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Monday Apr 24, 2006
Tony's mark of Cain
Even the government's chief advisors are turning against government policy - but will Tony and co listen? (Answer: no)
He told the Independent:
"There are adverse consequences of fixing a mark of Cain to a child's forehead. We should not forget the lessons of the 1960s and 70s of the labeling effect. The argument is that if you give a dog a bad name then the dog may live up to the name."
I've got a lot of sympathy for this view. But it isn't just the government which gives the dog the bad name. Here at YouthNet we get media alerts every day which pull out headlines from the main papers for stories that cover young people. Yobs, thugs, happy-slappers, drug addicts... I reckon at least nine out of ten stories are about teenagers involved in petty crime. Is it any wonder that older people fear groups of kids hanging out at bus stops?We're doing some interesting research at YouthNet into this issue of young people, fear and respect. Watch this space. Posted by Dom Waghorn ( 4:50 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]
Should charities ever pay celebs?
In the aftermath of the gargantuan fundraising effort that is The London Marathon it seems strange to suggest that charities would ever consider paying celebrities for their time. After all, if Steve Redgrave, Gordon Ramsay and Zoe Salmon can run 26 miles to raise cash, why should anyone else expect to be actually given money for charity work?
Apparently former basketball star Denis Rodman sees things differently, with reports saying that he requested payment to pose for Cosmopolitan magazine as part of a series where the fee normally goes to the Everyman campaign.
"We approached him about posing for us as part of the Everyman Campaign and he said he would be happy to do so," a spokesman explained. "But there was a snag - he was demanding $13,500 for his trouble.
"So he was told in no uncertain terms he would not be required. Some celebrities just do not understand the meaning of charity."
It's hard to have much sympathy with the rich and famous, but we do need to be beware of double standards. Millions of people earn their living working for charities - why shouldn't celebs be entitled to do the same?
It's one thing if they're pretending to be doing good, but it's not unheard of for charities to pay famous people to give speeches or chair events and while it's obviously better if they can be persuaded to volunteer, fame shouldn't automatically bar them from the right to work.
Posted by Tom Green ( 9:37 AM ) Link to this post Comments[0]