Band Aid 30

By now, you have most probably heard Band Aid 30's charity single in support of Ebola. It has had plenty of radio attention (I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard it playing), is accompanied by a music video, and has recordings in other languages. The celebrities involved range from Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, to YouTube stars Zoella and Alfie. Plenty of recognisable faces and voices. You would think that with these celebrities all joining forces to promote raising money for the Ebola crisis, it would be a positive thing, right?! Yet the single, and all that surrounds it, has received some criticism.

Some people have taken issue with the fact that these celebrities make a tonne of money, yet are asking other people to donate. Naturally, I think this is fair. They do make a ridiculous amount of money, so if they combined their earnings this would go a long way in supporting many charities and the work that they do. However, does this mean that the rest of us just sit back and allow them to do the heavy lifting so to speak (clearly, this would not be the most physically strenuous of tasks)? Absolutely not!! We should all be caring for one another and should all take an interest in doing so. All lives are important! We probably have more than we need. We probably live beyond our needs. We probably have the means to contribute to the lives of others. For example, if you buy 3 coffees from Starbucks a week, this money could go towards sponsoring a child through Compassion. That's only 3 (overpriced) coffees! 

Additionally, both Adele and Lily Allen have reportedly come out saying that they didn't feel they needed to get involved with the single as they have been charitable behind closed doors. This is also fair. Ultimately, being charitable doesn't need to be a visual act. You don't need to have cameras following you around when giving free food to homeless people. You don't need to publicly declare you are donating to such and such a charity. Giving to charity is a personal decision - one that does not need to be announced or recorded for the world to see. This could actually turn a charitable act into a selfish act, as one would then be doing something in the hope of drawing favourable attention to themselves. 

On the other hand, however, taking part in the latest social media movement or telling a friend you are donating to your favourite charity is not always a terrible idea. Take the ice bucket challenge for example, or even the no make-up selfie. Both cooked up a storm on social media (perhaps the ice bucket challenge did to a greater extent), but both encouraged exposure to their respective charities, and all the other charities that individuals decided to donate to. As long as people were actually donating, should we take issue with people doing such things? It could be argued that it takes the attention away from the charity it is intending to support. But it can also be argued that it gives the charity the attention it deserves.

When we look at all the celebrities involved with Band Aid 30, immediately we look for those we recognise. If we recognise them, watch their videos or listen to their music, we are more likely to listen to them when they talk about charity. We are more likely to follow their lead. Perhaps celebrities shouldn't have such a influence or an impact on the rest of us, but they do, and in particular with the younger generations. If they say "jump", kids say "how high" - take One Direction (who also participated in this single). So instead of taking issue with the fact that celebrities are asking the rest of us to donate to whatever charity, we should be thankful they are encouraging those willing to donate. We have to trust that they too are donating, but like us, maybe they just don't want to announce they have donating because there is bound to be someone who will take issue with them doing that! 

As Christmas looms, and we all begin to get into the Christmas spirit with tinsel, festive music playing in the background and waaaaay too much food, we should think of those less fortunate than ourselves. If we are in a position to help, let's help! Even if this means the cliche example of helping that old lady to cross the road. It doesn't have to be something big. It just means you doing what you can with what you have. 

Christmas is a time of giving. So let's give.

Here is the video (just in case you haven't seen it yet). 

Erin x

(thereislifeoutthere123@gmail.com)