Ever since I heard about the ONE Campaign several years ago (a wonderful cause, click above to read about it), I have grown in my admiration of U2 rock star Bono, who is the driving force behind that effort. At first, as my cynical side kicked in, I viewed him with some level of skepticism, thinking he was one of these celebrities who thought more of himself than he ought. But an interview I heard him give once caught my attention, when I heard him say the following (I'm paraphrasing, but this is pretty close):
"Celebrity is a funny thing. It completely up-ends the natural order of things. Why should an actor or a singer be more honored than a mother or a fireman? But, the reality is that I have this thing called celebrity, and it is a currency. I just choose to use my currency on something that will make a difference."In addition to a good motive, Bono does something that many do not, and that is he strategizes. Rather than just throwing money at something to appease his conscience and win accolades, he meets with and plans with leading thinkers and strategists concerning how to fight against global poverty and AIDS in Africa. That is how the One Campaign started, and that has been successful in bringing together people as far from each other as George Clooney and Pat Robertson to fight for something that goes so far beyond their individual differences.
And it is this strategizing that led to the recent launch of (PRODUCT)RED, a powerful, sustainable effort to raise money to provide anti-retroviral medicine to those suffering from AIDS in Africa. Rather than my going into great detail here, visit their website (www.joinred.com), particularly noting the Manifesto, which explains the mission statement of the organization. And see the Global Fund link for more information about how the money is used. They also maintain an excellent blog telling about the efforts and activities around the world.
Now, as I shift to the reason you are likely at my blog in the first place, let me just note that (PRODUCT)RED clearly knows the gay community is a key demographic to target, because the cause is something we are more aware about than the average person and because we love to shop! So, they have found various celebrities to pose for ads for the campaign, including the handsome Don Cheadle (I want to see the rest of this picture series!) and hot speed-skating champion Apolo Ohno (speechless...).
Also, as you are looking around to see how you can help fight for the needs of those in Africa, you can still enjoy looking at the Gap models showing off their clothing line...
Oh, and this has absolutely nothing to do with the red stuff, but I love this picture of Apolo Ohno....
So check out the (PRODUCT)RED campaign. I know there are tons of "causes" clamoring for our attention, and I know many of them are worthwhile. But perhaps one or two of you who read this might be motivated to be involved in this good effort. I lived in Africa for a while, so I have seen the devastation this disease causes firsthand. And Bono has done something few before him have even come close to accomplishing in raising the world's awareness of the plight of people who (in his words), due to "an accident of longitude and latitude" are dying in silence and will continue to do so unless those of us living much more privileged lives are willing to get off our butts and do something about it.
Today's Holidays:
- World Development Information Day
2 comments:
You might want to note that the Red Campaign, while a great idea, is quite sexist in the distribution of its funds. As stated on the website: the donations go to women and children. Therefore, presumably, guy men will not in any way benefit from the work. Considering how indiscriminate the disease, it is unfortunate that money must be distributed in a discriminatory manner.
Anonymous,
I think that perhaps you are being unnecessarily harsh on the campaign. It is not sexist to distribute funds to women and children only, because that is the stated purpose of the organization's fundraising efforts. The thrust of this particular fundraising drive is to raise money to provide the medicine that will keep a mother from passing HIV on to her unborn child. For a particular effort to focus on one legitimate aspect of a huge problem is not sexist; in fact, it is likely very practical, because it gives very specific guidance and direction to those using the funding. Rather than arbitrary decisions concerning fund distribution, those involved know exactly what the money is to be used for and can simply focus on getting the medicine out as quickly as possible.
If you look into Bono's efforts in Africa, you will find that the Product(Red) campaign is only one aspect of his involvement with the needs there. He has been instrumental in addressing many issues related to poverty and HIV/AIDS, and nobody can claim he is sexist in his efforts and be fair to him.
It is no different than the example of Children's Memorial Hospital here in my hometown of Chicago. Is it sexist (or "ageist") when someone raises funds for the cancer unit of that hospital simply because cancer indiscriminately affects adults as well? Certainly not! The focus on fighting a problem in one area in no way negates or lessens the work of others fighting it in another area. Both are legitimate, both are essential, and both should receive support rather than criticism for their efforts.
And finally, it is a very selfish thing to assume that gay men will not benefit from the work of Product(Red). Do gay men not have nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, whose lives could be saved through the medicine provided by this campaign? Are we gay men so selfish that we have to get the medicine for ourselves before we can be excited and enthusiastic about lives being saved? I certainly hope not!
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