Wednesday, November 11, 2009 18:39
Do we really need another Bono?
In Low Hansiong • 850 views • 15 Comments
Low Hansiong >> TOC International
We have all seen a scene like this: global ‘star’ fights through the paparazzi throng to get into his uber-luxurious limousine, flies decadent class in a private jet, descends down the rickety dust-ridden airstairs while waving glamorously to their fawning fans behind a pair of Giorgio Armani sunshades.
All of which is nicely choreographed for the altruistic purpose of sustainable development or combating AIDS or whatever fashionable catchall we have now. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bono. His music is roll-rockingly awesome and he is a true champion for the underprivileged. However, my moot is that Bono might have done his job too well. He made development too cool.
It’s not the Bonos that I contend with; it is the wannabe Bonos that scare the living daylights out of me. We have the Angelina Jolies flying to some destitute part of Africa, sending the message that just by planting a tree here and there, and by stroking the faces of some children, it will somehow all be better. Then we have our Madonnas, who think that by adopting children from all over the lesser developed countries, it will somehow all be better.
Sure, the conventional school would think that ‘stars’ are better able to market the cause, raise awareness and, wait for it, canvass more money. However, is it worth the side effects that these campaigns are creating? The MTV generation might know where Botswana is now, but at the same time, they only equate development with the poor hungry people in Africa. Young impressionable minds would also start to think that if a cause is unable to secure the celebrity endorsement, it would probably mean that the cause is not important enough.
By having celebrities champion causes also leads to an over glamorization of international development. It leads school children to think that development is all about going overseas and building that one house with their bare hands. Where in reality, the money they spent on vaccinations and travel could have built another three houses instead.
It leads to the B-listers and wannabe stars to clamor for any chances to attract publicity to revive/start their fading careers, more quid pro quo than pro Bono. Yes, it has all become a slick greasy marketing machine. How often do overseas ‘volunteers’ and celebrities follow up after their self-serving missions? More probable than not, it is confined to the backwater of their professional life.
Playing the celebrity card also leads to a watering-down of the incredibly complicated reality of the situation. After all, celebrities (most of them) are not trained to act, think and talk like a development expert. Therefore, in the end, they only serve to perpetuate the populist sentiments of vague and comforting catchphrases like “We must all serve humanity”, “The green revolution is upon our horizon”, or something to that effect.
International development is a messy, contradicting and spiteful field. While the field is full of ups and downs, having the challenges in international development packaged into a 2-minute sound bite does not do a lot to further the collective goal towards the betterment of mankind. Experts in this field have dedicated most of their adulthood in trying to come up with plausible answers to the most vexing of development questions. Imagine the chagrin from the realization that people chose to consult a 5-minute ‘expert’ to a 30 year old veteran. Would you ever ask Tom Cruise about the state of the economy just because he had a chat with Ben Bernanke?
Each of us has our own agendas and, in all fairness, there is nothing wrong with it too. There is no denying the celebrity ‘pull’; it does bring much needed publicity into the under-publicized world of sufferance. However, organizations should do better than placing their bets on such one-off stunts because in the end, you could do more harm than good for your own agenda.
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15 Comments
lauleetherubbisheater
If there’s one thing that’s worth doing is to “do good in secret.”
All the hype and talk of altruism does not mean squat if there’s a hidden agenda beneath. Not unlike the ad nauseam rubbish of PAP politicians sacrificing their riches by serving the country (oops, should be Shanmugam’s city) as mintsters and MPs. Geez, what would they not do to put themselves in a good light to win another vote?
Thanking and giving a kind smile to the poor grandma/grandpa who cleans after you when you eat at the hawker centre or foodcourt may be more charitable than one thinks.
feedmetothefish
Ajax
We do need someone to fight for poverty within Singapore, as what Bono has done.
Currently we have no idea how many percent of our population is living under poverty line as there is no official data. Not helping is the Gahmen’s official stance that there is no poverty in Singapore.
Yes, we need someone to point out to the people of Singapore & the Gahmen that THERE IS POVERTY IN SINGAPORE.
Too bad Singapore celebrities won’t do something like that for fear of losing their job or possibly reputation.
Oxford Dude
3) Ajax on November 11th, 2009 8.56 pm
Yes, we need someone to point out to the people of Singapore & the Gahmen that THERE IS POVERTY IN SINGAPORE.
Our academics are already trying.
Source: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/08/what-academic-freedom/
n December 1994, the Jakarta Post published an essay by NUS Political Science Lecturer Dr Bilveer Singh titled “Singapore Faces Challenges of Success”. In his article, Dr Bilveer Singh wrote:
What the statistics hide through the law of averages and generalisation, is that the majority of Singaporeans are basically living hand-to-mouth and it is these Singaporeans, who constitute the majority, that have become increasingly alienated with the Government.”
The Singapore Government rebuked Dr Bilveer Singh in a letter to the Jakarta Post through Simon De Cruz, the Charge d’Affaires at the Singapore Embassy in Indonesia. Simon challenged Dr Bilveer Singh to either substantiate his allegations or withdraw them, particularly on the claims that the government is profiteering from the introduction of GST, that Singapore is a society that is faced with growing impoverishment and that “a majority of Singaporeans are basically living hand-to-mouth”. De Cruz also said that as an academic, Dr Bilver Singh could not “merely assert the conclusion to be proven and ignore facts to the contrary”. Dr Bilveer Singh withdrew his allegations subsequently.
