Christmas: the season of celebrity goodwill?

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But the season of goodwill has led us here at Mecca Bingo’s Celebrity Column to consider how those more fortunate than most do their bit for mankind. And you don’t get much more fortunate and pampered than top celebs. It seems that part of being a celeb these days is to do your bit for charity. Whether it be donating large sums of money, flogging last season’s Prada shoes and Gucci dress at a fundraiser auction, spending thousands of pounds at said charity auction; they’re all at it.

Some celebs go even further than simply splashing the cash in the name of charity: visiting impoverished countries (Angelina Jolie), becoming UN ambassadors (Geri Halliwell and Angelina Jolie) or even adopting babies from the developing world (Madonna of course, oh and the ever-reliable Angelina Jolie).  Then there are the BIG gestures, charitable acts that get whole countries involved: think Bob Geldof and Live Aid or, more fitting for this time of year perhaps, Band Aid and the single “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time?”. Going one step further again, some celebrities have become charitable institution in their own right. A prime example of this being Elton John and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

What with the continuing efforts of celebs to do their charitable bit, it’s a wonder that they have any money left to spend on themselves or any time left to self-promote. Unless, of course, some celebrities see charity work and charitable gestures as prime opportunities for self promotion … ? This point of view is widely held by many in the media and often it seems that a celeb can’t do right for doing wrong.

Just take the reaction to Madonna’s adoption of Malawian baby David. Before the tot’s feet could touch British soil, heated debate as to why Madonna had managed to get through the adoption process with such apparent ease was raging. As were questions regarding David’s culture (would he lose sense of his roots?) and why Madonna had chosen to adopt a black baby from a developing country when there are plenty of parentless children in the UK and US. The implication was that Madonna felt it would be somehow cuter and more publicity-worthy to adopt a child like David.

Regardless of the legal implications of the adoption though, surely it is better to give a child a good and stable home than not? David’s biological father has admitted he could not support his child and there is no doubt that the kid will have a better shot at life in terms of health, education and career prospects in the UK in an affluent family. About one in five children in Malawi are orphans and the country’s orphanages are full to capacity. AIDS claims the lives of tens of thousands of adults in Malawi each year, leaving thousands more children parentless.

So who are we to tell anyone where to adopt a child from? If it means one more child being given a better chance in life, and the child is well-loved, surely the celeb’s motivations for choosing that particular child aren’t all that important?

The question of motivation though, is one that is at the heart of all celebrity charity work and good gestures. And there are some celebrities that we can’t help but feel should really just not bother, however good the charitable cause.

Take Naomi Campbell for example (far far away and for a long time preferably). Renowned for her caring and sharing nature (this ray of sunshine has had to endure over 7 separate accusations of assault from various members of staff, “friends” and general flunkies), Naomi decided to pose naked for the huge PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. Ever willing, she got her kit off and smiled vacantly for the cameras.

But before you could say “dead fox”, there she was wearing fur on the catwalk. It really does make you wonder if she had any idea why she was getting her kit off for the campaign in the first place. Although, the “I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur” tagline you would have thought probably pointed her in the right direction. What’s more likely is that she used the campaign purely for her own means and as a cynical means of self-promotion. She has demonstrated that she could not care less about the issue of skinning animals for fur and so, in this case, wouldn’t it be better if she had just kept well out of it? (To be fair to the girl it’s not just fur that she has decided is great after all, she likes to vary the way in which she enjoys dead animals and has since taken up hunting. Lovely.)

Unlike those celebs who adopt or donate money, little good came out of Naomi’s hollow charitable gesture, except perhaps further publicity for PETA. Can you imagine Angelina Jolie backtracking and taking food away from the mouths of hungry Cambodian children? Didn’t think so.

Perhaps that’s the answer then: those celebs that actually dedicate more than a fleeting moment to charitable work are those for whom the issue is about much more than self-promotion.

The afore mentioned Angeline Jolie is a prime example of this, with her extensive work in Cambodia leading to her receiving an offer of full Cambodian citizenship in August 2005. In cases such as these, it is clearly much more than publicity which is the motivating factor. If we all had Angelina’s wealth, and the luxury of time that such wealth brings, wouldn’t many of us dedicate time and effort to charitable causes we felt passionate about? (Not all of us of course, some of us would follow Naomi Campbell’s example and spend our time upsetting our inferiors and finding new ways of torturing animals. But, each to their own … )

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Come back soon for more celebrity ponderings and opinions (which do not necessarily reflect those of Mecca Bingo) here at The Online Bingo Celebrity Column.