Spoiled ?

[rica]

I was blown away by the amount of blue cell phone lights during One and it struck me how much we take for granted every day. Bono pleas for help ending 3rd world poverty and then thousands of people hold up an electronic device that costs an average of $1,000 a year to own.

 

[Utoo]

Sounds to me like he's got the right audience. It's better than "hold up your foodstamps---now donate your money!" The whole point behind ONE, DATA, 'Crumbs' is that us rich, white, 'christian' Americans talk a big talk when it comes to compassion, etc., towards poor countries around the world, but we don't back it up with the biggest things we've got--our wallets. Bono's been quoted several times as saying that the idea for 'Crumbs' came to him after talking to various christian organizations in the US about helping Africa & they all agreed with him but would pledge nothing.

I think that enlisting the help of moderately well-off cellphone-toting folks is a pretty good idea. Perhaps Bono's message will help us realize how fortunate (not necessarily spoiled) we are & how much we truly are able to help.

 

[happy880]

Utoo I agree with you. We talk big but don't back it up with our wallets. I don't know how people felt about signing the One Campaign petition at the concert but I thought it was a simple way to have our "voices" heard. Two girls walked up to the table and refused to sign it. I just couldn't understand that. Two seconds of there time was all the guy wanted. He even told them he wasn't asking for a donation and they didn't have to put their email addresses down.

 

[prof_peabody]

Sounds to me like he's got the right audience. It's better than "hold up your foodstamps---now donate your money!" The whole point behind ONE, DATA, 'Crumbs' is that us rich, white, 'christian' Americans talk a big talk when it comes to compassion, etc., towards poor countries around the world, but we don't back it up with the biggest things we've got--our wallets.

The point of DATA is to pay rich white guys! (seriously)

 

[starsgoblue]

I hope you aren't serious.

 

[cmb737]

I don't necessarily think owning a cellphone makes me a spoiled white christian american.

Going to 7 Vertigo Shows does. Except the christian part.

 

[tkramer]

LOL!

 

[BWU2Buffs]

I was blown away by the amount of blue cell phone lights during One and it struck me how much we take for granted every day. Bono pleas for help ending 3rd world poverty and then thousands of people hold up an electronic device that costs an average of $1,000 a year to own.

This is a good point -- maybe Bono should ask everyone to donate one month's cell phone bill as we hold them in our hands -- most of us don't realize what $60 will do to help. 5,000 cell phones, less than a third of the typical arena crowd, @ $60 would be $300,000 -- pretty good donation.

 

[BVS]

Sounds like some of you have pretty expensive phone plans.

 

[indra]

Sounds like some of you have pretty expensive phone plans.

No kidding!

 

[U2fan05]

$40 a month really means $70 with taxes.
But anyways, I thought Bono said they weren't after our money.

 

[scottyT]

regardless, we don't get to take it with us..... some people could use the money more than us.


remember how great life was before we were slaves to those P.O.S. phones anyway?



and to the internet....

and im.....

 

[Chizip]

Bono pleas for help ending 3rd world poverty and then thousands of people hold up an electronic device that costs an average of $1,000 a year to own.

bono is a lot more spoiled than the thousands of people at the concert holding up the cell phones. he has a huge house, nice ass car, and lives the life of extreme luxury. i bet he has a cell phone too.

yes he is working hard to help extreme poverty, but how do you know the people in the crowd at the concerts arent trying to do what they can to help as well? i dont think we should judge people because they have a cell phone.

compared to the people in the third world who suffer through extreme poverty, everyone is spoiled.

i dont really see the point of this thread.

 

[U2DMfan]

I dont think the idea is money from cell-phone toting well-off white kids pockets.

it's for average Americans to call their congressmen to urge more monetary aid to Africa, or maybe even to urge further debt relief.

It's the only way anything 'real' will get done.
If some kid ditched his cell phone bill primarily so he could send more aid to Africa, he'd be throwing tiny drops of water at a huge forrest fire.

The idea is several billions of dollars, not the pennies from kids who, may very well be spoiled, relatively speaking, but it doesn't add up much to me.

That said, I have no idea what Bono has been saying in the concerts, I haven't seen the tour yet, if he is asking for money out of people's pockets or not, I think that would be inconsistent
with other things I've heard him say. I think he said it over and over again "we are interested in action not alms"

Correct me if he has a different message on the tour.

 

[Chizip]

No, youre right, Bono hasn't asked concert goers for any money, just to sign the petition.

 

[corner]

Isn't it all about cutting down the money that the Poor countries give to US rather than digging in our pockets for 'charity'.

It's all very well to give a few $ that we might otherwise credit our cellphones with, but when that's outweighed by the Billions $ of debt that they owe us rich countries....it's hardly a long term solution to poverty is it? Signing up to these campaigns (DATA, ONE and 'Make poverty history') is not about handing out cash: it's about tackling poverty for good.

Come to Edinburgh on July 2nd if ya don't believe me!

 

[rica]

The thread wasn't meant to judge; I was just amazed at the irony. have vs. have not.

 

[Hewson]

bono is a lot more spoiled than the thousands of people at the concert holding up the cell phones. he has a huge house, nice ass ,

Why Chiz, I'm sure Bono would be flattered at your admiration.

 

[Chizip]

well he is spoiled to have such a nice ass

 

[indra]

$40 a month really means $70 with taxes.

You need a different cell phone plan. I think my plan is $29 a month and I end up paying under $34. But I don't talk a whole lot on it.

And I thought Bono's idea is for governments to provide debt relief to third world nations and also possibly to increase aid to these nations. Of course, if you're a cynic you'd say the money to fund these will come out of everyone's pockets anyway.

 

[ayearwome]

A further problem lies in corruption in govt in Africa...the money has to be tagged properly and monitored. Herein lies a major problem.

 

[BWU2Buffs]

I read the original post as irony -- and I agree, Bono is asking for action not cash - my point was that a little cash and some action would work together pretty well.

Someone posted about the problems with governments in Africa, this needs addressed somehow, but probably should not stop the action or the cash.

By the way, if I have a fat ass and expensive cell plan, does that mean I'm not spoiled?

 

[u2wedge]

I was blown away by the amount of blue cell phone lights during One and it struck me how much we take for granted every day. Bono pleas for help ending 3rd world poverty and then thousands of people hold up an electronic device that costs an average of $1,000 a year to own.

Just think of all the fossil fuel they saved by not lighting their butane lighters!

If the sight of those phones made you think about how much we take for granted every day, then I think the message that was trying to be conveyed worked.

 

[cmb737]

Re: Re: Spoiled ?

Just think of all the fossil fuel they saved by not lighting their butane lighters!

If the sight of those phones made you think about how much we take for granted every day, then I think the message that was trying to be conveyed worked.

Unfortunately 5X as much fossil fuel was used in the production of these phones. Tis a shame.

Who's buying their H3 Hummer this month????

Nice interview piece btw wedge...