Now, I know its swimming against the tide and not on message to say this but I wont be taking part and heres why: 1. Peer pressure I dont think being told you have to do something for charity is the best way of going about things. Raising money and raising awareness are both admirable, but feeling obliged to do something just because someone else says you have to rubs me up the wrong way. This isn’t so much a challenge as a dare, peer pressure of the type that sees people do all sorts of daft, unnecessary and sometimes dangerous things. If I’m going to do something for charity, I’d prefer to choose what I do. If I want to do a fun run or a sponsored fast, I’ll do it, but don’t tell me what I have to do for charity. The discomfort of the Ice Bucket Challenge doesn’t bother me (I’ve done the Maldon Mud Race in the past), but feeling I have to do it because of social (media) pressure does. 2. I’ll choose my own charity In all the ‘wacky fun’ of the Ice Bucket Challenge, I haven’t really seen an awful lot about the causes it’s raising money for. There’s no doubt it has raised an awful lot of cash for the charities involved, which is a good thing, but I’m confused about who it’s raising money for. Didn’t it start as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raising money for amyotrophic lateral scelerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease in the USA? Here in the UK it seems to be have been used for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and MacMillan Cancer Support, both very worthy causes. But again for me, it’s a matter of choice and I’ll be choosing the charities I give to rather than being told to. I’m sure if someone came up to you in the street and demanded you give money to a certain cause, you might feel a bit peeved. That’s how I feel about this. We all have charities that are close to our heart or causes we identify with more than another, and they’re the ones we choose to give to. Oh, and if some of the famous multi-millionaires we’ve seen doing the challenge gave a bit more of their vast fortunes, maybe these charities wouldn’t need any public donations at all. 3. Its a bit tedious If you’re a Facebook user, I can pretty much guarantee your feed is completely clogged up with Ice Bucket Challenge videos. There is very little variation and, frankly, it’s all a bit tedious. I haven’t watched many because it’s not my idea of fun - there are no surprises and little entertainment in seeing people pull a pained face after getting a drenching time after time after time. Also, I prefer giving to charity to be a private, personal matter that isn’t all about the giver. So, instead of taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, I’m going to find a much better use for water. I’ll be donating to Water Aid because, believe it or not, in some parts of the world they don’t have buckets of clean water to throw around, and I’ll also be donating to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. However, if you still need to see another Ice Bucket Challenge, there is only you should watch and this is it:
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:48:48 +0000
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