20 years ago the single raised million,live aid made 55 million alone.....now all these years later they are in the same predicament....so after being given all that money(which could have been used for our own needy people)it made no differnce, so is it worth while?.....why not look after our own sick and poor people.

Because you don't get any 'kudos' for looking after your own, and lets face it, the majority of these people are on an ego trip!!

Originally posted by Clumber
and lets face it, the majority of these people are on an ego trip!!

like arguing who sings the best lines for the video........:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

my mate works in africa allthe time and charity rarely gets to them unless you take it urself. even OXFAM is a scam

I'm not saying this is where any of you people are coming from, but those are the exact same arguments you hear from people justifying why they should not give any of their money to charity.

You do hear about the huge salaries charity bosses get, and the chaufer driven cars etc. etc. and I'm sure some of the money doesn't get to the people you intend it to (well, obviously some of it doesn't because it pays these people), but I will still continue to send money to the two charities I send money to as some of it will be getting to the right place.

I saw a programme last night that showed how some of the money from Band Aid single was spent. I don't know if 100% of the money did got there, but it certainly made a difference.

And as for helping people at home, of course there are charities that work in the UK, but there aren't millions of people in this country in danger of starving to death.

just wish it all went to the people/kids. and we should all give to charity i agree. whats that song where it says, 10% goes to God first? maybe not God /church for most of us, but a little to charity doesnt hurt, its just chosing which ones

Well its good we are agreed on that.

I think a sweeping statement like "Oxfam is a scam" would interest some national newspapers if you could back it up.....

Well I would like the chance to buy a recording for most of the concerts I have been to!

they dont give it to the people, they sell it to them or to arabs who sell it to them, very cheap though. its like the shoe boxes they get you to do at college/uni, when they get to depo, they get opened and split up

Yoda - iagree with you. there are charities to help people here but we don't have millions dying of starvation whilst we live comparative paradise. maybe some of these celebs should sell some of the extra houses/cars etc they have, live like normal people and give the cash to instead! it annoys me when i see them doing stuff for charity and pleading for money then going off in thier private jet. doesn't seem right somehow. :suspect:

you do get nice celebs who set up charities and sound foundations etc . some kust do it for publicity

Actually I heard an interview with Midge Ure recently and he said when he came home from Ethiopia he had to sell all his cars and his house becauseit had affected him so deeply.

Originally posted by NatalieSheff
they dont give it to the people, they sell it to them or to arabs who sell it to them, very cheap though. its like the shoe boxes they get you to do at college/uni, when they get to depo, they get opened and split up

I'd be interested to see some evidence of this.

Personally I am amazed at how over-reactive we can be. It seems no-one can do a good deed nowadays without being criticised for it or accused of doing it for their own publicity.
When you look at some of the people involved..Bono and Chris Martin to name but 2 , they are prime examples of celebs who have used their fame and influence for good and that should be applauded and recognised.

At least this type of charity makes giving money more accessible to everyone.All you have to do is buy a single.
Like its been said before, there are enough charities in this country helping the needs of people in this country. If you don't know about them then you probably don't care enough to go and find them out.

As someone who's spent quite a few years volunteering as a charity fundraiser for a variety of projects from Comic Relief to Cancer Research and Barnardos, I get complete disheartened to hear this sort of talk about how a mate of a friends, best mans brother in law told them about how this or that happened..

I'm not going to blow smoke up anyones backsides here, there is undoubtedly a problem with some of the distribution of aid but as with anything else think about what news you usually hear about...

Lemme see... yes that's right.. all the negative stuff, when someone has died or someone else has dropped themselves in.. or some tragedy... We rarely, if ever, hear about the successes, which is why I find Comic Relief's feedback approach something amazing... They concentrate on positive results as much as the needs... Makes a real change..


To come back to the main topic though... I find the whole Live Aid issue this year is making my skin crawl.. Not because it's not worthwhile but because 99% of the coverage is about who gets what line.. or which artists are taking part.. or how Sir Bob, says it's all going well in the recording studio... I'm sure Bob Geldord and Midge Ure are going blue in the face repeating the message that this is about money going towards supporting a specific region but the media are paying lip service to it.. Perhaps that's just as well given that there's little in the way of attention grabbing "we haven't seen it before" footage to drag people out to buy the record but it does make you wonder.


