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AIBU?

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Original poster

I probably am unreasonable because it's for charity so I'm sure no one will feel bad about ripping me to shreds but the what that rapper on the Grenfell Tower Bridge Over Troubled Waters song says

213 replies

TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 26/06/2017 20:03

It could have been his mum or his nephew or him up there.

But a couple of lines earlier he says he's never even met any of the victims so what makes him think he could have been in their homes?

I might be a little forgiving if it turns out he lives in or has lived in a tower block as equally unsafe as Grenfell turned out to be but...

At least 79 people have died, many more are injured, traumatised, homeless and bereaved WHY IS HE MAKING THIS ABOUT HIM?

OP posts:
user1476869312 · 27/06/2017 15:17

I think it's absolutely fine to criticize this charity single. It's a fucking insult. It's all about making Cowell and his musically illiterate muppets look good. Making a single for the Grenfell survivors and bereaved was totally unnecessary. Huge numbers of people have already given money directly to relief funds. It's insulting to the general public that Cowell thinks they need to be told to buy a shitty cover version to 'show their support' when so many are doing so already.

Just because something is 'for charity' doesn't mean its beyond criticism. Some charities do more harm than good. Some are straightforward scams. Some are a bit worrying in terms of ethics despite doing 'some' good.
And a lot of the more 'celeb-friendly' or sentimental ones are poorly managed, badly administered, and will end up losing the money donated in legal fees or whatever.

tiredofdancingtothesametune · 27/06/2017 15:18

This thread is just awful - it has turned into a crass game of ''personality- assassination-tag'', where one person posts and the next person rips them to shreds, followed by the next.

I can't see why anyone would have a negative opinion on anything to do with this song - its a charity single for people who have had awful awful life changing trauma - and the artists who have taken part are trying to help.

You don't have to like it, just buy it.

Alternatively you could keep your money and spend your afternoons on internet forums moaning about other people trying to do some good whilst you do FA.

Izzabellasasperella · 27/06/2017 16:12

There are some people who don't know how to donate or who to donate to. A charity single is a simple and effective way for people to give money. This record has made millions, surely we can't argue with that.
Also Stormzys verse makes this song. It's honest and heartfelt.

AndTakeYourHorseWithYou · 27/06/2017 16:14

I can't see why anyone would have a negative opinion on anything to do with this song

Because they do? "charity" doesn't mean perfection that nobody can criticise. It's a fucking awful piece, and its more about making those involved look good and further their careers than anything about the people affected.

user1476869312 · 27/06/2017 16:41

'You don't have to like it, just buy it' sums up everything that is fucking wrong with this shit.
There is no reason at all for anyone to buy a single they do not like and do not want. I cannot envisage that someone would 'not know' how to donate money to the survivors and bereaved of Grenfell Tower other than buying the single. Every newspaper, TV channel, radio station and social media site has mentioned ways to donate.
Charity singles, particularly this one, are one big fucking wank. just donate money.

NerrSnerr · 27/06/2017 16:45

Isn't the extra money raised by this song a good thing though? Why does it matter if the money is donated via just giving, a charity tin or the song as long as it all goes on to those affected. If the money from the song means that the people affected get an easier life does it matter if Cowell gets a slap on the back and some publicity?

MrsPorth · 27/06/2017 16:50

I quite like this version. Apart from that awful "trwbble" woman. It's fine to criticise it though, we can't all like the same stuff.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/06/2017 17:03

You don't have to like it, just buy it.

Really? Why would you buy music you don't like? I'd rather donate in another way!

tiredofdancingtothesametune · 27/06/2017 17:08

'You don't have to like it, just buy it' sums up everything that is fucking wrong with this shit

There is actually only one point to it, to raise money

This song is reactive to an emergency - they didn't plan it out for months ahead so it is not the best song out there for sure, - I think people are expecting too much from a quickly put together piece

At the end of the day, this money will really help people who have been through terrors, the toughest time of their life - and you can't deny them that for one minute - I am proud as punch that some of our young artists will take time out of their lives to do this. It shows real empathy and humanity on their part

I haven't heard of many of them tbh, but I am hardly down with the kids these days

tiredofdancingtothesametune · 27/06/2017 17:12

PinkSparklyPussyCat - Yes, only for charity though.

As long as people are donating it doesn't matter how they do it, does it?

This is merely just another avenue, a very well publicized one, for people to give.

tiredofdancingtothesametune · 27/06/2017 17:14

PinkSparklyPussyCat - Yes, only for charity though.

As long as people are donating it doesn't matter how they do it, does it?

This is merely just another avenue, a very well publicized one, for people to give. Where I live, it has been far better publicized than any other way to donate

MommaGee · 27/06/2017 17:26

He is clearly pointing out that this could have happened to anyone. No one especially in this type of housing is immune. This isn't a tradegy that happened to other people its a tradegy that happened to people like "us". That's how many people connect. They imagine how they'd feel if they were there or their mom etc. London terror attacks - I always think oh God that could have been X or Y. It doesn't make someone self indulged to relate a terror beyond imagination in a way they can comprehend it - to make it personal

AndTakeYourHorseWithYou · 27/06/2017 17:54

He is clearly pointing out that this could have happened to anyone

This particular event couldn't have happened to anyone, thats the point.

