Forty-Five Grand for a Round of Golf
It's the annual BBC Children in Need fund-raising evening on Friday.
I'm not sure what I think about it because my thoughts are rather confused. Firstly, I wish there weren't any children in need in 2010 Britain.
The Communist didn't believe in giving to charity - he said it only discouraged the authorities from funding things properly.
Now, I can see his point - - but some things never are going to be funded properly, I know. So I do give to some charities.
However, there's something about the fund-raising methods of Children in Need that makes me uneasy.
One of the things they do is have an auction on the radio of "things that money can't buy" - a round of golf with a famous golfer, a chance to drive a vintage Ferrari - - that kind of thing. People bid many thousands - - as much as a hundred thousand pounds.
The presenter always thanks them for their generosity and exhorts listeners to keep on bidding - - "bid big and bid early".
And that's what the whole programme's about, just for a day or two. It raises lots of money. The buyers get lots of thanks. It makes very dull radio if you're not able to bid.
For surely this "things that money can't buy" really means "things that money can buy if you're very very rich".
So although the amount of money that the buyers are donating may indeed be large, I'd be willing to bet it's not large as a proportion of their income. It's probably the equivalent of us Ordinary Folks donating a tenner.
I think it's that which makes me uneasy. Very Rich People Buy Things That They Want. That's all that's going on. Okay, the charity benefits - - but if the Very Rich People were really interested in helping the charity, then surely they'd do it anyway.
The actor Ricky Tomlinson recently donated a million pounds to a Liverpool children's hospital, and then refused to be interviewed about it. Now that's generosity.
I'm not sure what I think about it because my thoughts are rather confused. Firstly, I wish there weren't any children in need in 2010 Britain.
The Communist didn't believe in giving to charity - he said it only discouraged the authorities from funding things properly.
Now, I can see his point - - but some things never are going to be funded properly, I know. So I do give to some charities.
However, there's something about the fund-raising methods of Children in Need that makes me uneasy.
One of the things they do is have an auction on the radio of "things that money can't buy" - a round of golf with a famous golfer, a chance to drive a vintage Ferrari - - that kind of thing. People bid many thousands - - as much as a hundred thousand pounds.
The presenter always thanks them for their generosity and exhorts listeners to keep on bidding - - "bid big and bid early".
And that's what the whole programme's about, just for a day or two. It raises lots of money. The buyers get lots of thanks. It makes very dull radio if you're not able to bid.
For surely this "things that money can't buy" really means "things that money can buy if you're very very rich".
So although the amount of money that the buyers are donating may indeed be large, I'd be willing to bet it's not large as a proportion of their income. It's probably the equivalent of us Ordinary Folks donating a tenner.
I think it's that which makes me uneasy. Very Rich People Buy Things That They Want. That's all that's going on. Okay, the charity benefits - - but if the Very Rich People were really interested in helping the charity, then surely they'd do it anyway.
The actor Ricky Tomlinson recently donated a million pounds to a Liverpool children's hospital, and then refused to be interviewed about it. Now that's generosity.
posted by Daphne at 6:07 pm
5 Comments:
Hear hear Daphne.
I think this is quite relevant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpAMbpQ8J7g
It's not perfect, but it is an interesting animation.
The worst thing about "Children in Need" is that "EastEnders" gets cancelled. I would gladly donate a fiver to keep "EastEnders" on air on Friday night and they could give the money to who the hell they wanted - even the Taliban Paedophile Society or The Leeds United Supporters Association. I have never articulated it to myself but instinctively I despise "Children in Need" and the razzmatazz that surrounds it
Hear, hear - Ricky Tomlinson is a real "man of the people" - he couldn't be ostentatious if he tried, and I'm sure he would never try. There will be lots of dressing-up and back patting for Children in Need and it wil raise a huge amount of money but yes it is all a bit over the top and embarrasing.
Yes, uneasy; queasy even.
It's the yawning buckets at the checkouts of supermarkets I don't like. Who knows if all the money tossed into them makes it to CiN anyway...
Lucy
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