Anyway... for all those who think charity is a waste of time here's a little story for you...

An old man is walking along a beach, and notices how the tide has washed up and left starfish stranded for miles along the beach, soon to dry out and die in the suns heat... Then he spies a young man further ahead, picking up starfish and tossing them out into the sea...

What a fool the old man thinks and rushes to catch the younger lad. Patiently he explains to the young man how the impossible task and that he can't possibly rescue all those starfish so why bother...

The young man looks down at the starfish he's holding before he smiles and the old cynic and says.. "It matters to this one" and launches it out into the sea.

So, personally I'd rather waste my energy and time on doing something about those I can help than discussing and worrying about the ones I can't... Hopefully someone else will be doing the same...

Originally posted by Martin_s
As someone who's spent quite a few years volunteering as a charity fundraiser for a variety of projects from Comic Relief to Cancer Research and Barnardos, I get complete disheartened to hear this sort of talk about how a mate of a friends, best mans brother in law told them about how this or that happened..

I'm not going to blow smoke up anyones backsides here, there is undoubtedly a problem with some of the distribution of aid but as with anything else think about what news you usually hear about...

Lemme see... yes that's right.. all the negative stuff, when someone has died or someone else has dropped themselves in.. or some tragedy... We rarely, if ever, hear about the successes, which is why I find Comic Relief's feedback approach something amazing... They concentrate on positive results as much as the needs... Makes a real change..


To come back to the main topic though... I find the whole Live Aid issue this year is making my skin crawl.. Not because it's not worthwhile but because 99% of the coverage is about who gets what line.. or which artists are taking part.. or how Sir Bob, says it's all going well in the recording studio... I'm sure Bob Geldord and Midge Ure are going blue in the face repeating the message that this is about money going towards supporting a specific region but the media are paying lip service to it.. Perhaps that's just as well given that there's little in the way of attention grabbing "we haven't seen it before" footage to drag people out to buy the record but it does make you wonder.


Anyway... for all those who think charity is a waste of time here's a little story for you...



So, personally I'd rather waste my energy and time on doing something about those I can help than discussing and worrying about the ones I can't... Hopefully someone else will be doing the same...

Surely you can help anyone if you try hard enough.
I can't personally help a starfish as I don't live near or frequent a beach but if I cared that much for The Starfish as a species I would regularly visit the beaches looking for poor, washed up little souls and launch them back into where they belong.

Originally posted by wibbles
Surely you can help anyone if you try hard enough.
Thanks for at least getting this much of my point...

It's all about motivation... People who argue they can't do anything to help are just making excuses.. If enough people do small things to help, it's not impossible anymore..

think you've got a really good point there Martin. Anyone seen Pay it Forward, really liked that idea! Making someone else happy is a good thing to do. :)

Originally posted by Martin_s
Thanks for at least getting this much of my point...

It's all about motivation... People who argue they can't do anything to help are just making excuses.. If enough people do small things to help, it's not impossible anymore..

Very good point.
Don't you feel that Band Aid and other celeb charity events are easy targets for criticism...ok there's no denying the cringworthyness of Band Aid and all the smoltz that goes with it but at the end of the day it WILL do its job..i.e raise lots of cash for charities. Thats what's important here.

Originally posted by wibbles
Don't you feel that Band Aid and other celeb charity events are easy targets for criticism...
Undoubtedly, they're courting the media to get the message out and all those journo's are busy looking for a new angle to sell them there papers, advertising slots, etc... so of course they're going to smack them occassionally... Nature of the beast.... :|

but at the end of the day it WILL do its job..i.e raise lots of cash for charities. Thats what's important here.
Yep... definitely... kind of why my initial "ugh!" reaction to the way it's all about the stars rather than the problem was tempered somewhat... If you gotta kick it in with your knees to get the goal, then do what you've gotta..

