JerryBoBerry said:
zippypinhead said:
Making an act of charity into a spectacle, and then charging quite a lot of money for it seems a bit cynical to me, to be honest.
You've pretty much described every fundraiser ever.
For 44 years Jerry Lewis pretty much depended on an entire day of spectacle to raise money for MDA.
No, it is not the same thing. Yes, charities often rely upon spectacle in order to both get the word out and make money
for the cause. This comes off as cynical to me because the cause here is Olivia herself. As far as I know, Jerry didn't keep the money from the telethons.
I deliberated even chiming in on this because I'm not so emotionally invested in Olivia or anything she does that I really care to carry on a debate regarding her actions. And really, I'm not taking her to task for doing this. Either she bought toys for charity, and decided to have some fun with them, which is nice, or she bought toys for a show, and decided to give them to charity afterward, which is also nice. Yes, it's a fun idea, and I'm sure everyone was entertained. This was not, however, an act of pure philanthropy, and the person who benefits most from the outcome of the show, again, is Olivia herself. That people are painting it as some sort of sweet humanitarian gesture is where I find the distaste.
But hell. Whatever. She's obviously not for me, and the fact that this thread is only one of several that have been specifically about the woman on this forum alone, and like the others, it's gained traction, means that as an entertainer she's got some chops. It doesn't really matter what I see, as an outsider looking in, because she's not for me, and for the people she is for, she's doing it right. So, I'm sorry for being the guy who shits on the floor in the middle of the party. I'll see myself out.