The Ice Bucket Challenge

[MacNimon]

You’ll all no doubt be aware of the latest craze sweeping not only this country, but a large part of the world…the Ice Bucket Challenge, where people accept a challenge to get soaked with ice-cold water and then pour another bucketful over themselves. It’s all supposedly in the name of charity, and to raise awareness for Motor Neurone Disease, but there have been claims that the stunt has been ‘hijacked’ by McMillan Cancer Support. But what are your thoughts on it?

Is it fun? Is it funny? Is it cringeworthy and embarrassing? Is it people genuinely wanting to do something good (or at least feel they‘re contributing to something worthy albeit it in a small way), or it simply people jumping on a bandwagon seeking attention? Do you think people feel pressured into doing something silly which they wouldn’t normally consider? Do you think it’s all a big con?

Have you taken part in the challenge? If so, what are your feelings about it…why did you do so and are you happy that you did so? And if not, why not? Do you simply not want to participate (for whatever reason) or have you simply not been nominated? And if you were nominated, would you participate?

[Wayne]

I think video you shared on FB sums it up best, Kenny.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152256590501491

I can kind take the fact the icebucket challenge is motivated by attention-seeking. The dubious merits of charity-giving aside, most people if you look kindly on them are having a bit of fun and at least promoting some kind of awareness in the mix. I find it hard to get too down on people, because at least the majority aren't doing stuff like this:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/...meless-7674673

I talked a bit about this on FB, mostly in relation to this link, and the wider issue of where your money goes when you donate to charity.

http://worldtruth.tv/als-ice-bucket-...re-supporting/

Of course it's not the first time and it won't be the last. ('Comic Relief', anyone?) But it's still disappointing for those who genuinely want to do good.
Of course people need to live and incur a certain amount of genuine expenses, but as usual, most of the money seems to end up in the pockets of the men in suits, living off the good-will of ordinary decent people. Another great example of capitalism....
It's a double edged sword. In an ideal world there should never be any need for charity because everyone would have enough in the first place. But sadly, our world is not like that, and as much as this sort of thing angers me, also because it lets governments off the hook in distributing money to the those that really need it.
But if we took away the charities, or stopped giving altogether, as much as we are lining the pockets of these people; SOME of the money does get through, and without it, the recipients would be even worse off, because the official system still wouldn't fulfil their responsibilities, anyway. The proverbial rock and hard place.
Ultimately, I think everyone has to let their own conscience decide where they stand on this one. I know people who refuse to give to charity at all. I don't condemn it because I understand where they're coming from, and they are right in thinking that it's a con.
On the other hand, I know that SOME good does get done, albeit mostly by aid workers in the field, and the charities have to support them to live to, to carry on what they're doing.
So basically, I still give little bits here and there, even if it's just doing the odd-charity gig, and handing stuff in to charity that we no longer needed. And of course buying from charity shops too... although that's partly a financial necessity.
We all have to try to live in our own worlds....

[Perry Vale]

I'm rarely exposed to media circuses these days, and the only time I've had for the IBC is Patrick Stewart's one, coming in around 50 seconds. Apart from that, I support the Rubble Bucket Challenge.

I echo many of Wayne's comments regarding charities. Charitable "institutions" are not required or needed in the 21st Century, Bitcoin or other CryptoCurrencies make them obsolete. If you want to get money to someone suffering from ALS, or a dedicated ALS hospital (for example), you can do it with Bitcoin. They then get the money directly, cutting out the middle man, and his cut.

At the end of the day though, Wayne says it best when saying it is ultimately down to the individual and their conscience.

[MacNimon]

I read that link of yours on Facebook the other day, Wayne, and it's partly why I posted this here. I just didn't want to reply on somewhere on public as Facebook, where so many people can read what you post instantly even when the conversation doesn't include them...

As anyone who has me as a friend on Facebook has possibly seen, I did the challenge earlier in the week. To be honest, I really hadn't paid much attention to it until I saw Duncan doing his then a slow realisation dawning that it was getting closer and closer...I had that sort of vague "Aye, you'll never catch me doing that" thought, until one of my oldest friends nominated me...that's when it changes from something silly that you see others doing into a personal challenge...if he can do it, so can I...so there is that bit of pressure but in a friendly way (as in "I bet you won't do this...") I wasn't particularly aware at thsi point exacly what charity this was suppedly for, but I told Mary that I'd do it and donate to Cancer research because a good friend of ours died just a couple of months ago from an aggressive form of cancer at the age of 43.

It seems like quite a few people felt the same way, as Morag was a very popular person...we all felt as if in a way we were doing it for her. Total nonsense of course, and all we were doing was a token gesture. But we could just imagine her looking down at us saying "Look at those silly b******s" and having a great laugh at our expense, while at the same time knowing that when she was healthy, she would have been in there doing it with everyone else. It felt good, being able to think about her and laugh, rather than feeling sad. So in that respect, despite how much (or should I say little) of our charitable donation actually goes to research, it was certainly worth the effort. After all, if I'm daft enough to choose to pour a bucket of cold water over myself in my own back garden and then post a video of it on Facebook, regardless of any craze doing the rounds, I'm not under any obligation to donate money anywhere if I don't wish to, surely? That I chose to give to Cancer Research is a decision I came to easily without outside influence. My biggest problem is being a bit embarrassed about how I mumbled my words, forgetting what I was supposed to say - Mary's prowling around and excitement at giving me a soaking was more than a little distracting. But to refilm it to do it better would have meant another soaking...that would really have made her day! No way!!!

[MacNimon]

Of course, I totally agree with how the money is dished out...and I'm sure that all these charities will be the same. It's something of a double-edged sword, though, isn't it...perhaps if these people weren't getting paid as much as they are, possibly the charities research wouldn't even get as much as they currently do? We'll never know

[Si Hunt]

The whole point of this was a "truth or dare" kind of thing - you either donate money or you have water tipped over you. So all those news articles warning that "X % of people who did the ice bucket challenge didn't donate any money!" missed the point, and all those people larking about "doing their bit for charity" were actually admitting that they preferred to do the stunt than support the charity.

That said, I would have donated and done the video if I'd been nominated, but no-body ever did, something I actually got quite upset about one day. The majority of my friends and family did it, but none of them thought of me when nominating other people, which told me exactly how high in their thoughts I actually was.

Si.