So, yeah, scarily, I think we agree... :confused: :suspect: :D

Its a bit sad that the only way to get people to think anything is a good idea is to show celebrities doing it.

I've heard the suggestion that all this celebrity obsession started off with the original Band Aid.

Obviously it is easy to carp and criticise, and you do have to start somewhere, and this will raise a lot of money, which is to be applauded.

Well I'm all for raising awareness and raising money etc through charity....I just find the 'celebrity' aspect very very scary. Say a Telethon raises 20 million (i really have no idea how much they usuallyy make) - well, that's fair enough, and well done to all the people on £18,000 a year salaries for being so generous, but the celebrities who endorse it have got infinitely more money - if they gave even a tiny percentage of their earnings to the charity it would make a phenomenal difference, and yet there's people being told to 'give whatever they can'. Well. We do, thank you very much, but am I to believe that at the end of it all, Kylie and co go back to their multi million pound abodes? They earn in a few weeks what Comic Relief makes on that one night. It just seems so hypocritical.

Thats a fair point but do you know how much they may contribute to charities??
For all we know Kylie and Co could be ploughing thousands into various charities over the course of many years.
Yet if they came out in the press and told us what charities they contribute to and how much then they would be criticised again for tring to court publicity and public opinion.

Originally posted by wibbles
Thats a fair point but do you know how much they may contribute to charities??
For all we know Kylie and Co could be ploughing thousands into various charities over the course of many years.
Yet if they came out in the press and told us what charities they contribute to and how much then they would be criticised again for tring to court publicity and public opinion.

Well they ain't giving enough is all I can say. Ever seen 'Cribs'?

Originally posted by noseyrosie
Well they ain't giving enough is all I can say. Ever seen 'Cribs'?
Aren't we all guilty of never giving enough???
I have seen cribs and I agree that some so-called celebs should realise what a privelidged postion they are in and maybe try and do more.

Originally posted by wibbles
I'd be interested to see some evidence of this.

Personally I am amazed at how over-reactive we can be. It seems no-one can do a good deed nowadays without being criticised for it or accused of doing it for their own publicity.
When you look at some of the people involved..Bono and Chris Martin to name but 2 , they are prime examples of celebs who have used their fame and influence for good and that should be applauded and recognised.

At least this type of charity makes giving money more accessible to everyone.All you have to do is buy a single.


my mate has seen it for real when he worked there, annoyed him so much he takes stuff across himself and literally gives it to em. they may sell it on, but at least they get benefits themselves.

i may buy the single for my little sister, dont get me wrong! and i agree its accesible to everyone

but celebs really do work it, cant say i blame em - mo money!

Call me old fashioned,but I like my rock stars to act like rock stars,not politicians.
When I hear people like Chris Martin and Bono making these political statements,it makes me laugh.
If Martin wanted to pursue a political career,he should have done just that,and not fronted a boring band.
If Bono hadn't started singing,he would have ended up 'tarmaccing droives'for a living.

A message to singers/bands who have political aspirations.


Just throw the telly out the window and shag a few groupies.

Originally posted by uncleheed
Call me old fashioned,but I like my rock stars to act like rock stars,not politicians.
When I hear people like Chris Martin and Bono making these political statements,it makes me laugh.
If Martin wanted to pursue a political career,he should have done just that,and not fronted a boring band.
If Bono hadn't started singing,he would have ended up 'tarmaccing droives'for a living.

A message to singers/bands who have political aspirations.


Just throw the telly out the window and shag a few groupies.

I don't think there's anything wrong with them being political.

They reach out to more young people than politicians do and they get them thinking more about current events.

why not send them unlimited supplies of jonny's

listened to Moyles this morning and he had a good point just saying that the single costs equivalent to a couple of pints or a packet of fags but that it could save someones life. surely thats got to be worth while?

I think I'll just send the money in, I don't realy need a crappy record I'll never play.

its gonna be played to death on radio, what is government just took £1 off everyone in uk for a few months - thatd be easier

How about they keep playing it until everyone donates.

Originally posted by Martin_s
Thanks for at least getting this much of my point...

