Self-Righteous Celebrities?

[Jason76]

AC/DC's Brian Johnson Bashes Bono And Bob Geldof's Charity Preaching

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson thinks that doing charity work is great, but feels that you shouldn't preach about it every chance you get, like Bob Geldof and U2's Bono have a habit of doing.

www.rttnews.com

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson thinks that doing charity work is great, but feels that you shouldn't preach about it every chance you get, like Bob Geldof and U2's Bono have a habit of doing.

"When I was a working man, I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa," Johnson told Australia's Herald Sun. "I'm sorry, mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry."

O.K. fair enough. I think this is a good religious topic about motivations or maybe the fact such "goody goody" stuff is just obnoxious, not even looking at motivation.

 

[Albion]

There may not be too much to discuss, though. When celebrities, particularly actors or musicians, engage in charitable work, everyone respects that.

But when they start lecturing the world as though their fame makes them experts on all things, they come across as ridiculous. Except, that is, for the people who agree with the position taken by the celeb.

Fortunately, celebrities are not all like that, although they do command attention. Some do good for its own sake and then there are others who must not think that the public knows when the celeb is out of his area of expertise. I'm sure that we all can name a few people who fall into the second of those categories. Got any nominees??

 

[tango]

Hard to argue with Brian.

Even in my younger years I was always aware of the big fund raising events on TV where some celebrity or another would be giving their time at no charge to endlessly pressure the viewers to send a few bucks to support the cause. You know, the celebrity who could probably write a check for a few million and barely notice the money had gone, but who decided instead to lean on me to send something.

Any sense of support I had for a couple of major ones vanished very fast when I saw a couple of small children who were on TV with the money they had raised. They were trying to say what they had done to raise the money but the presenter kept cutting them off because she was only interested in how much money they raised so they could be pushed aside for something else, presumably something else that featured more cash than a couple of kids managed to raise. Yeah, I get it that you're trying to raise money but don't invite the kids in front of the camera unless you're going to give them fair chance to say their bit.

As for the talking down from celebrities, if I go to see a music concert I want to hear the music. I don't really care about the political opinions of the performers. And when so many of them are gabbing on about climate change these days, the minute you take an intercontinental flight in a private jet you lose any right to lecture me about anything to do with carbon emissions - your one flight in a private jet probably released as much carbon into the atmosphere as every single flight I'll take for the rest of my life.

 

[Albion]

Even in my younger years I was always aware of the big fund raising events on TV where some celebrity or another would be giving their time at no charge to endlessly pressure the viewers to send a few bucks to support the cause. You know, the celebrity who could probably write a check for a few million and barely notice the money had gone, but who decided instead to lean on me to send something.

Personally, I don't mind this sort of celebrity involvement.

For one thing, the telethon or whatever it might be needs the famous personality in order to attract viewers to watch to the program. Then too, the amount that he himself could reasonably be expected to contribute would not equal the contributions of the mass of coast-to-coast viewers, assuming of course that we're talking about the sort of thing that we used to associate with Jerry Lewis or some other celeb of that standing.

But when they simply "pop off" about some political development that they know less about than the average citizen does...then it becomes an exercise in arrogance. I'm certain that several examples of celebs who are like that come easily to your mind.

As for the talking down from celebrities, if I go to see a music concert I want to hear the music. I don't really care about the political opinions of the performers. And when so many of them are gabbing on about climate change these days, the minute you take an intercontinental flight in a private jet you lose any right to lecture me about anything to do with carbon emissions - your one flight in a private jet probably released as much carbon into the atmosphere as every single flight I'll take for the rest of my life.

Well, THAT's an even more annoying example of the mindset that I was speaking of. We'd call that hypocrisy, not merely having a overly-large self-image. LOL

 

[tango]

Personally, I don't mind this sort of celebrity involvement.

For one thing, the telethon or whatever it might be needs the famous personality in order to attract viewers to watch to the program. Then too, the amount that he himself could reasonably be expected to contribute would not equal the contributions of the mass of coast-to-coast viewers, assuming of course that we're talking about the sort of thing that we used to associate with Jerry Lewis or some other celeb of that standing.

I can't help thinking that if the only reason people donate a few bucks is because someone with millions of dollars tells them they should then the charity doesn't really have a whole lot to work with. It feels like the guy who owns the chocolate factory telling me I should share my last bar of chocolate with the hungry guy.

But when they simply "pop off" about some political development that they know less about than the average citizen does...then it becomes an exercise in arrogance. I'm certain that several examples of celebs who are like that come easily to your mind.

Also true, I'm no more interested in hearing Bono's political stances than I am in hearing Joe Biden playing guitar on stage.

Well, THAT's an even more annoying example of the mindset that I was speaking of. We'd call that hypocrisy, not merely having a overly-large self-image. LOL

True, although in my mind I find them all just as annoying.