When Zach Galifianakis did this for an old women, it was very thoughtful. It brought up a view, that even wealthy people give back. Recently, as in yesterday, Oklahoma has had awful weather, and the tornado their has killed many and damaged a lot. It was only a few short hours ago, that Kevin Durant announced his donation to help people in Oklahoma. Kevin Durant, is a famous basketball player who plays on Oklahoma City, said that he would donate 1 million dollars to the people sufferring in Oklahoma. This huge act of kindness was viewed by many as super generous, however, haven't we learned before, the giving a lot of money in a public name could be wrong? In a recent text, we discussed if it is okay to donate so much to a cause. A lot of the time, when people give money as a donation, they are doing it to impress others, or show off heir wealth. In this case, is Kevin Durant donating this money just for publicity purposes? I think the answer is no. Even though 1 million dollars is an obscene amount, I don't think Kevin Durant would pay that much just fro publicity. Clearly, he is doing an act of kindess like Zach Galifinakis.
Liana Brown Comment #6 Like Rachel said, what Zach Galifianakis did was incredibly generous and giving. Most people assume that celebrities do charitable work for the publicity, but in this story, Zach had already befriended this woman before he was famous. This shows the sincerity of what he did, and proves that many people are generous because they are good people, not because they want to get something out of it. In today’s culture, celebrities are people we look up to and admire. We follow their lives and constantly try to keep up with the biggest trends. There are so many celebrity philanthropists that use their fame to help others. People such Oprah, Angelina Jolie, Elton John, and many others have started and supported charities and given large donations because they feel it is their obligation to give back. I think that most celebrities who do charity work do it for a genuine reason. It is hard to differentiate between a person who is giving a large donation for the cause, or for the attention of the community. The text that we discussed earlier puts a maximum on the amount a person can donate for Tzedakah. I think that this is a good idea, but realistically you can't tell people to stop giving money or support. In this situation, what Zach did appeared sincere, but even if it wasn't does it matter? Either way the cause is supported, so why do people care if the money was donated for the right reasons? I think that it is important that people do charity for the soul purpose of being a good person. Otherwise it’s just money.
I agree with both Rachel and Liana in that what Zach Galifianakis did is extremely wonderful. I think a lot of times people assume celebrities are all conceded people who do not care for the less fortunate however, I think many celebrities are extremely giving even if they do not always do it publicly. The first person that comes to mind when thinking of celebrities that gives is Oprah.
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/oprah
Oprah, as you can see from the link above is probably one of the most benevolent celebrities of our generation. Not only does she donate to many organizations and personally help the needy but she also created The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation which gives money to a Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Oprah speaks out for what she believes in and uses her fame to her advantage to help people who cannot help themselves.
As Liana said, "It is hard to differentiate between a person who is giving a large donation for the cause, or for the attention of the community." And it is true, sometimes famous people do give only to make themselves look better to the world. However the ones who are constantly giving, like Oprah are doing it for the common good of the world. What Oprah does is a true act of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.
I agree with all of the girls above, that what Zach Galifianakis did was a total act of kindness. I think that what we have been talking about, with whether or not giving tzedaka publicly is good, does not necessarily apply to celebrities. Celebrities live their day to day life and are hounded by paparazzi with everything they do. This could be as small as going to the store, to as big as having a concert or benefit. Because the celebrities live their life like that, I do not really see any other way of them giving their money than publicly. Even though I personally am more supportive of people giving tzedaka anonymously, I still think that it is a very big mitzvah to give tzedaka however you are able to. In celebrities case, they are pretty much only able to give it publicly, so I think it is very nice to help in any way they can, even if it isn't in the selfless way of giving it anonymously.
As Rachel said, recently there was the big tornado in Oklahoma. As the article says above, Blake Shelton, a popular country artist, is originally from Oklahoma, so the tornado and the damage it did really got to his heart. Blake has decided to have a benefit concert for the victims of the storm. This is obviously very public, and not anonymous at all, but Blake is using his skills that he has to raise money for a good cause. In this case, it is not very hard to differentiate whether or not he is doing it for the right reasons because it is for his home-town and he is doing everything he possibly can to raise awareness and money for the victims of the tornado in Oklahoma.
I too agree that what Zach Galifinakis did was unreal. I am not sure how many celebrities would do something like this for an old friend. Maybe this will inspire other celebrities to also help people who they knew that are currently in bad situations.