It's all about motivation... People who argue they can't do anything to help are just making excuses.. If enough people do small things to help, it's not impossible anymore..

One particular organisation uses the phrase 'many snowflakes make an avalanche'

thing is though, if it wasn't for this record, we wouldn't be talking about it and would'nt be thinking about sending money or doing anything and another year would go by when nothing is done. its all about awareness really. if you send in money instead of buying the record then great, the whole point of doing it in the first place has worked !!:clap:

i give every month, to five different charities, so its not just once a year for most of us!

Originally posted by nick2
How about they keep playing it until everyone donates.

That'll work by playing Spice Girls songs or some other crap similar 24 hours a day :P

I give to charities when i can.
But something rather upset me about 2 years ago that i saw on news night.
It was about the shoe boxes that were suppose to go to the orphaned children in romania, apparently they exposed a certain ruthless employer over there who gave loads of the boxes to his employees and their families.
How many went to the real orphans.

However , I hope that was a one off and the man was stopped.
I still do give to charity , just bought the live aid Dvd for my son for christmas.
hope he does'nt read this lol.

Apparently the efforts of the charity aren't valid because most of the singers are white.

Quote:
Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who sits on the French arm of the commission with footballer Lilian Thuram and former IMF head Michel Camdessus -- among others -- said Band Aid's message did not reach Africans because it ignored their culture.

"When you do Band Aid and there are only whites, I'm sorry, but Africans do not feel concerned even if the money raised is destined for Africa," Dibango told Reuters.


What a nice way to show appreciation. :rolleyes:

Without this who would know of Bob Geldorf?

Why doesn't he just give back some of the fortune he's made from free publicity? £10 million sounds about right - he'd never miss it.

Originally posted by uncleheed
Call me old fashioned,but I like my rock stars to act like rock stars,not politicians. *snip*
A message to singers/bands who have political aspirations.
Just throw the telly out the window and shag a few groupies.

:rolleyes:

As a female - I find that a sexist comment ... as for the stars, at least they're trying to do something worthwhile in their lives ...

And Licszz, stop trying to give other people's money away! :P

Surely Bob Geldorf is quite well known anyway?? :confused:

Originally posted by rubydazzler
Originally posted by uncleheed
Call me old fashioned,but I like my rock stars to act like rock stars,not politicians. *snip*
A message to singers/bands who have political aspirations.
Just throw the telly out the window and shag a few groupies. :rolleyes:

You sexist old git, get over yourself ... at least they're trying to do something worthwhile in their lives ...
Uncleheed posted at 15-11-2004 10:32 PM, and you took 'til 31-05-2005 06:30 PM to think of that reply (over 6 months!).

Ruby, you really must concentrate more in future. ;)

Foo_fighter - you're not stalking me are you? :P

I'm not to blame .... I'm just too busy, darling - lounging in me Shackleton's High Seat chair and dreaming of Zeppleins over Woodseats ...

Anyway I wasn't even a member then!!!

Originally posted by rubydazzler
Foo_fighter - you're not stalking me are you? :P...

Only if you ask really nicely. :D

Originally posted by rubydazzler
:rolleyes:

And Licszz, stop trying to give other people's money away! :P

Surely Bob Geldorf is quite well known anyway?? :confused:
Sir Bob Geldof hasn't done anything of note for years and has maintained his high profile through collecting other people's money, whilst apparently donating none of his own considerable wealth. I would have been happy to see someone who I consider a talentless, uncouth, miserable loudmouth disappear off the scene. :)

Originally posted by Lickszz
Sir Bob Geldof hasn't done anything of note for years...
[SARCSM]Oh I don't know, saw him last year at the R&BCS (Pentrich) in a field, he was on Friday night (after Saor Patrol and Magnum), the main acts were on the Saturday night, they were Bad Manners, and Twisted Sister. Previous "top bands" have included Doctor and the Medics, etc.

So I don't think it's fair to say he hasn't done anything of note for a long time.[/SARCASM]

:suspect:

lol I saw him there last year also. I preferred the Boom Town Rats stuff to his folky stuff though