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

[embroiderama]

You're not alone.

[sinnerforhire.livejournal.com]

I thought they were going over there to do work on a rebuilding project. Am I wrong?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I probably missed that aspect of it.

[saberivojo.livejournal.com]

Yeah it feel a little skeevy. Not that I'm not appreciative of the thought behind it but maybe that's were the problem is.

It doesn't seem altruistic does it?

[morganoconner.livejournal.com]

When I first heard the idea, I thought it was great, a wonderful way to get people really interested, and to give people a real chance to help in a way they wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to do. A way that feels more active than just sending money somewhere and forgetting about it.

But...the more I hear about it, and the more I see, the more I've been kind of squicked by it as well. Not just because of what you said (though that's gotten my back up as well), but also because it seems far more like a contest than people genuinely wanting to help. I doubt most people are looking at this project as a way to make a difference, but as a way to get to say "HA, I spent a week with Misha and Matt!" And that...bothers me. Maybe more than it should, and maybe I'm completely wrong, but...

I dunno. Hard to articular all my feelings on the subject. I like the idea in theory, but I'm not sure how much I like the way they went about it. :\

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Exactly! The idea was good, but the execution of it seems... off.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I think that it's great that people are raising money but honestly? I don't really like the whole "give money, get a reward" thing. I know that it brings in people along with their money to the fundraisers but I firmly believe in giving for the sake of giving you know? I give money and I don't expect to get anything other than a heartfelt thank you for donating and even I don't have to get that ;)

And on the relevant note- WHAT?!?! I knew that Random Acts was raising money but I didn't know about this!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, but at the same time I'm glad he's doing it.

I kind of want rich people who just want to "spend a week with Misha and Matt" to "win" - and then end up working 12 hour days doing hard-labour, they ordinarily would have never signed up for. I think it will teach them a valuable life lesson.

And, hopefully, some of them (like my friend who signed up to raise money, but doesn't expect to win) will have read the fine print and know that Misha will only be there for two days and that they WILL be working in the heat and sun and will NOT look pretty...and they'll be the type of people who would have volunteered even if Matt and Misha weren't there.

Now, that all being said, I think Misha and his RandomActs crew are still trying to figure out how to paddle the boat they made - and sometimes you have to make some mistakes in order to figure out what works and what doesn't.

[fuzzytale.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on that. The 17yo and I were discussing issues like that just last week - how charitable tourism is made of fail. How about if they just added the cost of their airfare to their donation? And honestly, going to 'help' on a building project is frequently no help at all. All that means is that they're getting their warm fuzzies hammering some nails instead of a local, who probably really needs the money, being hired to do the job.

[fuflowers.livejournal.com]

I agree this is a good idea to a point, but you're not alone in your feelings that something is a little "off" about this.

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard about this particular aspect of the fundraising. I can't really judge a person's motives for this, but if they're paying the money to go, then they should be able to go, and I'll assume it's for really being there to help. If I felt the need to go and help in Japan, there are other organizations I would connect with to do it.

[annie200.livejournal.com]

I agree, but I'm kind of putting it in the category of all the high society balls and functions that raise a lot of money by exploiting people's desire to be seen in the "right" places.
Having said that, I'm hoping that one of the reasons that Misha is appreciated is because he does charitable stuff, and maybe that's what draws these people in the first place, so perhaps they aren't just superficial wannabes? And if they are doing it for the wrong reasons, at least their money is going to a good cause!

[peppervl.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of donating for a reward when it's something like the fandom auctions where it encourages people who might not otherwise donate give a small amount and lets people who can't donate money still help contribute. But everything given there comes from an outside source.

This, where a lot of people are likely doing it for the wrong reasons, rubs me wrong. As do things like the donation requests you get in the mail, promising blankets or stuffed animals or picture frames or whatever for donating a certain amount. People should donate to Haiti/Random Acts because they want to, not because they'll get to hang out with Misha and Matt. And charities should spend their donations on their cause and operating expenses, not on buying and sending out trinkets to donors.

I guess I feel like there is significant potential to do harm or take away from the good being done with both of those scenarios, where in something like a fan auction, there isn't, because the fic/art/goodies/whatever being offered comes from a completely outside source. If that makes sense.

