Yeah, I definitely don't think celebrities should be obliged to fix such problems, nor do I think they have any obligation to help those less fortunate. It's nice when they do, but I really could care less if they don't. It's their money, their life, they can do as they please, and it doesn't necessarily mean they're bad people if they don't either. With that said, what I have an issue with, is if you're GOING to get very publicly involved in a case such as this, I think you should be interested or be talking about other cases as well. To single out one case, to me, just seems a bit unfair, and they're only doing it because it's the 'cool' thing to do and what's hot in the media right now. Can you imagine if Jay-Z or Beyonce said they maybe felt different? That they agreed with the verdict? They'd probably lose 80% of their fanbase! Their marketing people also know what is going to grace covers of magazines and get attention.
John Stamos does a lot of work (and is personally involved, not just writing a check) for Project Cuddle -- a place that moms (often young) can bring their babies safe and legally, rather than dumping them, or whatever. He's constantly helping get the kids adopted, and hanging with the kids themselves, etc. You really don't see a whole heck a lot about it in the media. I'd be curious if anyone else had heard about it.
Denzel Washington used to go and visit the soldiers and spent lots of time chatting, taking pictures, and just hanging out. You never really saw that in the news. Another (funny) story, one time a homeless man was begging for money, and Denzel was walking with some friends, and handed the guy the $100 bill he had in his wallet. The guy exclaimed "Will Smith just gave me $100!" lol.
I've read lots of other positive stories but they weren't necessarily easily found, or ever a headline on a popular magazine cover. Another was George Clooney taking care of a whole restaurant's bill because he felt bad, and felt like his table was too loud, so he didn't want to interrupt everyone else.
Bottom line is, there ARE a lot of celebrities that do a lot of good, and I don't think they're obligated to try and fix our gang problem in the US, nor that they could, or even want to be involved. Going into some areas is very scary to be honest. I wish there was more I could do, but to be honest, I fear for my life in certain areas of Baltimore and DC. It's just kind of a sad cycle that repeats over and over again. And once you're in that lifestyle, it's hard to get out. |