Monday, April 27, 2015

Celebrities and Relief Efforts: Pray for Nepal

     Every news station is currently covering the devastation that has hit Nepal in the last week with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The death toll has reached approximately 4,000 people, and countries all over the world are viewing video and pictures of the turmoil that has hit this country. I visited Nepal this past winter and seeing these reports has affected me in a way that I've never really felt before. So often we hear of natural disasters that completely destroy countries or cities, and we wait in anticipation for the relief efforts to be seen. 
     I constantly struggle with celebrity support in regards to such disasters. While tweeting and posting pictures on your Instagram are helpful, I do believe that they could be doing more to help with the situation. For example, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have tweeted their prayers and support for Nepal, but I feel like there has to be something else that celebrities can do. But do the people of Nepal even want them there at this time? I always find myself having conflicting thoughts about what celebrities should and should not do in regards to natural disaster relief and/or foreign aid. Would it be better or worse to have celebrities on the ground helping with efforts or should they show their public support for the cause just like everyone else?
     I guess what I'm saying is that I find myself at a standstill of this complex issue. I have studied this before in one of my classes, and I would love to hear from you! What do you think the role of celebrities should be in tough times like these?







http://www.eonline.com/news/650458/nepal-earthquake-kills-more-than-2-500-celebs-such-as-dwayne-johnson-kim-and-khloe-kardashian-tweet-prayers

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/dec/17/celebrity-aid-development-bono-brad-pitt

7 comments:

  1. I agree that people who have been gifted with fame and fortune may have a bigger role to play in helping those in less fortunate situations, kind of like the saying that to whom much has been given, much is expected. I hope that someone steps up to help all of those people suffering in Nepal!

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  2. While I have seen famous people have fundraisers for first world countries, and they have personally gone over and helped in those countries, I do think they also need to step up in a situation like this. While tweeting about it will raise awareness, I think more should be done in their role of fame.

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  3. I also believe that if one has the ability to help, one has the responsibility to help. Tweeting about it shines a spotlight on the issue, but they can do so much more.

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  4. I'm actually deeply disturbed that people think they should do anything. Celebrities are just people as much as the public loves to put them on pedestals, and I'd love to point out that quite a bit of philanthropy done by celebrities is never heard of. Take Paul Walker and Richard Dean Anderson as examples, in Walker's case no one paid attention until after he had passed, and RDA had to make his work known before anyone paid attention.

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  5. Hopefully, at some point, people do more than just talk about the issue, it won't make it go away.

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  6. It is a really sad situation right now in Nepal. I like how that celebrities are willing to help out. I actually saw in an article that a women's tennis player was giving all of the money she earned for winning a tournament to help for relief efforts.

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  7. I completely agree. With all that money they earn, don't you think it would be most beneficial to send a few funds their way? I definitely do.

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