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 Celebrity
Giving for Disaster Relief
By Gail-Elaine
Tinker, M.S.
I've decided to call it "Sally Struthers Syndrome."
Before her Save the Children campaign in the 1980s, very few
celebrities appeared so publicly for charity. Charity was
the job of socialite wives and yacht club fundraising dinners.
There were a few quiet celeb movers and shakers: Shirley Temple
Black, Audrey Hepburn, and Bob Barker to name a few. However,
Sally's photo array and television scolding day and night
really scalded the developing TV generation. And suddenly
the nation of kids who learned about making public protests
together also discovered that by asking the very coolest to
join in, more would come...and who are 'cooler' than celebrities?
Suddenly Jackson Browne , Willie Nelson, and Michael Jackson;
all had national concerts for the causes of the day and charities
learned to tap the famous to be their pitchmen. The public
learned to interface differently with giving and I dub it
"the Sally Struthers syndrome," no disrespect intended.
Since the new millennium there have been more than nine 'international'
disasters, naming the largest, beginning with: the American
terrorist attacks in 2001, Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the
earthquake in Pakistan, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, earthquake
in China, cyclone in Myanmar in 2008, earthquakes in Haiti
and Chile in 2010, and now the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear
disaster in Japan 2011. The numbers of deaths and injuries
stagger the mind; we are talking more death than world wars
at this point. The amount of damage to infrastructure, economics,
to culture, goes beyond the multi-billions. To pay to help
all the suffering, bury the dead, prevent pain and pandemic,
clear the rubble, house the homeless, repair broken industry,
the nations from the richest to the poorest must raise many-billions
of dollars in a sour world economy to re-build.
Even if we could somehow compel Forbes
list of top 50 Billionaires to part with all their wealth
and spread it around to help everyone from Akita, Japan to
Bassein, Myanmar to Lake Charles, USA get on their feet with
a few groceries, a bolt of cloth, and maybe a tiny shack,
and a job in town...it still wouldn't be enough dough. I'm
no mathematician but I've spent a day or two trying to wrap
my brains around these sorts of figures.
But what has and will actually continue to happen, much to
the relief in the billionaires club, is that the news coverage
of disasters dart all over the globe and move the very human
hearts of the people watching who will dig deep into their
own linty pockets and they begin to give generously to the
victims of disaster via charitable organizations which carry
out rescue, relief, and humanitarian efforts. Soon after,
movie, television, radio, and music celebrities will rush
to affiliate with charities, telethons, marathons, and will
also donate money to relieve the suffering of their fans.
A day after the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the very
eloquent George Takei was on CNN speaking on behalf of relief
charity. Yoko Ono, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park,
Conan O'Brien, Katy Perry, and Sean Combs were mentioned on
CNN's broadcast as early donors to relief efforts. I am sure
that by the time this article makes print we will see more
famous charitable donors.
I am not opposed to this, however, I view it under suspicion.
You see, while the average citizen gives to charity as a way
to feel connected to society, many a celebrity uses philanthropy
as an image and career "accessory." Of course it
is nice that celebrity can use their fame to draw attention
to a cause other than their own star-studded dramas, and the
obvious benefit is 'branding' them as 'nice' as well as famous.
After such outpouring of charitable giving, some of the charities
have difficulty providing the economic transparency to the
donors who want to see that their funds are going to the intended
people. For example, some sainted organizations such as the
American Red Cross and Doctors without Borders were scape
goated following recent disasters because excess funds were
diverted to other worthy areas within their organizations
than donors intended.
I read a 2009 blog by Washington, DC area Judge Rollin Van
Broekhoven {link}
, an expert in the area of charity and the law, which raised
more than a few excellent questions for this article. First,
what is the role of government in disaster relief? Why should
non-government entities be involved in the care of a nation's
people, when the government provides other essential needs?
Is rescue a government job or a charity job? Why should we
be raising money to save the world when we have tough issues
at home to mend? Broekhoven even asks how we determine between
man-made disasters (war), preventable (pandemic), or natural
disasters in terms of charity. Please forgive the judge, he
is not being coldhearted but arguing reasonable points of
logic, as only masters of the law do. I'm sure he cannot ignore
the horror any more than we can.
Forbes also lists of the
top celebrity philanthropists such as Oprah Winfrey, Barbra
Streisand, The Jolie-Pitts, George Clooney, Tiger Woods, Rosie
O'Donnell, Martha Stewart, Sir Elton John, John Legend, Annie
Lennox, Ellen Degeneres, Bono, Paul McCartney and so many
more. Besides calling attention to important issues, these
individuals act as valuable cheerleaders to ward off "donor
fatigue;" the public apathy which sets in when there
are many charitable causes and disasters that beset our attention
and limited pocketbooks. These celebs make it their job to
give and supervise charitable foundations on a regular basis
and they deserve recognition for valiant attempts in making
the world a better place.
Sally Struthers Syndrome has become entrenched in our culture,
but it doesn't mean we can't question it, even as we currently
give and pray for the current victims in Japan. Back in the
1980s my university hosted an international photo exhibit
of the horror and devastation from Hiroshima and Nagasaki
and many of us were so moved to join the popular student protests
of nuclear disarmament and nuclear power. Yesterday, I was
struck to my core to see BBC footage of a 90 year old woman
in a hospital who had experienced the nuclear attacks as a
child and was now in hospital recuperation from wounds suffered
in the earthquake/ tsunami in a country expecting nuclear
meltdown. No SSS here, but you bet I'm gonna give.
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| Gail-Elaine Tinker, M.S.
is a psychotherapist in private practice on the Lehigh Valley
PA. She was born in Philadelphia in May 1960, eldest of three
children. She was greatly interested in writing, language, theater
and music throughout her youth which opened opportunity such
as performance, travel, and academics. Gail-Elaine had planned
a career in teaching English but upon seeing the state of secondary
education in the 80s, she re-tooled her skills to become an
addictions counselor.
She was married and has a gifted son with
AS. She had a career in Art and entrepreneurial publishing
while raising him. Upon her divorce she furthered her credentials
with a Masters in Clinical Psychology and Master Levels in
Reiki training. Her goal is to change the stigma of mental
illness and facilitate positive solutions for her clients.
Gail-Elaine continues her work in trauma,
chronic pain, grief, and addictions in her general practice
of psychotherapy with art and somatic psychology. She serves
as Therapist, Consultant, Life Coach, Reiki Teacher, Advocate,
Community Speaker, Blogger [www.tinkerpsychotherapy.com],
and also as Features Contributor for PCM.
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