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.

Like MNetting?
Or watching footie on tv?
Yes those things are also pointless, but I don't watch telly and act like I'm doing something worthwhile which people should sponsor me for

He went off on a jolly, did something he fancied doing and was able to get other people to give money to charity in his name
Nice work if you can get it

How precisely is raising £1.5 million pointless, suzanne
I said the running is pointless

i think everyone of us who give to charity do it out of some sort of guilt or to make us feel better no matter how large or small .i always give to our local kids xmas /easter appeals for the underprivalleged as the poster says.my hubby always says i do this to justify the fact i spend a fortune on my own children at xmas .and yes he is probably right it eases the guilt a bit .whether its 1.5 million or a couple of boxes of £20 lego .i think eddie izzard is doing a good thing putting his body through that to help others why should he not have praise .

Yes it is, isn't it? He does something he loves, he raises a huge amount of money for good causes from people who are happy to donate. It's how charity fundraising tends to work. Excellent work suzanne - you're spot on.

It's fascinating how some people have always got to have something negative to say about someone famous. "I heard that......" "I met him/worked with him/sold him a sandwich and he's an arsehole" " I happen to know that....."

It's all a bit "Oh, I'm so edgy, so free spirited and independent thinking- so different from all you sheep" Coupled with "I've got a secret......."

I like Eddie
But publicly raising money for charity is so often primarily motivated by self aggrandizement, but because its for charity one can't criticise

*Excellent work suzanne - you're spot on"
Thank you I'm so so flattered

You seem to be doing a grand job of criticising suzanne

Once when I had my arms full Eddie Izzard took my suitcase from the overhead locker and carried it down the aeroplane stairs for me. Lovely fella.

I'm 36 now, a man with lovely manners is something that appeals more and more

Good - I'm so glad you're flattered . I'm only too happy to explain how charity fundraising works, you seem unclear.

Will you sponsor me to criticise?
Then it'll be worthwhile criticism

Well, Bertrand funny you should mention that.

In 1990 EI was the weekly compere at Screaming Blue Murder in Hampton Wick and I used to regularly go and see him in this tiny room above a tiny pub. He was brilliant, very funny, very approachable and as he always recognised the regulars, we became known to each other, without any innuendo thank you very much. I remember him pinching a lady's handbag and going through the contents. She ran up to grab it back off him and he said "I can hear it buzzing." How we roared. But I guess you can't say things like that any more without the fun police taking over.

I do worry for his knees though!

When I said one can't criticise I really meant that if one criticises one will be criticised

Totally agree Suzanne.

Of course suzanne - you spend the next 27 days criticising while running 27 marathons, raise 1.5 million, and I'll stick another £50 in the pot.

Criticise and run!
Can I just do my normal amount of running with say 5 hours of criticism per day?

I think to even the field it should be being criticised, not criticising.

No *suzanne8 - 'fraid not. Match or exceed.

Christ what a thing to object to. Get s bloody grip.

When you raise a few million for charity, and its used for food for starving children, clean water sources, vaccinations and medicines and rebuilding bombed hospitals and any number of other lifesaving things... Ask the people whose children survived because of that cash, who were fed or were schooled or whatever, ask them if they care where that money came from or how it was raised, or of the person who raised it enjoyed it or not. And ask them what they think of the wankers who think they shouldn't have done whatever they wanted to raise money.
Do you think they give a fuck? How many children did you feed or vaccinate or educate in the last 27 days?

I like Eddie but he did something inherently pointless that he wanted to do anyway and spun it into an act of charity
He wasn't tending the sick or helping the homeless he was pursuing his own leisure, hitching it to fundraising helps to mask the fact that he gains an enormous personal publicity hit

He did something he wanted to do. To challenge himself, or to lay personal ghosts or to impress people generally or to impress an individual or to reinforce his ego or for some other reason I can't think of.

He also used it as a way to raise money.

Nobody is wholly altruistic.

But he probably got people to donate who otherwise probably wouldn't.

Yep - that's the way charity fundraising like these events works suzanne. Have you just worked it out? Everyone taking part has a lot of fun, the celebs raise their profile, the charities raise millions, and it gives you something to moan about on MN.