I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Bill O'Reilly, who recently went on a crazy rant (shocker!) aimed at George Clooney. Clooney took an active role in the recent tsunami relief concert, and O'Reilly bitched and moaned about the fact that in these cases, celebrities usually line up for a night of help, and then don't follow through to see that the money gets to where it should be. O'Reilly also proffers the notion that these aid efforts are nothing more than self-congratulatory, self-promoting moments in the altruistic sun for the celebs involved.
This is where I agree. Take, for instance, the media coverage of the event itself, which to my knowledge basically consisted of one recycled Associated Press story and a piece on
that qualified, in what is known derogatorily in salty newsroom lingo, as a two-word phrase that means "fellatio." The AP story begins, "With Norah Jones singing, 'we're all in this thing together,' movie and music stars contributed their talents for a hastily arranged benefit for tsunami victims." Ugh-I cannot think of a single image that makes me less interested in helping humankind. I'm sorry, sappy sentiment offered up by the likes of Norah Jones does not inspire the giving spirit. Because, Norah, let me tell you something: You're young, you're beautiful, and you've made a lot of money on a modicum of talent-we're not in
anything
together.
The story also reports, "Gloria Estefan sang 'There's Always Tomorrow.'" Really, Gloria? Cuz for over 150,000 people, there ain't no tomorrow. But the AP story didn't bring up that point, or the fact that no one cares about Gloria Estefan anymore; rather, it just tepidly reported who was there and who sang what. Which, in all fairness, is all an AP story is supposed to do.
The "commentary" piece by regular MSNBC contributor Michael Ventre, however, is one of the most despicable pieces of journalism/propaganda/ass-kissing I have ever had the displeasure of reading. Entitled "Tsunami Benefit Is a Cynicism Free Zone," the piece begins, "Celebrities do serve a purpose." Let the fellatio begin. And it continues, "Most of the time, they exist for the public's amusement…Occasionally, though, something happens that applies their appeal to a grander purpose. These are the times when our interest should peak, and our applause should be enthusiastic and sustained." Oh, by all means. If India.Aria can take two hours out of her busy schedule of adding irritating punctuation to her name so she can stop feeling guilty about being rich for no reason, we should applaud her heartily.
Ventre's only effort at addressing the masturbatory character of events like these is so milquetoast, it barely qualifies as a statement: "Given human nature," he says, "you can never be absolutely sure there isn't an element of self-promotion among a small percentage of the participants…In this case, that factor is probably miniscule..." OK, Michael, there's nothing better in a news story than a bunch of qualifiers and assumptions. Excellent work. Here's an idea: Try finding out the truth-dig around. Did Ben Affleck wiggle his way in to offset his crap performance in
Daredevil
? Would Brian Wilson have participated if
Smile
hadn't just been released?
And here's the kicker: NBC is the parent company that televised the whole affair, which was carried only on NBC-owned stations, MSNBC among them. So is it any surprise that Ventre's "op-ed" piece consists of zero critical analysis and 100 percent cheerleading?
Don't think me cynical. I'm sure everyone involved feels completely freaked by how sad this tragedy is. It's one of the sweetest impulses in the human repertoire, this panicky need to do
something
. It's why people bake so much when someone dies. But it's useless compared to what we can do on the front end to prevent the need for benefits in the first place. What can artists, do? How about give a crap about the country before stuff like this happens? How about stop being so self-centered and congratulatory when you sing one song and think you've made a difference. Millions-
millions
-of people have died horrific deaths in Africa in the past few years. Millions die from the simplest preventable illnesses: diarrhea, starvation, STDs. But I guess a tsunami is just tsexier.