[4422shini.livejournal.com]

I have a hard time donating money to anything because I'm all too aware that many 'charitable' organizations only send a small portion of the money, or it ends up in a officials hands, or it only gets spent on a community that doesn't really need much help, or it's all a scam and they don't give any money. This is mostly why I never give money to door to door fundraising and phone callers asking for donations. Charity is tricky that way. Not that I entirely believe that Random Acts is fail-proof, but at least if they're going down there, they can see where their money is going, right? But yeah, 12 hour labouring to tourists... that amuses me to no end.

[peppervl.livejournal.com]

You're not. But realistically, how many of the people who raise the money, especially if they're fangirls, are going to have the practical skills needed to make a real difference? If unskilled labor is all that's going, wouldn't it be more effective to use the money to hire locals or pay to bring in someone who does have specialized skills? There are already plenty of people there who have no experience building things. What good is 40 more going to do?

I think it's a good idea in theory and that Misha and Matt definitely have their hearts in the right place. I just think that they may be underestimating the determination of the obsessed fangirl and that the fans may be underestimating what really needs to be done.

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

I went into a long email discussion about this with someone just last week. And at the end of the day it doesn't sound as problematic as certain Western-run humanitarian orgs. out there, so I think it's fine. It's a rebuilding project, right? Not just a "tourist" trip. So I see the participants as volunteers, not tourists. And if it's a legitimate rebuilding project, it's not really any different from any other volunteer operations of that nature -- bringing people in to build a school. It's exactly what Habitat for Humanity and the Peace Corps do. It's what thousands of Alternative Spring Breaks do across the country every year in bringing college kids to hard-hit areas to volunteer. The only difference is that Misha is using his celebrity as a way to reach volunteers.

Here's what I wrote to someone via email: Okay, I've looked at it and I actually think it's not a bad thing. It honestly sounds like a Habitat for Humanity trip, and I can't hate on that b/c I really like the HfF model and it's a model that works and has done some amazing things. It's basically a volunteering and educational trip overall, right? I like that folks have to raise a certain amount of money to even go. That to me makes it a functional fundraising endeavor where folks are bringing those funds and we are SEEING those funds go directly into building the community center. I like seeing where the money is going and people being able to see their money make a change on the ground.

I'm not saying that there are not problems with Habitat for Humanity-based models -- there are many problems with the volunteering and humanitarian aid industry overall -- but I don't see them as problematic as I see a lot of other Western-led humanitarian work. Because at least with Misha's group, there is a sort of accountability here -- seeing the money going to the work on the ground -- that you don't see with other groups.

At the end of the day, it's complicated. I use to be a lot more critical of these sort of ops, but after working on the humanitarian side for a while, I've shifted to being cautiously supportive. Because honestly these sort of celebrity do-gooder fundraising and volunteer operations do actually do more good than bad in the end. I've seen it in New Orleans and I've seen it in Haiti. Because they are actually DOING something in terms of needed aid work, and they are exposing people to what's happening on the ground, which is a necessary thing b/c we all know the American newsmedia is not doing its job. And at the end of the day that's one of the ways we create social change -- this sort of work has the chance to actually politicize people.

You don't know how many clueless priviledged kids I met in college who only got politicized through going to the developing world and volunteering abroad. And often times that opened the flood gates to them learning about issues in their own backyard and being social change activists. So if there is a chance of politicizing people from the US about the fucked up situation going on in Haiti via a volunteering trip with Misha/Matt...I say let them do it. I've seen some good come out of these sorts of trips because hopefully those women will learn something and maybe just maybe one of them will find ways to work for social change once they return to the US. Even if you create just ONE politically-conscious person, it's one more person that we had before. You get what I'm saying?

At the end of the day, I rather Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (and Misha Collins) be around than not. Because these sort of celebrity-run operations are at least doing something in places where most of the world overlooks.

[hsifeng.livejournal.com]

This X 1000. I have a couple of friends who are currently hustling to get $$$ for this trip, they are socially aware folks and know what they are getting in for (can you say, "Breaking Rocks For Fun"? I knew you could!). Sure, I am certain that the prospect of some sparkly time with Misha and Matt is adding a certain squee factor, but a nice hard look into a place where deprivation is an ongoing fact of life is something I think everyone should experience.

You can’t buy that kind of perspective, but thankfully I think everyone who goes on this trip will get it as a ‘free gift with purchase’.

And honestly, I tend to think well of most of the folks in our fandom. They may go down there with little more than a desire to score some personal pics with the guys, but I think they will leave with a lot more than that. And knowing how this community works, I expect that at least some of them will continue on in the spirit of what they learn.