AndTakeYourHorseWithYou · 27/06/2017 17:55

There is actually only one point to it, to raise money

Yeah, thats not the only reason they do it. If Simon Cowell only wanted to raise money, he could do it without getting the publicity and exposure and money for his latest crop of shit stars.

mydogisthebest · 27/06/2017 17:59

There was absolutely no need for a charity single. There is more than one justgiving page and a lot of money has been raised through them.

This is all about publicity for Mr Cowell and his "singing" buddies. They have ruined one of my favourite ever songs. A song that was sung beautiful by Simon & Garfunkel with so much emotion. This version has no emotion whatsoever in the singing. I don't know how the singers managed to show so much emotion in their faces and yet none in their voices.

They could have all put their hands in their pockets and donated how ever much the record makes. I wouldn't buy it if it cost 5p it's so awful.

MelinaMercury · 27/06/2017 18:00

You don't have to buy it to donate, there are a million other ways to give money. It's not a case of buy it or "do FA"!

I do think though that these things help because young people, I'm thinking younger teens mainly, who wouldn't necessarily donate through other means will be happy to buy this because it has their favourite artist on or something so it does bring in more revenue which has to be a positive thing.

MommaGee · 27/06/2017 18:05

AndTakeYourHorse sorry I tries to clarify with ""This isn't a tradegy that happened to other people its a tradegy that happened to people like "us" ""

Clearly Prince William isn't at risk but any number of thousands of people are living in similar blocks and it could have been them. Any number of thousands would have been offered flats like this or be waiting to be offers flats like this so literally speaking yes my phrasing was wrong but this didn't only happen to the people this could have happened to too

Motherbear26 · 27/06/2017 18:57

I don't love the song but I think anything that helps raise money is a good thing. Maybe Cowell et al are doing this solely for the good publicity but maybe they are as devastated by this as the rest of us and are using their particular skill set to raise money. They may have donated a shit tonne of money privately too, we don't know. I think songs like this encourage involvement, however minor. Young teens and children may not have access to huge amounts of cash but they could quite easily ask their parents for the small amount of money needed to download this song. Yes there are other ways to donate but this makes it very easy. I'm struggling to understand the negativity. Whatever the reasoning, money will be raised for a deserving cause. It's a simple as that.

Pr1ncessPeach · 27/06/2017 20:33

Wow.

So this thread is where humanity died

complaining about a charity single... at least some people are doing something, which is achieving more than moaning on an internet forum

MommaGee · 27/06/2017 22:24

Simon donated 100k apparently. This is what he does - music I mean. This is practically what he can do to "help". I might hate rap and prefer it if it had been a duet between Robbie and Bastille but it isn't about me

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/06/2017 22:36

So this thread is where humanity died

That's a bit OTT! Just because it's for charity doesn't mean people can't have an opinion on it. I hated the original (and I love Simon and Garfunkel) so the chances of me liking this are zero. That doesn't make me a bad person, it just means I won't buy the bloody song whether it's for charity or not! What's the point of downloading something I won't listen to when there are other ways to give money?

selfishcrab · 27/06/2017 22:46

Empathy - is often characterized as the willingness and ability to place oneself in another person's situation, to feel another person's feelings, or to recognize that another person might experience feelings in the same way as oneself.
So he is being totally empathic!
I bought the tune, don't like it but don't need to.

user1476869312 · 27/06/2017 23:20

Humanity is more likely to die because so many people are mawkish, unthinking fuckwits. Telling people they 'have to' buy a piece of shit they don't want, otherwise they are 'heartless' is the sort of mindset that the Murdoch papers have been fostering for decades: don't think, just slobber over what we've told you to care about (and don't remember that you were supposed to feel pity for someone once we have decided to change your minds about them.)

There are some pretty sound and interesting arguments against the whole concept of 'charity' - such as: charity should not be a replacement for state funding, because there are some things it's the state's job to take care of. That's what we pay our taxes for. Leaving things up to charity means leaving them up to the whims of the sentimental and vacuous, who will generally give money to either the noisiest or the most photogenic, until something else comes along.

NerrSnerr · 28/06/2017 07:09

I think only one poster said that you have to buy the song. Most others said donate as you see fit, through the song or not.

In some ways I agree about the charity argument in some cases but that does not help the victims of this fire does it? The state will only pay so much so why shouldn't people try to help more. If we all decided that charity fundraising shouldn't happen and we leave it to the state ultimately it would be normal people who suffer.

mydogisthebest · 28/06/2017 08:02

I can't believe people buy this although they don't like it! What are you all sheep?

Why not just donate money? It's not difficult is it? I donated through justgiving. I don't need Simon Cowell to tell me to donate neither do I need his awful music.

So what that he gave 100k that's probably like me giving £20. I don't believe for 1 second that it's not all about the publicity for him