the Idol response

idol couldn't have made a bolder statement than what was said last Thursday. the tv special is on it's second run and the response has been overwheling every time. the main objective is to let the world know how the other half lives, and to let everyone know that their situation is so deplorable, it's time for a personal effort to step in and help. When we say Africa, we think poverty, AIDS and malaria. When we say Darfur, we think genocide. When we say New Orleans, we think Katrina. What "idol gives back" is trying to say is that people should stop thinking about it, and do something to end it, or at least, alleviate it.

i'm not sure whether it's i'm simply a softy, or that the team of researchers/writers/producers make damn good documentaries, but the whole scheme of things makes me want to jump on the humanitarian bandwagon. i might even meet Angelina Jolie adopting her nth child. goodie. but seriously, right now, i am dead set on doing my fair share of civic duty before i die. this may sound like a tall order, but Africa doesn't sound like a bad idea right now. seriously!

it's becoming a trend really. of course, my primary school of thought would be that celebrities use their status as a platform for humanitarian work. it's been building up through the years,
and the evolution even came up with a brand! yes, virginia, humanitarian work has a brand, and it's called (RED). it's simply taking merchandise and stamping it with a social conscience. read: limited edition goodies.

but at the end of the program, i really thought long and hard about my way of thought right now.
i would consider bad grades, a protruding belly and sweaty palms a problem.

juxtapose it with the live Deloy, an African youngster who lost both his parents to HIV...or with a Katrina surivor who lost his friends, family and home, and lives in a shelter right now...

then i would have to accuse myself of being a selfish hypocrite.