I figured i had to relate this to football so i did. In this article Peyton Manning, our hometown hero, along with other football players went all around the world to talk to people on US army bases. Although if he monetarily helped these people is unclear, what he did for these people is worth more than money. He went to these people who havent been on American soil in a while, and brought America's game to them. He would talk with active memebers of the army and just talk with them. They would talk about his football and the soldiers experience. He would throw footballs with troops,which i think is incredibly kind. For most of these troops they havent touched a football in a while, so it helps remind them of their home, and why they do what they do. So even if Peyton and Co. didnt necesarily help by giving money like Zach Galifinakis did, he still used his star power to help people who might have needed some hope or inspirtation.
Another case of philanthropy in the news not so long ago was the rallying around the people of Boston following the terror attack. The Boston Athletic Association created a organization called the One Fund. This Fund spread rapidly across the sporting world, becoming stitched on patch of the Red Sox uniforms to being the lead advertisement during the early stages of the NBA playoffs. it inspired moving moments such as David "Big Papi" Ortiz's pregame speech (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/20/david-ortiz-speech-boston-red-sox_n_3124187.html) To the Celtics Knicks game where the star player of Boston's rival team Carmelo anthony wore a We Are Boston shirt during warm ups. This type of public charity has the impact ability to inspire hundreds. I believe in this case this giving was high up the charity ladder
I completely agree with what Rachel is saying about what Zachary Galifianakis and Kevin Durant are doing. Yes, it is a good thing that these celebrities are doing, helping out with an old lad that is homeless and supporting the awful tornado that occurred in Oklahoma City. However, like what Rachel said it is not always good to give money away. I think what Kevin Durant is somewhat reasonable because this is actually helping out with damage repairs but what Zachary Galifianakis is doing I think is actually really insulting. If i was the old lady that was taken off the streets from a celebrity, I would feel embarrassed if anything. It is embarrassing to need help from a celebrity to get recognition from everyone in the world. I would hate to feel so low that somebody with such high power needs to help me with my problems. Is it a nice thing overall what Zach is doing, maybe. However, it is just making him look good and the old lady must feel pretty bad about herself showing the world that she is homeless. I think the Kevin Durant story is a little different though. Did Kevin Durant give 1$ million to help the tornado damage or to make himself look like as good person and get more fans? Personally, I think Kevin Durant just did this to make himself look like a good person. For all we know he can be the biggest jerk in the world and him donating all this money is just blinding us from seeing the truth. Yes, many people look up to him because he is a basketball icon, as do I, but we don't know him as a person. If anything, this was a good idea by him to get more fans and people to like him.
Does it matter if it makes him look good, if tornado victims get what they need? I know some celebs are trying to give an impression they are good people with their actions sometimes, but if it clothes the naked and feeds the hungry, that's all that matters.
Anna Comment #5 Although I think the debate about whether celebrities actually donate and give to charity because they are good people or they want to promote their own image is interesting, I believe that the most important thing that matters is giving back overall, despite the motives behind it. To me, although it is much better for a person to be giving back because they genuinely want to help make a difference in the world, even if they do not feel this way they are still giving and that is what makes the difference. The donation given by someone who truly means well and the donation made by someone who just wants to promote their own image are still viewed with equal value in the eyes of the rest of society. $100 still is $100, whether it is given by a righteous person or not. Whatever Zach Galifinakis' intentions were when he helped this old women out of her situation, whether to reach out and take care of a person in need when he knows he is more fortunate, or to look good to the public eye, he still helped her and that is what matters. She is taken care of and happy and he has given back to the community.
Adina Comment #6 Just like what Anna said $100 is always going to be $100. No matter who gives the money and how much they give, it is a nice thing to do. The people in this world who give huge donations and choose to do it anonymously are just good people and should feel incredible about themselves. Not everyone gives it money anonymously especially celebrities. Celebrities normally like the public to know when they give donations which is not necessarily a bad thing.
In this article it talks about how Miley Cyrus continued to make donations to special causes or have benefit concerts to raise money for those in need time after time. She was never only caught up in her own fame she was constantly thinking about others especially kids. She loves helping kids and does it through the bottom of her heart rather than for the publicity. She enjoys to play music for sick kids in order to cheer them up and hopefully make them feel better. It is nice to see celebrities help others and hopefully we will start to see more and more help out.
