U2Fanatic4ever
Blue Crack Addict
Contemplating Bono... 
Hi all...
caught this nice article on Bono..Seems like they are few and far between.. It seems like there are more negative than positive about our boy....
Enjoy...and let me know what ya think...(btw..i looked over the forum and didn't see this article so if I missed a thread on it ..sowwy :-( )
Peace!
From DublinPeople.com:
Straight Talking
By Niall Gormley
Contemplating Bono
WHAT are we to make of a multi-millionaire on a mission to save the poor of the earth?
We could say that he's a bloody hypocrite. We could say that he has no qualification for the job
other than being famous. We could speculate about his motives and his ego. And we could sit
back and enjoy a few cheap sneers.
Many of these reactions have undoubtedly greeted the emergence of Bono as a champion of
the poor. Most of them are wrong-headed and pointless.
I despise celebrity culture. I foam at the mouth when I see the amount of coverage given to
famous people. The likes of 'Hello' and 'VIP' magazines make me want to throw up.
I have a natural leftist scepticism for the big charity showcase where the stars show off their shiny
teeth and their designer care for the world. Yuk!
Maybe I'm standing up for the local lad here but I don't think that's what our Bono is about.
But talking about what motivates Bono is just a side issue. The question is whether he will do any
good. The answer is yes.
Bono didn't invent the campaign to write off the debts of the poorest countries of the world. It's been
going for a long time now.
What he did do was give the campaign publicity and some of the energy that has made him the
success that he is. In the real world communication is vital. Bono used his rock star status to bring
the debt campaign to a wider section of the public. Once there, public opinion can make a difference.
The debt campaign has enormous potential for good. The poorest countries in the world are spending
fortunes to service debt repayments while huge sections of their population die of malnutrition or
preventable diseases.
It's not just a moral case. The AIDS crisis in Africa is destroying the economies of the poorest countries
and destroying the potential for development.
The Economist magazine reports that Botswana, for example, will have 32 per cent less economic
output by 2010 because of AIDS. An entire generation of children are being left orphaned across
Africa with consequent damage to the education system and the fabric of society.
The thing is, that AIDS should not be having such an impact. If the drugs that are available in the West
were available in Africa, the human and economic cost would only be a fraction as severe.
The African countries do not have the money for these drugs. The West has.
Bono has been trying to convince donors, especially the US, to pay for these drugs to save the lives
of millions and improve global economic conditions into the bargain.
He managed to get the US Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, to accompany him on a trip around Africa
to see how bad the situation is.
The fact is, that the US has the power, the drug patents and the cash to transform the situation. And
Bono has the ear of the Treasury Secretary and millions of young voters in the US simultaneously. You
can't tell me that this is not a positive development.
So ok, it's not revolution, but it is addressing the situation now. Bono could sit on his butt sunning himself
just like many other millionaires.
He hasn't. Good for him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi all...
caught this nice article on Bono..Seems like they are few and far between.. It seems like there are more negative than positive about our boy....
Enjoy...and let me know what ya think...(btw..i looked over the forum and didn't see this article so if I missed a thread on it ..sowwy :-( )
Peace!
From DublinPeople.com:
Straight Talking
By Niall Gormley
Contemplating Bono
WHAT are we to make of a multi-millionaire on a mission to save the poor of the earth?
We could say that he's a bloody hypocrite. We could say that he has no qualification for the job
other than being famous. We could speculate about his motives and his ego. And we could sit
back and enjoy a few cheap sneers.
Many of these reactions have undoubtedly greeted the emergence of Bono as a champion of
the poor. Most of them are wrong-headed and pointless.
I despise celebrity culture. I foam at the mouth when I see the amount of coverage given to
famous people. The likes of 'Hello' and 'VIP' magazines make me want to throw up.
I have a natural leftist scepticism for the big charity showcase where the stars show off their shiny
teeth and their designer care for the world. Yuk!
Maybe I'm standing up for the local lad here but I don't think that's what our Bono is about.
But talking about what motivates Bono is just a side issue. The question is whether he will do any
good. The answer is yes.
Bono didn't invent the campaign to write off the debts of the poorest countries of the world. It's been
going for a long time now.
What he did do was give the campaign publicity and some of the energy that has made him the
success that he is. In the real world communication is vital. Bono used his rock star status to bring
the debt campaign to a wider section of the public. Once there, public opinion can make a difference.
The debt campaign has enormous potential for good. The poorest countries in the world are spending
fortunes to service debt repayments while huge sections of their population die of malnutrition or
preventable diseases.
It's not just a moral case. The AIDS crisis in Africa is destroying the economies of the poorest countries
and destroying the potential for development.
The Economist magazine reports that Botswana, for example, will have 32 per cent less economic
output by 2010 because of AIDS. An entire generation of children are being left orphaned across
Africa with consequent damage to the education system and the fabric of society.
The thing is, that AIDS should not be having such an impact. If the drugs that are available in the West
were available in Africa, the human and economic cost would only be a fraction as severe.
The African countries do not have the money for these drugs. The West has.
Bono has been trying to convince donors, especially the US, to pay for these drugs to save the lives
of millions and improve global economic conditions into the bargain.
He managed to get the US Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, to accompany him on a trip around Africa
to see how bad the situation is.
The fact is, that the US has the power, the drug patents and the cash to transform the situation. And
Bono has the ear of the Treasury Secretary and millions of young voters in the US simultaneously. You
can't tell me that this is not a positive development.
So ok, it's not revolution, but it is addressing the situation now. Bono could sit on his butt sunning himself
just like many other millionaires.
He hasn't. Good for him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
