Thursday, September 08, 2005

livestrong


livestrong
Originally uploaded by Mishaone.
I don't know if it's just me, but it seems on every other wrist amongst the young and the restless of Karachi, there seems to be a LiveStrong" bracelet. These plastic bracelets come in various neon shades and are meant to fund various worthy causes such as cancer research and so on. For more information on the cause, you can google "livestrong" and get a whole bunch of links, but that's not what my rant is about today.

They don't sell these things legitimately in Pakistan, so by buying a cheap knockoff, you're not funding any cause, worthy or not, save for the pockets of the rip-off artist who made them. In fact, inspired by their fashion-sheep comrades, many people who have not managed to read the "Livestrong" lettering on the side blindly purchase cheaper knockoffs that say "Best Friends" or some such. I may be mnistaken, but isn't the point of charity to do it, not to be lauded by others for having done it, or show off your shiny "I'm so generous" bracelet, but just because virtue is its own reward. These little bracelets annoy me about as much as people who make hospitals and schools and so on for charity and them proceed to name them after themselves. With publicity and marketing being such a damn essential in getting any substantial charity off the ground, is there any chance of good old anonymous, "'cause it makes me feel good" kind of charity?

Misha at Thursday, September 08, 2005

|