I do a lot of charitable work and have for much of my life. Its an important part of how I am. And people getting involved in charitable work is something I support wholeheartedly - indeed, something Id love see done more widely. In posting the short video below, the presenter neatly summarises many of the thoughts I have regarding the latest facebook craze - the ice-bucket challenge. Lest Im misunderstood here, my objection to the ice-bucket challenge, and the equally ubiquitous no-makeup selfie facebook campaigns is not the raising of money for charity, or the notion of novel fundraising activities (to each their own) but the nominate aspect - the implicit coercion of others; the peer pressure to conform, obey. Thats my beef. Peer pressure is a natural part of human society - weve experienced its power first in the school playground, and it has a dark side. Much of my work - particularly the anti-bullying stuff is about empowering individuals to feel that its ok to not join in with the crowd when necessary. Its the ideal of encouraging personal choice and the importance of respecting other individuals their own freedom to choose. When mass campaigns like the IBC gain momentum, Ive noticed it can be uncomfortable for people to take a different viewpoint and they can find themselves attacked for being uncharitable or for taking things too seriously, its only a bit of fun. Thats my disquiet. Charitable work is enriching: If someone does something inspirational and we feel motivated to join with them or do something in a similar vein, that is a wonderful thing - but lets see an end to the nominate aspect and leave people to feel so moved, they join in a good cause of their own volition, in a way that is personally meaningful. This presenter nails it: youtu.be/la86Dr4Nzpw
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 08:45:33 +0000
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