The ice bucket challenge

That is so wrong, but I'm getting looks at the office for laughing so hard at it. Guess I'm going to hell.

 

I have no problem raising money for ALS research - and in fact have contributed some to that end. My problem here is twofold:

1. It is a look-at-me activity. Just make your donation. ALS research is not advanced in any way by the fact that a bunch of people have been drenched in water.

2. This - like other campaigns to raise money for important things - talks about "awareness". The NFL will wear pink shoes and wristbands to foster "awareness" of breast cancer for a month. Fact is that just about everyone who is in a position to donate money to help causes like ALS research or breast cancer research ALREADY is aware of the problem. Just about anyone who has not been living in a cave for the past 40 years is aware of the problem. In most cases, what is really needed is to get past "awareness" and move forward in the direction of "cure" or "prevention" or "alleviation of suffering". All of those things will benefit from donations not from pink wristbands or soaking oneself in water.

If Roger Goodell - just to pick one person who "took the challenge" - had simply sat down and wrote a check to help fund ALS Research it would have had the same benefit as the donation he made after he soaked himself.

 

Holy shit.

 

So the "Ice Bucket Challenge" fundraising campaign really had nothing to do with the fact that the ALS Association raised $2.3 million in two weeks compared to $25,000 in the comparable period last year? It was just a coincidence that people felt like donating to the ALS Association this year?

 

People should never be allowed to do anything that doesn't look fun to me.

 

I get the "look at me" aspect to this, but if it raises money and awareness for a good cause, who cares?

 

Assholes do apparently.

 

Find your best Canadian tuxedo and dump some ice water on yourself to calm down, champ.

 

No idea what JC calls it in his part of Canuckistan but here in Ontario we call this a "Kenora dinner jacket":

 

The Jets Cheerleaders accepted Rex Ryan's challenge and did the ice bucket for ALS thing...
http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Jets-Flight-Crew-Accepts-Rex%E2%80%99s-IceBucketChallenge/3d7a1390-1376-430f-bfaa-6c1c39a592af