I watched snippets of the Live 8 concert this week…
This whole time I assumed that the entire point of this musical extravaganza was to raise money to feed the starving people of Africa. Why else would top grade entertainers from all genres of music come together to perform in 8 different countries around the world for free? What other reason would these celebrities collaborate on a dramatic commercial pushing us little people towards this cause? Why? Why? Why?
An estimated 1 million people showed up at these 8 different concerts around the world. But guess what?
The starving Africans will recieve nothing for it. That’s because the concert wasn’t put on to generate money—it was put on to generate awareness.
In order to understand this, one needs to think like a celebrity: in their world, awareness can be used to buy food and medicine. As does a crappy signature on a headshot. Make sense?
The irony of the whole situation though is that while the starving Africans, the focus point of Live 8, will see nothing from these concerts, the performers and celebrity guests recieved $12,000 gift baskets. Yes…those who are already rich and well-fed walked off with more than a starving Ethiopian did. I guess the logic is that now Africans are rich with awareness! And that makes it acceptable for celebrities to be rich with swag.
Live 8 is supposed to motivate leaders into discussing the economic situation of Africa at the next G-8 meeting. That’s fine and dandy, but what about the money that could have been made and donated to the Africans? Wouldn’t that also help feed some people within the country, and at least alleviate the problem just a bit?
If every person who attended Live 8 paid just $1, then $1 million could have been donated to fund the cause. Instead…a whopping $0 and a smile will be given to charity.
I hate celebrity. I feel that Live 8 wasn’t so much a benefit for charity as much as it was a pity cause for celebrities to use as their “Good Deed of the Year.” And what better cause than this? They don’t have to donate anything but their time, and they get luxury gifts in return. They look like angels when really they’re just viewing this as a publicity campaign and a chance to avoid going to Hell.
This just in, more Africans have died of starvation while the members of Cold Play reap the benefits of their $5,000 foot care sets.
absolutangel64 
Yes yes YES!!! Great blog, my sentiments exactly!
agreed.
I agree with you. I questioned why they didn’t even ask for donations. People most likely would’ve given them.
Awareness is good, but most of the world knows about Africa’s economic and social conditions. Money and aide would’ve been much better.
i knew there was sthg missing when I browsed their sitei don’t listen to these “musician”‘s anywaybuilding awareness is goodbut coming from these puppets of capitalism (employees of major labels), it’s a joke and of course insulting. but the public wouldn’t know, they enjoy these mass-produced, dumbed-down products of “art”man’s intuition kicks ass too
I’m curious as to how much you’ve contributed to the people in Africa? Please don’t take this question offensively, by design I normally inquire about the logic of statements made against altruism, whether or not each individual acted on that concept. Besides, i’m sure the people responsible for organizing these events worked pretty hard to make other people aware, and awareness is a VERY powerful thing.
I am totally aware of the poverty, epidemics, genocide and starvation that happens in Africa and I certainly don’t need Live 8 to tell me what’s happening there. There are news and scholarly articles you can read, books written on the subject, documentary from Frontline or something credible like that being produced … all you have to do is find the information and read it.Live 8 is probably the WORST medium to transmit awareness because it’s mixed with rampant commercialism and the message is competing with the brandname that are the “artists”… I don’t see how singing a few songs across the world is going to make people more aware of the problems in Africa .. it’s going to make people more aware of the BANDS playing, not the plight of the people who can’t eat the shitty music.
@Digital_K_OS – Hahahahahaha! I have been reading all the comments you’ve left me and they have been the most entertaining things I have read in a long, long, time. “When dinosaurs walked the earth” long time. Eating sh*tty music–that so not a suitable replacement for flies.