Maybe, but what does "raising awareness" achieve unless action is actually taken?
What has a twitter hashtag campaign ever actually fixed or improved? How much did the ice bucket challenge do for ALS sufferers or research? What, in reality, does Movember do for cancer research or sufferers? Pretty much every twat I've come across that does that doesn't even get sponsored, they just do it for a laugh. #BringBackOurGirls did nothing to accelerate those hostages' release, in fact many have still not been returned. But at least a lot of westerners got to show that they cared. Big deal.
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Prufrock Lucifer, son of the morning!, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 16:22,
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Ice bucket challenge raised $100m in 30 days
www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/26/ice-bucket-challenge-als-charity-gene-discovery
and Movember's raised over $600m over the years.
So quite a lot.
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Draconacticus Reject shampoo. Demand real poo!, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 16:27,
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I, for one, would like my awareness to remain unphilanthropically low.
(, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 16:39, Share, Reply)
You missed the champion of the genre: #Kony2012
A campaign by middle-class American students to bring to justice a proper Heart of Darkness-style, heads-on-poles African jungle warlord complete with small but ultra-violent army.
When pushed on exactly how he was going to achieve this, the campaign organiser went on a naked wanking rampage through San Francisco, filmed by passers-by.
The warlord might be still hanging entire villages from trees but, as a method of raising awareness, a pavement wankathon meltdown has never been bettered.
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After you my dear Alfonse No. After you., Mon 9 Jan 2017, 16:56,
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Bring back our girls worked fucking brilliantly though.
Boko haram just handed em back and promised not to do bad shit any,ore
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The Ann Coulter Fan Club Babylon is burning at, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 17:12,
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hashtags not very effective i suspect
30 seconds talking about south sudan on prime time US telly probably resulted in a few hundred people googling it. Of whom one or two might be interested in working out there or donating. None of which would have happened had he thanked his mother
(, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 17:02, Share, Reply)
You all make good points.
Especially eViLegion. Misanthropes unite!
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Prufrock Lucifer, son of the morning!, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 17:07,
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I mean to say, what kind of arse wants to ruin everyone's day
by depressing them with all sorts of heinous shit going on in the world?
(, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 20:44, Share, Reply)
Quite a lot. Certainly more than not doing anything at all.
You make a good point, there is a problem with charity saturation and the fact that sharing something on Facebook isn't the same as actually *doing* something, but Movember are very open about where the money goes. Try this link: https://uk.movember.com/report-cards
One of the big things they did was set up a database of research that allows far greater international collaboration on time-consuming research. There's a ton more. Recent years have seen them shift from focus on testicular/prostate to general male health (including things like disproportionately high suicide rates), helping people with depression and stuff. They do good work.
For ALS, they hadn't anticipated raising so much so quickly thanks to such overwhelming support. It was kind of a nice problem to have, but it was a genuine problem to work out how best to spend it - they have now been able to fund huge amounts more research than existed previously.
And awareness is important.
As for #BringBackOurGirls, well, I suppose one other thing it has achieved is highlighting that we don't have any influence over foreign policy and that there are things that good intentions can't fix.
(, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 17:32, Share, Reply)
Ok, fair enough.
It was still a shit anecdote to tell at an awards show though.
"Hey you guys! I went on a trip at the expense of a charity to Africa and guess what?! All the charity workers had seen my TV show! Really puts thing in perspective. Made me feel so proud!"
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Prufrock Lucifer, son of the morning!, Mon 9 Jan 2017, 17:42,
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