"Idol Gives Back" Guilt, Pandering, And The Exploitation of Charity For Personal Gain

So I was watching American Idol's "charity" show last night...

I have a few problems with the whole concept. "Idol Gives Back"

True charity is anonymous... What American Idol did is just pathetic pandering, self-promotion, and exploitation of those in hardship for their gain.

My first thought when American Idol began promoting its "Idol Gives Back" episode a few months ago is can't we get ANY pure entertainment anymore? Does everything have to be tied to a 'cause'... Whether its breast cancer, child abuse, hunger, illiteracy, or any one of a couple thousand 'causes of the hour'.

My second thought was what is the motivation of the producers for something like this? And I think its guilt. I think all these people who've made MILLIONS off of American Idol feel guilty. And I think "Idol Gives Back" is there way to feel good about themselves, while in the end, benefiting from their 'charitable' venture and instead of being charitable themselves, they merely exploit other people's charitable nature while having a FANTASTIC PR stunt in the process.

Think about it... "Idol Gives Back"

What was the first thing they did when they announced this endeavor... They asked for corporate sponsors... Exxon-Mobile stepped up... AT&T stepped up... Ford Motor Company stepped up... News Corp, parent company of Fox Stepped up...

Shouldn't the first part of "Idol Gives Back" be an announcement of what those who make up American Idol are going to 'give'????

This whole thing SHOULD have been called "America gives back while Idol self-promotes"

Again... I believe this whole thing was rooted in guilt. But for all those who've made millions off of idol. Creator Simon Fuller, Producer Simon Jones, Directors Bruce Gowers, Nigel Lythgoe (principal of 19 entertainment) and Ken Warwick... Damir Kovacevic, and the judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul...

Guilt does not overshadow greed. And guilty as they feel for their success... Rather than just turn around and write a personal check anonymously to REALLY be charitable... The "new" charity is using your celebrity (which costs you nothing) to ask OTHER people to be charitable. And that makes these celebs feel better about themselves...

If Idol's primary goal was to 'give back' Why don't each of these American Idol Multi-Millionaires pen a big fat check anonymously?

Anyway... by any means, not to belittle the people they showed in the video's and their hardships, in Africa, in Kentucky, in New Orleans but 'true' charity seems to be lost by celebs and those whose primary interest is selfish in nature.

So Simon Fuller, Simon Jones, Simon Cowell, Ken Warwick, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, Nigel Lythgoe, Bruce Gowers and Damir Kovacevic... Idol has made you all what you are today... Lets see YOU give back as much as you ask America too.

Virginia Tech Killings and Gun Control

As expected, since the Virginia Tech killings, many of the same old un-informed voices have been calling for gun control... Rosie Odonnell was on "The View" flapping her oversized mouth around painting this as a gun control issue...

Today I noticed the following article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=593348

In it, the author asks:

"What remains to be seen is whether the really big question ever gets addressed: What are we going to do about all the guns out there in the hands of all the sullen loners who are looking for a way to make the rest of us realize what's really important and what's not?"

The author of the article also discards the notion that had students been able to carry concealled weapons (Virginia allows concealled carry with a permit, but weapons are banned from the campus itself) lives would not have been saved. This rampage would NOT have been ended sooner.

I have a few open-ended questions for those who think gun control would have prevented this tragedy, and for those who don't think armed citizens could have and would have ended this massacre with a fraction of the bloodshed.

First, lets just ASSUME that it is actually possible to prevent these "sullen loners" from obtaining firearms. (which of course its not) Guns were banned on campus, but this psycho brought one. So clearly the law would not deter him. And having seen his psychotic manifesto on the news... I'm quite certain he would have found a way to obtain a firearm even if he had to wack an unsuspecting cop over the head with a louisville slugger and steal his gun. Regardless. Lets live in the world of the ignorant for a while and PRETEND that he wouldn't have been able to get a gun.

Do you really believe that if this kid had no access to guns he wouldn't have found a way to create as much death and destruction as possible?

Perhaps it would have been smashing his car into a big crowd of kids (very easy to find on a college campus) and killing dozens, perhaps it would have been a bomb (Tim McVeigh did it with fertilizer). Perhaps it would have been chaining up exit doors and lighting a dorm building on fire during the night.

On Sept. 11th thousands died, and not a single gun was used.

I watched this kids psychotic manifesto on television. I assume you have seen the video also. Is there any doubt in your mind that if not for a gun he would have just found another method to inflict his psychotic episode with?

Do you really believe that if he hadn't been able to get a hold of a gun he would have given up his psychotic intentions?

And how can you brush off the suggestion that if guns were not banned on campus, and students had been allowed to carry guns, that wouldn't have stopped his killing rampage sooner... Yet when the authorities were summoned to deal with a "school shooter" they arrived on campus by the dozens, perhaps hundreds EACH AND EVERY ONE of them running around with AR-15's and other semi-automatic weaponry to deal with this threat?

If having weapons available wasn't a solution to neutralizing this threat... why did the police show up armed to the gills with guns to deal with the situation?

And the bigger picture... When are people going to realize that there are some things you just can't prevent. Especially in a free society. Those with no regard for human life (theirs or anyone elses) will always find a way to kill, and there will never be a way to prevent every incident like that.