Rachel Bonus #1
ReplyDeleteWhen Zach Galifianakis did this for an old women, it was very thoughtful. It brought up a view, that even wealthy people give back. Recently, as in yesterday, Oklahoma has had awful weather, and the tornado their has killed many and damaged a lot. It was only a few short hours ago, that Kevin Durant announced his donation to help people in Oklahoma. Kevin Durant, is a famous basketball player who plays on Oklahoma City, said that he would donate 1 million dollars to the people sufferring in Oklahoma. This huge act of kindness was viewed by many as super generous, however, haven't we learned before, the giving a lot of money in a public name could be wrong?
In a recent text, we discussed if it is okay to donate so much to a cause. A lot of the time, when people give money as a donation, they are doing it to impress others, or show off heir wealth. In this case, is Kevin Durant donating this money just for publicity purposes? I think the answer is no. Even though 1 million dollars is an obscene amount, I don't think Kevin Durant would pay that much just fro publicity. Clearly, he is doing an act of kindess like Zach Galifinakis.
http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2013/05/kevin-durant-and-matt-kemp-pledge-money-to-oklahoma-tornado-victims-other-famous-oklahomans-offer-pr.html
Liana Brown Comment #6
ReplyDeleteLike Rachel said, what Zach Galifianakis did was incredibly generous and giving. Most people assume that celebrities do charitable work for the publicity, but in this story, Zach had already befriended this woman before he was famous. This shows the sincerity of what he did, and proves that many people are generous because they are good people, not because they want to get something out of it. In today’s culture, celebrities are people we look up to and admire. We follow their lives and constantly try to keep up with the biggest trends. There are so many celebrity philanthropists that use their fame to help others. People such Oprah, Angelina Jolie, Elton John, and many others have started and supported charities and given large donations because they feel it is their obligation to give back. I think that most celebrities who do charity work do it for a genuine reason.
It is hard to differentiate between a person who is giving a large donation for the cause, or for the attention of the community. The text that we discussed earlier puts a maximum on the amount a person can donate for Tzedakah. I think that this is a good idea, but realistically you can't tell people to stop giving money or support. In this situation, what Zach did appeared sincere, but even if it wasn't does it matter? Either way the cause is supported, so why do people care if the money was donated for the right reasons? I think that it is important that people do charity for the soul purpose of being a good person. Otherwise it’s just money.
Alana Bonus Comment #1
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Rachel and Liana in that what Zach Galifianakis did is extremely wonderful. I think a lot of times people assume celebrities are all conceded people who do not care for the less fortunate however, I think many celebrities are extremely giving even if they do not always do it publicly. The first person that comes to mind when thinking of celebrities that gives is Oprah.
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/oprah
Oprah, as you can see from the link above is probably one of the most benevolent celebrities of our generation. Not only does she donate to many organizations and personally help the needy but she also created The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation which gives money to a Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Oprah speaks out for what she believes in and uses her fame to her advantage to help people who cannot help themselves.
As Liana said, "It is hard to differentiate between a person who is giving a large donation for the cause, or for the attention of the community." And it is true, sometimes famous people do give only to make themselves look better to the world. However the ones who are constantly giving, like Oprah are doing it for the common good of the world. What Oprah does is a true act of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.
Molly 'Bonus' Comment #2
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the girls above, that what Zach Galifianakis did was a total act of kindness. I think that what we have been talking about, with whether or not giving tzedaka publicly is good, does not necessarily apply to celebrities. Celebrities live their day to day life and are hounded by paparazzi with everything they do. This could be as small as going to the store, to as big as having a concert or benefit. Because the celebrities live their life like that, I do not really see any other way of them giving their money than publicly. Even though I personally am more supportive of people giving tzedaka anonymously, I still think that it is a very big mitzvah to give tzedaka however you are able to. In celebrities case, they are pretty much only able to give it publicly, so I think it is very nice to help in any way they can, even if it isn't in the selfless way of giving it anonymously.
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707836/blake-shelton-oklahoma-tornado-benefit.jhtml
As Rachel said, recently there was the big tornado in Oklahoma. As the article says above, Blake Shelton, a popular country artist, is originally from Oklahoma, so the tornado and the damage it did really got to his heart. Blake has decided to have a benefit concert for the victims of the storm. This is obviously very public, and not anonymous at all, but Blake is using his skills that he has to raise money for a good cause. In this case, it is not very hard to differentiate whether or not he is doing it for the right reasons because it is for his home-town and he is doing everything he possibly can to raise awareness and money for the victims of the tornado in Oklahoma.
