel massive

I've also been torn between thinking "what an amazing achievement" and "why abuse your body like that?" He looks like he's aged twenty years, really haggard. And I guess it's difficult to look anything but haggard after 27 consecutive marathons.

OK, 'doing good deeds' then. You know what I mean. For example, most people in the caring professions (including me) don't do it for purely selfless reasons - they do it because they find it rewarding so everyone wins.

I know what you mean Misshoo😇
I suppose my point was that there is no true altruism?
If he's inspired other people to do a bit of exercise that's a good thing😀

I don't think he looked haggard?

When you or I do something for charity we do whatever is within our means and inclinations. We may make or donate something for a stall, send a cheque, pop some spare change in a box, perform a sponsored act or sponsor a friend, take a silly selfie involving a bucket of cold water, or grow a moustache (that one never worked for me). Celebrities have fame to put into the pot and also what they do involves the public eye, so that's what they give. It's not weird or horrible. Not that there aren't some who do good works publicly just for the fame, but most do it that way because that's what they know how to do.

There was a thing in the Bible, wasn't there, the widow's mite story. You don't have to be religious to have taken the message on board. The widow quietly slipped a tiny coin into the collection, representing a big proportion of her total resources. The rich man made a big parade of giving something that was worth a lot more but didn't cost him nearly as much, and he did it because people were watching, not because he gave a hoot about the poor. I think that's the angle the OP is coming from, but I'd suggest it applies less in this case because the celebrity has given a lot more than mere money that he can easily afford: he's put a whole load of time, effort and pain into this, risking injury and all sorts. He hasn't just stood up and said "Hi, I'm Eddie Izzard and I just sent a large cheque to X charity and I want you to do so as well". He's really sweated for this. He's given a lot of himself for this, not just money that he can get back by selling another few thousand tapes on the back of the publicity the charity act generated. That's got to count for something more than mere self-aggrandisement. Driven by an early loss/experience: well, aren't we all?