Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005 Page: 3A
If everyone who crowded into the area of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on
Saturday bought one less soft drink and tossed in that dollar to the cause of
the day, a quick million could have been raised in just a few hours. If the
lineup of star-studded and wealthy performers chipped in to match that
offering, the pot could have increased to $2 million by the end of the day.
And, Philly was just one of 10 venues to host Live8 concerts last weekend.
Imagine the possibilities. I do.
Billions of dollars could be raised if the 70-some entertainers who sang
crowd favorites and gathered to put pressure on the leaders of the eight
industrialized nations put a little money where their mouths are.
I imagine how Northeastern Pennsylvania could have played a role in the
lives of starving Africans if Dave Matthews, a native of South Africa, had
donated $10 for each of the 17,000 people who paid at least $39 and crammed
onto Montage Mountain to hear him play a few weeks ago.
If these super-rich individuals are super generous when it comes to helping
the underprivileged, then they truly practice what they preach and live the
life they urge others to follow: the strong should help the weak and we are
our brother’s keeper.
Our responsibilities are many
I have no problem with that. What troubles me is that all too often the
individuals who are espousing this credo are those who believe the only
sibling responsible for offering a helping hand is Big Brother.
The Live8 organizers seem to be leaning that way, too. The concert at
Philadelphia on Saturday was free, mainly because its purpose was to raise
awareness, not necessarily money. It’s too bad because they could have done
both. According to the Live8 Web site, the goal is to “demand from the eight
world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.” The group is addressing its plea to
double aid, cancel debt and deliver trade justice for Africa to the leaders
who are meeting at the G8 Summit in Scotland this week.
Many of those who tuned in to Saturday’s concerts were impressionable young
people who may be influenced by these entertainer-types, not because these
celebrities are sensible and wise but because they capture a lot of attention
when they take on a cause. That’s unfortunate because the message they are
conveying is that the to the world’s most pressing problems lies with these
eight leaders.
I’d rather see these stars use their bully pulpit to tell the world that
the solution to many of life’s ills lies within ourselves. That we can,
working together, with the help of governments, make a difference in the lives
of the less fortunate.
They say nothing about how much foreign aid the United States doles out
each year to undeveloped nations. They say nothing about how much money is
spent on programs for the poor and sick, both in America and throughout the
world. They offer no solutions about where governments, like ours, could find
the resources to double foreign aid. They do not raise the old “guns and
butter” lesson from Economics 101 and ask their listeners if they would be
willing to skimp on national security in order to cancel the debt in Africa.
They raise emotions without raising an intelligent discussion.
The goal of eliminating world hunger is a noble one. The problem is so big
that it will take more than eight leading nations to solve. It needs to be
tackled through personal, societal, religious and governmental efforts. The
people with Live8 have a story to tell. Let’s just hope they start telling the
whole story.