Daniel Bush Comment 4
ReplyDeleteI too agree that what Zach Galifinakis did was unreal. I am not sure how many celebrities would do something like this for an old friend. Maybe this will inspire other celebrities to also help people who they knew that are currently in bad situations.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9020118/peyton-manning-uso-tour-journal
I figured i had to relate this to football so i did. In this article Peyton Manning, our hometown hero, along with other football players went all around the world to talk to people on US army bases. Although if he monetarily helped these people is unclear, what he did for these people is worth more than money. He went to these people who havent been on American soil in a while, and brought America's game to them. He would talk with active memebers of the army and just talk with them. They would talk about his football and the soldiers experience. He would throw footballs with troops,which i think is incredibly kind. For most of these troops they havent touched a football in a while, so it helps remind them of their home, and why they do what they do. So even if Peyton and Co. didnt necesarily help by giving money like Zach Galifinakis did, he still used his star power to help people who might have needed some hope or inspirtation.
Bruce Comment #4
ReplyDeleteAnother case of philanthropy in the news not so long ago was the rallying around the people of Boston following the terror attack. The Boston Athletic Association created a organization called the One Fund. This Fund spread rapidly across the sporting world, becoming stitched on patch of the Red Sox uniforms to being the lead advertisement during the early stages of the NBA playoffs. it inspired moving moments such as David "Big Papi" Ortiz's pregame speech
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/20/david-ortiz-speech-boston-red-sox_n_3124187.html)
To the Celtics Knicks game where the star player of Boston's rival team Carmelo anthony wore a We Are Boston shirt during warm ups. This type of public charity has the impact ability to inspire hundreds. I believe in this case this giving was high up the charity ladder
Zachary Comment #5
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what Rachel is saying about what Zachary Galifianakis and Kevin Durant are doing. Yes, it is a good thing that these celebrities are doing, helping out with an old lad that is homeless and supporting the awful tornado that occurred in Oklahoma City. However, like what Rachel said it is not always good to give money away. I think what Kevin Durant is somewhat reasonable because this is actually helping out with damage repairs but what Zachary Galifianakis is doing I think is actually really insulting. If i was the old lady that was taken off the streets from a celebrity, I would feel embarrassed if anything. It is embarrassing to need help from a celebrity to get recognition from everyone in the world. I would hate to feel so low that somebody with such high power needs to help me with my problems. Is it a nice thing overall what Zach is doing, maybe. However, it is just making him look good and the old lady must feel pretty bad about herself showing the world that she is homeless.
I think the Kevin Durant story is a little different though. Did Kevin Durant give 1$ million to help the tornado damage or to make himself look like as good person and get more fans? Personally, I think Kevin Durant just did this to make himself look like a good person. For all we know he can be the biggest jerk in the world and him donating all this money is just blinding us from seeing the truth. Yes, many people look up to him because he is a basketball icon, as do I, but we don't know him as a person. If anything, this was a good idea by him to get more fans and people to like him.
Does it matter if it makes him look good, if tornado victims get what they need? I know some celebs are trying to give an impression they are good people with their actions sometimes, but if it clothes the naked and feeds the hungry, that's all that matters.
DeleteAnna Comment #5
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think the debate about whether celebrities actually donate and give to charity because they are good people or they want to promote their own image is interesting, I believe that the most important thing that matters is giving back overall, despite the motives behind it. To me, although it is much better for a person to be giving back because they genuinely want to help make a difference in the world, even if they do not feel this way they are still giving and that is what makes the difference. The donation given by someone who truly means well and the donation made by someone who just wants to promote their own image are still viewed with equal value in the eyes of the rest of society. $100 still is $100, whether it is given by a righteous person or not. Whatever Zach Galifinakis' intentions were when he helped this old women out of her situation, whether to reach out and take care of a person in need when he knows he is more fortunate, or to look good to the public eye, he still helped her and that is what matters. She is taken care of and happy and he has given back to the community.
Adina Comment #6
ReplyDeleteJust like what Anna said $100 is always going to be $100. No matter who gives the money and how much they give, it is a nice thing to do. The people in this world who give huge donations and choose to do it anonymously are just good people and should feel incredible about themselves. Not everyone gives it money anonymously especially celebrities. Celebrities normally like the public to know when they give donations which is not necessarily a bad thing.
http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/miley-cyrus
In this article it talks about how Miley Cyrus continued to make donations to special causes or have benefit concerts to raise money for those in need time after time. She was never only caught up in her own fame she was constantly thinking about others especially kids. She loves helping kids and does it through the bottom of her heart rather than for the publicity. She enjoys to play music for sick kids in order to cheer them up and hopefully make them feel better. It is nice to see celebrities help others and hopefully we will start to see more and more help out.