The Stars Shine...For Themselves

     Last night (Friday November 2, 2012) celebrities that included Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Christine Aqularia, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Mary Blige, Matt Lauer, Jon Stewart and others put on a show, ostensibly to aid Hurricane Sandy victims. But as is the case with most benefit concerts, the result was to show the largess of the celebrity participants, not to meaningfully improve the shattered lives of the intended beneficiaries. As the victims of the hurricane were desperately searching for water and dumpster diving to feed themselves and their families, the celebrity benefit prostitutes were backstage guzzling bottled water and eating smoked salmon. Don't get me wrong, I think helping out those who have been victims of natural disasters is a good and decent thing to do. I just don't understand how it helps a storm ravaged area to disrupt it with celebrities and their security details and entourages, just so they can feed their own egos on stage for a few minutes. Couldn't the same amount of funds, or more, be raised if each celebrity quietly donated a chunk of cash. But, of course, this wouldn't allow for the attention-starved celebrities to go on stage and say, "Look at me! I'm a good person!"
     The benefit concert for the victims of  Hurricane Sandy is illustrative of the Liberal mindset of intentions over results. The left doesn't have to show any positive results from their actions, as long as their intentions are good. Well you know what they say about good intentions paving the road to ruin, or something like that. These celebrity participants in the benefit concert won't entertain the idea that there is not one person who is going to donate money to hurricane victims because of their performance last night. Consider the ego of someone who thinks, because they sing a song or make a  statement at a benefit, there will be millions of people who will see the light and donate to improve the lives of those effected by the storm. Wouldn't it benefit the victims more if these celebrities, in  addition to donating money themselves, quietly lobbied their other celebrity buddies to write a check to the relief effort? But this method, while more effective in the stated goal of helping storm victims, would preclude the public display of the compassionate celebrity riding in on their white horse, singing a song and rescuing the wretched and hungry from their dire circumstances.
     In the end, it is not about politics or ego, it is about living your principles. To this end, I give you the example of the late Harry Chapin, who I probably would not have agreed with politically, but never the less I respected his dedication to his principles. Harry performed over 200 concerts a year and donated half the proceeds to causes he believed in. He did this year after year without fanfare or bragging. The Hurricane Sandy benefit participants disappear in the shadow of the memory of a real humanitarian like Mr. Chapin.

Click here to check out my political song parodies.