May 27, 2005

Mutual back-scratching is good for fingers

Remember the episode of Friends that argued that there was no such thing as altruism, because all good deeds benefit the doer as well as the done-by? For the first time in my life, I have a job where I do something that really benefits humanity, and I feel so smug it hurts.
Meanwhile, Razorlight have signed up to the Make Poverty History campaign, allowing their music to be used in adverts, and making great speeches about organising some sort of fund/awareness-raising festival, despite not wanting to be Bono [or worse: Chris Martin].
So, free advertising for Razorlight, and aren’t they just a lovely, generous bunch of lads with it? And they get to sleep easy at night, because they’re doing a good thing. Know the feeling.
Talking of making poverty history,

The sympathy of international donors may be as necessary as ever, but it is harder to generate: with its system of ultra-capitalist economics and unrepresentative communist politics, China is becoming one of the most inequitable societies in the world. This is apparent in terms not only of the gap between the urban east and the rural west but also of proximity to power.

I learned yesterday that the full name of China’s currency is the China Yuan Renminbi, which means the people’s currency. This is ironic, as it’s mainly the people who don’t have any.

Karen

2 thoughts on “Mutual back-scratching is good for fingers

  1. I got involved – well, signed up and supported – the Make Poverty History campaign as soon as it started. But as much as I still support its aims and objectives, I would REALLY LIKE to get their regular news update emails sent to me just from the Make Poverty History Team (or whatever they decide to call themselves) rather than Bill Nighy, Lenny Henry, Dido, Robbie Williams, Ronan Bloody Keating and every other desperate celeb going. Particularly Ronan Keating. We’re not stupid – we know they didn’t write the emails – and for some of us, it’s a positive turn-off to the whole thing.

  2. If that doesn’t make you wonder who’s getting the most benefit out of it…

    Karen on May 27, 2005

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