ratherastory (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ratherastory) wrote2011-03-22 12:38 pm
ratherastory) wrote2011-03-22 12:38 pm
Not-quite fandom stuff
Y'know, I think it's awesome that Random Acts is trying to raise a ton of money for Haiti. God knows, that country needs all the help it can get in order to rebuild after last year's earthquake.
It's just... I am seriously uncomfortable at the idea of fans "raising" $5000 in order to go with Misha et al. to Haiti in order to have a more "personal connection" to what they're doing, or whatever. I just can't help but feel that that aspect of this fundraiser is entirely made of fail. The idea of a group of tourists (feel free to disagree with my nomenclature, but to me that's what they are) going over to witness how grateful the natives are for their munificence just sets my teeth on edge.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. After all, the money is going where it's supposed to, so it can't be all bad. It's just pushing several of my squick buttons.
It's just... I am seriously uncomfortable at the idea of fans "raising" $5000 in order to go with Misha et al. to Haiti in order to have a more "personal connection" to what they're doing, or whatever. I just can't help but feel that that aspect of this fundraiser is entirely made of fail. The idea of a group of tourists (feel free to disagree with my nomenclature, but to me that's what they are) going over to witness how grateful the natives are for their munificence just sets my teeth on edge.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. After all, the money is going where it's supposed to, so it can't be all bad. It's just pushing several of my squick buttons.
no subject
However, the execution is similar to other charities that I was involved in or friends were as a teen only without the actor issue. Thirty Hour Famine, for example, has you raise money and then fast while doing a service project (my HS youth group one year went to an extremely impoverished reservation one year) where they cleaned up an area. A few of my friends raised money and then took a flight down to Costa Rica? or another country where they did various service projects. My cousin went on another one this summer where she helped rebuild a school and tutored some kids in English for a summer somewhere in South or Central America. Some friends raised money and then paid for their own transportation to be involved in clean up and rebuilding projects in the aftermath of Katrina.
To me the only thing clouding whether or not this is a "noble" cause is whether the individuals plan to participate in the rebuilding or are only there for the actors. I'm guessing that varies by individual, but honestly most of the projects don't require a ton of skilled labor as they have people in charge who are skilled and direct you on what you should actually be doing.