Tribal leaders with white-painted bodies and shaking eucalyptus fronds were the first of more than 150 performers at the nine, concert, 24-hour series to raise awareness about climate change.
Artists such as The Police, Fergie, Kanye West, and the Pussycat Dolls graced the stages to show their support and send a message to their fans about the environmental cause.
The drummers from Queen, the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers began the London concert, leading a battery of percussion set to flashing images of endangered animals, landfill heaps, wind farms and the Earth seen from space. They performed against a map of the world made from the painted tops of oil barrels.
Now, I understand the importance of being environmentally conscious - don't litter, turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth, etc. - but the thing that kills me in this scenario is the the example shown by celebrities when it comes to environmental issues. Now, I could name issues such the "lack of clear-cut, achievable goals, and for lauding rock stars whose jet-setting, high-consumption lifestyles can often send a different, less environmentally friendly message" (foxnews.com). Billy told me today that he heard on talk radio that one of the concerts could power 10 homes for a year. And mind you...I think that those reasons are amazingly good at pointing out the pitiful example set out by celebrities...but my main gripe comes in this area.
The Live Earth global concert series kicked off Saturday with a digeridoo-backed Aboriginal group dancing and singing a traditional welcome at the first venue in Sydney. Tribal leaders with white-painted bodies and shaking eucalyptus fronds were the first of more than 150 performers at the nine, concert, 24-hour series to raise awareness about climate change.
Hmmmm...sound familiar to you? Does this remind you of the countless examples of celebrity exploitation of people groups to you? I'm sorry, but you're going to have to bear with me on this soapbox. Back before my trip to South Africa last summer, I thought it was great when celebrities used their "power" for good. Things like Oprah's leadership school for girls in Africa...I would think to myself, "It's so good that people like that actually care and use their money and celebrity status to bring awareness to problems in the world today." However, when I went to SA, I realized how MANY there were to help, I realized that a school for 40 girls really is a very small speck in the bucket of need. Now, I'm not saying that Oprah shouldn't have done what she did, but I saw a school on my trip that Oprah had started and heard of many more that she "starts" then never gives them funding for the upkeep. In essence, it turns into just another building. Why could Oprah, rather than spend money making one school...one opportunity for a few children...spread her money out to improve the overall quality of things in SA? With the exchange rate there the way it is...if she took a million dollars and spread it out among a hundred schools...how much further would her help go? Does Oprah REALLY care about the people of SA? Or does Oprah care about Oprah? The rational choice economist comes out in me saying, "What are the motivations behind this action? Where do the incentives lie?" The same goes for these pointless concerts. Why does Madonna and the Pussycat Dolls not save the electricity for their amps and give it to the people who are lesser than they are? Hey, here's an idea. Take the energy savings you make by turning off the lights in empty rooms and give it to an AIDS orphanage in Africa? Don't tell anyone, just do it. Basically, I'm tired of people parading around ethnic groups to get sympathy. I think it's degrading.
The Material Girl was flaunting her eco-friendly side as the headliner of an eclectic show at London’s newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium that included the Beastie Boys, the Pussycat Dolls and the Black Eyed Peas.
The drummers from Queen, the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers began the London concert, leading a battery of percussion set to flashing images of endangered animals, landfill heaps, wind farms and the Earth seen from space. They performed against a map of the world made from the painted tops of oil barrels.
...
Rob Hirst, drummer for Midnight Oil and performing at Live Earth in his new band the Ghostwriters, said at the launch of the Sydney concert lineup that the traditional rock star lifestyle was not eco-friendly.
"Any of the musicians here who've spent 24-to-30 years roaming the globe on planes, trains and automobiles should have a mighty guilt complex about what they've done to the environment," Hirst was quoted as saying by local media.
"But it's not too late to change."
But will you Rob? REALLY CHANGE? I'm sorry, but this whole thing just gripes me. And if that wasn't enough...I saw this article on my RSS reader this morning.
Madonna, who seems to be on top of all her many business endeavors, has actually invested about $2.7 million dollars in companies that are creating the destruction that Live Earth is trying to raise awareness about. She has invested in several companies named as the biggest corporate polluters in the world.
It's a cruel irony that Madonna's Ray of Light Foundation owns blocks of shares in companies that folks like Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio would like to see punished and rehabilitated for their attitudes toward global warming, climate control and basic pollution.
GRRRRRRRRRR. Seriously. In the electronic age of blackberrys, palm pilots, and ... the internet (WHICH, by the way, Al Gore invented) WHY WHY WHY would celebrities take the risk of looking like that much of an idiot to the whole world. I just do not understand it. How hard is it to take a look at your stocks in your morning email BEFORE you plan a 9 concert series. I am tired of celebrity awe and obsession. Maybe if I walk around in a pointy bra, people will start taking cues from me?
Madonna, I would like to leave you with the challenge that Al Gore left with me.
The former vice president called on members of the crowd to commit themselves to a seven-point pledge to combat global warming, including steps such as demanding a moratorium on building new coal-powered plants and fighting for more renewable energy.
“I would like to ask each and every one of you to answer the call,” Gore said.
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