Not-quite fandom stuff

[ratherastory]

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.

Comments

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

Lord knows this is one million times more beneficial to the universe than the thousands of dollars that ppl paid to hear Jensen and $10Manns warble covers or to watch a no-name band with Jared and Gen.

Oh, yes. Thank you. Folks pay this sort of money just to sit in the same room and take a picture with a celeb.

So the idea of using that same celebrity to funnel money into something concrete is really pretty smart. I understand why folks find it squicky, but at the same time I think the opportunity to really consciousness raise is something that cannot be denied. And from what it sounds like, the money people are fundraising for this project is going directly into buying building supplies and materials. There's an accountability here that is so rare with most operations like this. At the end of the day I just can't be mad about someone donating 5K to build an orphanage and spending a week helping to construct it. And yes maybe many of these fans are only "in it" for Misha/Matt. But honestly I just don't care b/c at the end of the day we are putting their labor and money to good use. And I cannot stress how completely ravaged and in need of aid Haiti is. The devastation is immense and it'll take a generation or more to recover. No one who goes to volunteer there will come back unchanged. And if we can just shift one person's consiousness and at the same time build a community center where there once was nothing before, then I can't be mad.