Arguments Against Celebrity Activism

“I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” This is a quote from Bob Goff who has done tremendous things to not only help his community but the world. He has worked on changing the world through the organizations he founded. Bob Goff started a non-profit organization and donates large sums of money to another charitable organizations. Bob Goff has made an impact through his organizations, his philanthropy, and how he spreads his ideas.

Most, if not all, have probably already seen the ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan and know how excruciatingly depressing and emotional the commercial is. It screams success from since the commercial was aired in 2007, and yet, still serves its purpose head on. The simplicity of this commercial has raised over $30 million since it was first aired on T.V., making it the most successful fundraising efforts yet. Be aware that in 2014, the ASPCA annual budget was roughly $14.4 million. (ASPCA Annual Report 2014, 2015).

Singer ties this back to the opportunity that many have to save the lives of children by sending money to charities but choose not

become a major player and contributor to this organization. It is usually thought that celebrities do charity work to look good to the public, but Audrey did it because she sincerely understood what it was like to starve and live in fear. Throughout her life, she took over 50 trips to various areas of the globe in order to help everyone she could (as UNCIEF ambassador). It is easy to classify Hepburn as a giver because of her incredible humanitarian work over the course of her life.

By providing a specific number, $200, Singer demonstrates how simple and reasonable it is to save a child in poverty. Additionally, he repeats, “to save a child’s life,” which demonstrates exactly what a $200 donation could do for a child in poverty. As an example, Singer references a credible philosopher, Peter Unger, and acknowledges that “by his calculation, $200 in donations would help a sickly 2-year-old transform into a healthy 6-year-old.” Next, he establishes, “if you were to give up dining out just for one month, you would easily save that amount.” Singer emphasizes this to show the reader how simple it is to save $200, and, more importantly, save the life of a helpless child.

Thesis 1: Charlton Heston is directly responsible for the large amount of gun ownership in America and is thus responsible for the large amount of gun related violence in America. If he stopped his rallying then gun violence would drop. Response: I disagree with this statement because Charlton Heston only promotes legal ownership of guns, and he does not support any form of violence and only encourages guns be used for self defence.

She supported the PSA to raise awareness for this disease. She also sang for Stand Up for Cancer by the American Association for Cancer Research, raising over $73.6 million. She has also supported many other charities including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Disabled American Veterans, Save the Children, The Salvation Army, and Grammy Foundation. Although LeAnn Rimes had some rough times during her life, she still turned bad into good by raising money for all of these charities benefitting millions around the world. ( LeAnn Rimes is known all around the country for her unique voice, talented writing skills, and her amazing acting.

Peter Singer himself writes, “We can give to organizations like Unicef or Oxfam America” (Singer, 737). If the wealthy people were to help the poor out, there is no reason to bother in using children of the poor to feed the wealthy. The money that will be provided can go into making shelters in which those children can live happily. There is no reason for those who do not trust organizations, to be selfish. They themselves can create their own organization, give children shelters and their parents a job as well.

In Singer’s “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” he argues the importance of donation to poor people, which could mean the difference between life and death for children in need. He gives an example for Bob, who has an opportunity to save a child’s life, but he could lose his worthy car. He makes a comparison between people who are capable to donate money to save children lives and people who have no chance to help or donate under certain situation such as Bob. He also encourages people who are in the middle class to donate at a minimum of 200$; furthermore, he thinks that people should donate more like 200.000$ when they consider the level of sacrifice that they would demand of Bob’s situation. He gives some estimates for the amount of donations that people should give to overseas.

Even when celebrities follow the practice of a particular pattern of constantly re-inventing themselves through controversy it promotes public interest and sparks curiosity it often makes front-page news in the media. This is, in a sense, publicity for the celebrity. As it promotes their name and their brand which helps them become more and more recognized. Sociologist Goffman would

Virtue, compassion, and benevolence are all qualities in our society that are considered good. In history, there are figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. that have displayed these characteristics, but then again, demonstrations of goodness are shown by people every day. Goodness or righteousness from people has always thrived, even in the worst periods of humanity. Therefore, mankind is inherently good as shown in Elie Wiesel’s novel Night, where this notion is illustrated through kind acts during his difficult times and through charities which give people hope.

Our group has decided to volunteer with Feed My Starving Children(FMSC) which was founded in 1987. Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian non-profit organization that provides nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. Its mission is to feed God’s starving children in different countries who are hungry in body and spirit. Their process is simple. Donations from people fund the meal ingredients and volunteers hand-pack the meals.

Singer advises people to not follow Bob’s actions. Singer wants people to redeem themselves like Dora, and donate money as much as they could. Singer believes that if everyone would only spend on necessities then people would have money to save a child’s life. Therefore, Singer’s solution to world’s poverty would be successful by adding that people could donate to their own preference of charitable organization and donate as much as they

Celebrities in Politics Celebrities undoubtably play a large role in American society. They are the faces of commercials, have large followings, and have become household names. Especially with the rise of social media such as Twitter, celebrities have become closer to the everyday person. Celebrities can tweet out their opinion on politics or show support for social movements, and have this be seen by millions of people in seconds. With the recent Colin Kaepernick controversy, more of the general public are starting to hound famous people with messages criticizing their participation in politics.

Celebrities with positive influence are not given the opportunity to spread their positive message to the world because the spotlight is mostly given to those who have no dreams and goals in life.