2) feedmetothefish
” If there’s one thing that’s worth doing is to “do good in secret.”
well said.
Do good, and feel good that you have done good,
knowing that yourselft is good enough
nobody else need to know
when one can attain that state of mind in giving, it is a wonderful state to be in,
and wonderful to have such a person around
preston loon
It is so easy for all these celebrities traveling around the globe and making speeches on behalf of the poor or the environmental organizations.After all,by doing this,they all get free photo ops and good write ups about them.With a few exception,
how many of them put their words into action by parting their own wealth they have
accumulated to those who are starving in impoverished nations.Or at least they
could do is take a yr off which they can afford to do,and do some relief work.There are many different relief agencies within the UN.
If i were Elton John or Madonna or Jolie who are so concerned about orphans in the third world.Instead of trying to adopt just one poor child,why not use your immense wealth to set few orphanages in a country of your choice.That really
helps.Few good examples i would like to bring out to TOC readers are,Bill gates,
Oprah Winphrey,Cliff Richard,Roger Whittaker and many other famous ones who
are putting words into actions without much fanfare.If I were Bono,stop trying to avoid paying your fair share of your income tax to the tax collectors.Perhaps your
fully paid tax could help some Aides sufferers to life longer.Oh! one more advice
to you,Bono.Do not use to much of your private jet as it spills out a lot a carbon
foot-print and use less electricity at your concerts.
Utopia
We need no Bono. We need Bruno ! Bruno with MIWs, MM. How is that for a Movie !
preston loon
Reply to #3-Ajax.
We don’t need to ape the west and its celebrities on how to promote
awareness regarding social injustice.Those celebrities have a mouthful of things to
say but no actions.It is all self-serving,free photo-ops and advertising on their new
cd releases.What i would like to see is for our local stars to roll up their sleeves
and move their asses to do something.That will get the attentions of our MIW.
blupavan
it is said that one is truly generous if you turn away before you can see the shyness of those receiving you generousity.
with today’s spotlights on ‘celeb-givers’…..one is always sceptical of motives no?
andrewong2024
To the writer, yes we need more Bonos.
Think another good role model is Jet Li.
Denise Gramelick
Dear friends,
Ladies and gentlemen you’ve never heard of me until today,
Writing this letter desperate to talk to you about my America, so much suffering and so beautiful
I’ll tell you how it seems to be an enchanted place a kind of heaven.
My Latin America is more beautiful than the pictures of Botero.
More sometimes is as sad as the paintings of Frida
It is as intense as the tango
It’s as happy as Brazil,
My Latin America has everything has sea
It has rivers,
There are waterfalls,
It has desert and technology,
There are people happy, people have suffered,
They are communists and capitalists
My beautiful America has Indians of all ethnic groups,
It gypsies, blacks and whites,
It has history, this has been through,
And an uncertain future
It has natural resources,
My America is a poor little rich girl,
My Latin America every day is violated its natural resources comes every day fading into a terrible capacity very fast!
After this confession I think I can perhaps naively call you friends,
More is how we behave in Latin, or rather, most of us like that.
More like not everything is perfect ,….
You know friends I am Brazilian
The Brazil and Latin America has it all I said is a country that looks more like a continent
Why is it you see all races and everything all mixed together, everyone has the blood of Indians,
Many like me have European blood, with African and a fantastic mix of people and religions are many and each day appears once for composing the beauty and diversity of my country,
In my country every day comes a new alien, foreign or new they are welcome …
My country is not as violent as it seems he is more comfortable than you think,
He is so cozy that has a beautiful forest say it is full of enchanted beings who have not even been, discovered more we know that there are
You people who live alone as more than 509 years why our forest is enchanted.
And more than that say that our rainforest is the lungs of the world and be part of our being deserves love and respect
I will ask you friends, and perhaps even for those who do not want to be none, to help us make our Amazon and our people free of any destruction
Caused by foreigners and even ashamed mind of timber, rice,
and all these people here, the son of our land blood of our people, young children of the forest that deplete it,
Destroy our beloved homeland, Brazil!
With love and affection faith that our voice will be heard Denise Gramelick.
OriginalResonance
I don’t mind giving away millions of dollars to alleviate my distress at witnessing the pain of others. After all, it’s good for me. But if a banker goes bankrupt overnight, I will not help him. Because chances are that said individual would be a man and a successful one at that. Just not pathetic enough to elicit sympathy in me, you see. Humans gravitate towards the “poor women and sick children” but not “men”.
preston loon
Reply to #12-Denise Gremelick
You are like those America celebs,long winded with words most poor people do not
understand what you are conveying.Please be simple and rewrite your comments.
Thank you.
OriginalResonance
#13 Must help women and children at all costs. Don’t bother with grown men.
OriginalResonance
And more pertinently, help all those who are suffering. If a paedophile will suffer if he’s put into jail and unable to indulge in his fetishes anymore, we must release him.
without a doubt..
gurmit singh also can sink as well
who else? ole yes the singapoor idols as well includin the not so winners yet..
what next? maybe all the survivors contestants as well
than again, here we also have the p65s pap MPs who can also joined in but not in east timore or iraq…