#20Acts

Most gestures serve no greater purpose than self-gratification. That's not new.

 

Curry is retweeting people's anxious Tweets to her detailing their own #20Acts. The need for people to feel important is a sad one.

"@russd2357: Helped out with bike giveaway to poor kids and teaching some of them how to ride their new bikes. #20Acts" #26Acts

"@shandillon: #26actsofkindness 1st act done. I just donated books to a classroom in honor of Newtown on http://www.donorschoose.org ." #20Acts

"@viperpilot08: @AnnCurry #20Acts I'm at 11 and having fun too. Care packages for homeless next. " #26Acts

#20Acts. #26Acts "@jaclynmo: @AnnCurry Just went Christmas shopping for two needy families! #20acts #Newtown #feelingbetter"

Volunteered to teach a beginners ballet class this morning. @AnnCurry the reward was seeing all the joy in the kids/parents faces. #20Acts

Mary Kathryn Wood ‏@WooWoo949

@AnnCurry Made Green/White school color ribbons for my office tmrw to wear in honor of victims. #20Acts #prayers4CT pic.twitter.com/Fw00D984

After #20Acts/#26Acts of kindness to honor Newtown, bet you'll discover more to list under the TT hashtag #thingsilikeaboutmyself

"@suevthorn: @AnnCurry - I'm in and at least one will recognize a teacher. #20acts" #26Acts

#20Acts #26Acts "@judywarawa: @AnnCurry Just filled up a box for the food bank"

Greg De Benedictis ‏@GregDB2011

@AnnCurry #20acts shows great social activism & brings hope 4 humanity. Donated more money to local mental health services clinic #Newtown

chelsea anderson ‏@cdanderson1987

@AnnCurry i LOVE this idea of #20acts! going to adopt a family through my local salvation army today.
GirlsLuvFootball2 ‏@GirlsLuvFootbal

@AnnCurry I'm in. Taking my kids to buy 20 presents for kids living in homeless shelters. One for each victim. #20Acts

And so on.

 

I know. You're right. But there are gestures made because there's simply nothing else to do--for example, expressions of grief for the 9/11 victims--and gestures made because it's too much effort to do something that matters.

And re the responses to Curry's experiment in generosity: hope all those folks feel great about themselves.

Am I the only one so completely horrified by the "Christmas is ruined" theme? Does it matter that's it's Christmas? Is this any less tragic in March? July??

 

Of course they do. As Curry herself Tweted:


"After #20Acts/#26Acts of kindness to honor Newtown, bet you'll discover more to list under the TT hashtag #thingsilikeaboutmyself"

 

Also a few innocent adults were murdered in the matter too. Twitter ignores another important fact as usual.

 

No, there are some people Tweeting about #26acts.

Isn't it weird, though, that Twitter is this automated, monolithic entity that thinks for itself with no human intervention?

 

Let me go out and help somebody then run to Twitter and crow about it!

GAG GAG GAG

How about help somebody and don't say a damn thing.

 

If this was just a #20Acts thing about a holiday and not a reaction to a tragedy, it would be fun and easy to make fun of.

There was one cardboard cup-holdy thing left for coffee cups at Starbucks. I let the next person in line have it. #20Acts

Actually engaged the Wal-Mart clerk in conversation. #20Acts

Let the Taco Bell Drive-Through people know I did NOT order that extra soft taco. #20Acts

 

I understand 21's cynicism, but I guess all I can say to it, is you've got to start somewhere.

We can debate gun control and help for the mentally ill, but until we learn to care for one another, it's all pointless.

I try to do my one act of kindness each and every day. I try to make the world a better place. And that makes a difference in my corner of the world.

 

More on the "Morgan Freeman statement," from his flak:


http://movies.yahoo.com/news/newtown-school-shootings-morgan-freeman-says-statement-hoax-220005263.html

 

I don't see this as something to blow your top about, except to say that the momentum from stuff like this doesn't last. I hate to say it, but if Giffords didn't lead to anything substantive (It had Sarah Palin's dartboard target, for crissakes), I don't think this will, either.

 

I should have known Reddit would have had something to do with the Morgan Freeman idiocy.