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THE cult Scottish comedy show Absolutely
was responsible for more than just unleashing a rash of
bizarre catchphrases and characters on an unsuspecting
British public at the turn of the 1990s. In one of its
regular sketches - The Wellses - Morwenna Banks and Jack
Docherty portrayed a middle-class couple sitting at their
kitchen table ignorantly patting themselves on the back
for their limitless liberalism.
They sponsored an African child only
to sit questioning his lack of fashion sense in the photo
they had been sent. But one of the most memorable skits
was when the wife wrote a letter to a political prisoner
whose name she got from Amnesty. "Dear Mr Mpfotu.
How are you? We are fine, thank you. It looks like Peter's
going to get his promotion. What sort of records do you
like? Our current favourites are Gracelands by Paul Simon
and Johnny Clegg and his Sambucca."
Her husband responded with glee: "Oh,
well done Jennifer. He'll be out by Monday."
Such a jolly hockey sticks approach to
charity packed a satirical punch at the time because it
so neatly spoke of the collision between post-yuppie guilt
from the 1980s and the emerging post-apartheid optimism
following Mandela's release in 1990. But what excuse could
we possibly offer now for any such similarly self-congratulatory
acts?
Such as charity wristbands. I can not
be alone in despising what these grubby rounds of rubber
have come to symbolise. Nor can it be foolish or unsavoury
to say as much. Charity is the new accessory and, like
anything that enters the style stakes with such rapid
promotion, it can only be a matter of time before wearing
the wristband to prove it becomes a fashion faux pas.
Let's hope it happens in quicker time than it takes to
team a kilt with Timberland boots.
Worse than that, they are a politically
correct fashion statement, which only further assures
their rapid and imminent descent down the ranks. I hold
my hands up and confess that I have in the past worn ribbons
on my jackets for various causes. Mostly tartan for Waverley
Care in Scotland who provide respite for those living
with HIV, red for Aids awareness and pink for Breast Cancer
awareness. But, particularly with breast cancer, I have
also tried to ensure that I was on the receiving end of
information about the cause being promoted, about its
policies and programmes of action to deal with the specific
ill.
The distinction is an important one,
to me at least. The importance for any charity, surely,
is not just to raise money but to raise awareness. I sported
ribbons as a public display of support, yes, but not due
to delusions of trendiness. And that's where my suspicion
over the omnipresence of these wristbands lies - that
really very little is known by the individuals wearing
them about the issues they are representing. Of course,
awareness of the charities has been raised over all, but
has it been raised enough?
At best, I suspect people think that
the wearing of one makes them part of a philosophy, and
that alone makes them feel better about themselves, regardless
of any sustainable effect it has on those being helped.
The fact is that the item provides people with a way of
making a statement about themselves to others, about how
good and caring they are as individuals. Surely that's
when we have to start questioning why people wear these
bands in the first place.
Are they the same people who have a monthly
direct debit set up to donate a given sum to a chosen
charity? It's doubtful, because I think people who are
happy to fix in to such a scheme are genuine enough in
their beliefs that donating discreetly is par for the
course.
Celebrity endorsement has of course been
considerably responsible for the phenomenon. No one in
their right mind could find fault with the inspirational
tenacity with which Lance Armstrong has faced his life
head on. Armstrong's yellow Livestrong wristband was the
first charity wristband of its kind when it was produced
in 2003, to celebrate the cyclist surviving cancer and
winning the Tour de France. An estimated 40 million Livestrong
bands have been sold.
The fact that they were quickly adorning
the wrists of celebrities can have done them no harm either,
however. Can't afford the boob job, flash car or Footballers
Wives'-style pile - here's a way for your average guy
to emulate the look of your average C-list celeb. There
is certainly something disturbingly sheep-like about the
way people have worn the bands in order to keep up with
their peers regardless of their beliefs.
We have reached a point where we are
encouraging lip-service to be paid to some of the most
serious issues of our time. I must have missed the moment
when flaunting your sincerity became equally as commendable
as simply being sincere.
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