Day 272 - Thurs 12th - Lance Armstrong and Charity

Is Charity a smokescreen?

Hello you gorgeous lovely people you. How are you doing? I spend so long talking about me and my life i forget to ask about you? Are you getting on OK? How's your life today? I am grateful if you are reading this and taking 4 Min's and 36 seconds out of your busy life. It's weird that at this moment in time i may not know you, you may be anywhere in the world but we share a connection. You are reading my thoughts and i quite like that. I like the unity of humanity (sounds like it could be a song)

I've been through a writing dip this week. Not been feeling the urge which is a shame as i really like it. Still, as i write this on Friday morning i feel it returning. I'm perched in my kitchen in my favourite writing attire. Mark and Sparks grundies, cup of tea and pack of silk cut, though I'm down to my last two so i may have to nip out, though not in my grundies. That's just wrong as i live near a school and that would get me into a world of trouble. They'll think they have another Jimmy Saville on their hands.

Talking of which the media uncovers more revelations, accusations against the creepy northern paedophile. Seems like his abuse was systematic over 40 years. I know it's a bit of a gravy train as anyone can accuse him of groping etc and what can be proved now - what gets me is why the fuck didn't anyone come forward or authorities or people in know say anything at the time? Talk about after the event? It's open season and i hate the media jumping on the bandwagon.

Looks like he used his charity work as a guise to get access to kids in hospital and to give him untouchable power in the media and in PR to help act out his true self.

Similarly is the Lance Arsmtrong story. He's been uncovered as a serial doper over an 8 year period. A liar, a bully, a systematic drugs cheat and all conveniently bound under his image as a cancer survivor and builder of multi billion dollar charity brand 'Livestrong', helping raise millions of dollars for cancer research and sufferers.

On the surface it's morally dangerous to criticise anyone who does acts for charity. It is seen as the ultimate human sacrifice and generosity of spirit. It is giving and commendable and superb for your public image.

I'm not comparing their cases but It seems that both Saville and Armstrong are similar in their utterly ruthless pursuit of doing what they like & Hiding all their horrific character traits beneath a wall of charity PR. Does humanity get any worse?

Charities are so competitive these days. There are so many of them. Fundings been cut and it is difficult. They are having to come up with so many different ways to raise money. There are so many unfortunate people in the world. There are so many difficulties that charities and people who raise money for them are faced with a tough challenge.

Most involved with that world do it because they have been affected by that cause and are committed to it. They are commendable. They are heroic. They don't do it for publicity, for a pat on the back for moral acceptance. They do it because it is their calling?

But what of Lance Arsmstrong. He's built an entire charity empire based upon his image of live strong, you can beat anything, especially with the best doctors administering a sophisticated doping programme (OK they dropped that strap line of their marketing literature)

He clearly built that whole empire to counteract the drug abuse and to make him untouchable to the public and authorities. it seems a cold and calculated career move to make his dark world forgotten. To make his image so good and wholesome that he can do what he wants. The ultimate ego mania and slowly it is being dismantled.

Same with Saville. Raising millions for stoke mandeville that the other darker notions of his character were brushed under the carpet. As he reportedly said, "If you publish anything bad i wont raise the money and those kids will die". Fuck me talk about emotional and financial blackmail. That's truly fucked up.

I've run marathons for charities, raising a couple of grand without really giving a toss about the charity, it was merely for selfish reasons so i could run the marathon. No-one really knew that. To the outside world everyone says 'well done that's commendable'. You get browny points, everyone thinks you're a good egg and so seems you are giving back. Nonsense, you know inside it's not for the Charity it's for you and that in my opinion what Armstrong and Saville have done with charity on a mass scale.

What of the countless celebrities doing work for Unicef in Africa. Are they still there without the cameras? Were they just doing it for their PR? Of course. Gerry Halliwell doing work for Unicef. What a joke. You just know she would have laid out her 'Africa look' outfit of the bed of her 5 star hotel before flying in and out in a day and stressing about which papers were covering her trip.

It's all so much bullshit. PR. Ego. And the media are so keen to jump on the back and simplify it. If you have an image problem do some tireless work for Charity to cure it. People like that.

We are all flawed, It will be idiotic for me sit here and judge others for doing charity work. I just wish there was a little more honesty.

i mean now you get chuggers stopping you on the street asking for a text or £5 per month to donate to a cause. They are seen as one down from Big Issue sellers. I mean they are mostly students getting paid £5 per hour to do that. I wouldn't mind so much if they were committed to the charity they were hassling you for, but they are doing it to earn money. Fair enough but please fuck off and stop making me feel guilty when i walk past you.

Adverts on TV, just giving.com. Everyone at it raising money. They are either running, cycling Cuba doing a marathon or climbing a mountain. We are charity jaded. Too many demands to donate money when we've got less money to give.

So that is the reason I'm setting up a new Charity. It's called 'Thischairtyisbullshitsoican getpositivePRandmakemyselflookbetterthaniactuallyam.com' - It well help needy celebrities fallen upon hard times who have been found out to lead an empty vacuous attention seeking existence and living a lie that is finally exposed as a sham and leaves them with nothing other than 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' or 'celebrity Ready Steady Cook'.

We will be doing our first fundraiser which is a Live Internet stream 'swingathon' where Richard and Judy will be kicking off live from a car park in Surrey for the live 'doggingathon'. It will be a combination of Comic Relief, Live aid, Children in Need and Dogging. Our aim to raise £500 to send Gerry Halliwell on a one way ticket to anywhere there is no Internet connection so she can't ever be heard again.

I'm back

xx