And even a few more folks putting their shoulder to that particular wheel is worth it.

[sinnerforhire.livejournal.com]

I was still an undergrad when Katrina happened, and I had several classmates who went down and helped rebuild houses. Habitat for Humanity does pretty well with mostly unskilled labor. I might be biased because I have a friend on the Random Acts staff, but I don't see this as being any worse than a group of random white college students from the Northeast doing the same thing.

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

ITA. Habitat does AMAZING stuff with unskilled labor. I'm from Louisiana and I've worked with tons of Habitat volunteers on rebuilding efforts post-Katrina, and from experience I can attest that it's a model that really can do some amazing work. Of course it's important to support and hire local labor as well, but trust me no one in disaster-ravaged areas is going to reject volunteer labor helping to rebuild their communities. People really support and appreciate volunteers.

[honeylocusttree.livejournal.com]

You're not wrong.

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

I agree, definitely. At the end of the day I support initiatives that make people aware of what's happening around the world and also aid an area that is not getting aid from other places. And I say if folks want to use their celebrity for good, PLEASE do it. There needs to be more good in this world. And I'm not saying volunteer ops or humanitarian aid work is without fault -- there are many, many issues that come with this work including lack of financial accountability and transparency, doctrines steeped in institutional imperialism and racism, among other things.

But when it comes to Random Acts and ops like Habitat for Humanity, I personally think the good far outweighs the negative. And someone may argue that some of these fans are clueless about the issue and are only going to spend time with Misha -- well, if someone is really willing to raise 5K ONLY to see Misha, wow. But I have to think folks are also really concerned about the issue to be willing to put this much time and resources into it as well. Moreover, at the end of the day, at least Misha is able to funnel that 5K into helping a desperately-poor and disaster-ravaged country. He's using his celebrity for good. And maybe there might end up being some socially-unaware fen attending, but let's hope through this week in Haiti, they really will develop a broader analysis and a better consciousness about these issues. So maybe initially there will be some fans only going to see Misha/Matt, but in the end, we create actual humanitarians and social change makers. People willing to go home and volunteer at their local soup kitchen or vote for a politician who supports better funding for aid programs to Haiti. Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I think there's something important in first-hand education like this. I don't see it as simply more disaster tourism.

I think that fandom charity events like Sweet Charity, and the auctions fen have run for Haiti, Japan, etc. are a great way of pooling the resources of a centralized group. A great way of tapping into a pool of people already organized around core likes. I think Misha is taking it one step further, and I understand why folks area wary, but I've seen the good that comes from actually showing people what's happening right on the ground -- it can really change people's lives and perspectives.

I'm gonna stop rambling now. Can you tell it's an issue I'm passionate about, lol? *smh*

[peppervl.livejournal.com]

White college students from the northeast who wanted to help and work and use the skills they have. Absolutely.

Fangirls who want to work with Misha and Matt? Probably not so much.

I would have more faith in the whole thing if it had been "Random Acts wants to organize relief in Haiti. Raise money to be part of the team." Instead of "Misha is taking Random Acts to Haiti. Raise money if you want to join him and Matt Coehn."

I know what some fans will do for five minutes with their favorite celebrity. For two days with him? I can't even imagine. I just feel that they have a goos chance of not sending people who want to go help & just needed a way there and instead sending fans who aren't prepared and won't be much help.

I love the idea, hate the execution.

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

They are, but the hook is definitely, "you may get to hang out with the actors!" rather than, "you get to help people!" Which I get, it's a cynical tactic for a good cause (such is life in non-profits), but I'm kind of depressed that they have to use that hook.

[yasminke.livejournal.com]

Nope, it pushed some of my buttons, too. If I'm going to raise $5,000+ for a charity, I want a lot more transparency than that, for start.

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

I actually think they know what they're doing here- especially when I look at the fine print. Extraordinary cynicism is a necessity in non-profit endeavors. You justify it by the fact that it's for idealistic reasons. (I mean, I routinely try to organize events where I think of using people's children as "bait", in the sense of providing something that parents want to take their kids to so I can try and talk the parents into volunteering. And when I AM talking to them, I'm not above trying to guilt them into it, talking about all the sad girls just waiting for someone to make a difference in their lives. It's all true, but it's a very cynical way of thinking.)