Scarlett Johansson visits India; commits to end poverty

Maheswara_shishya

Celebrities and "doing good".

Are they doing good to make themselves feel better? Or are they doing good for the sake of doing good? And why is it that these "3rd world countries" are the targets rather than their home countries.

Angelina goes to all these exotic places and adopts children, if she is such a saint why isn't she in Harlem, NY adopting crack babies?

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of doing work for the sake of work, but it seems that what many celebrities are doing is adharma. But alas, i don't know what is going in their heads. If they really wanna help why don't they give up half of their fortunes to really make change? Rather than being s "spokes person" in the limelight which does nothing more then put up the facade that they are some type of humanitarian?

Nick-H

Hence my comment about the publicity only being good if it was a cause that needed attention drawing to it.

Plenty of 'celebs' and wealthy people do good work but choose to remain out of camera-shot.

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Ariell

You know, I always find it sad that people are so quick to judge. So yes, celebrities get some good press by helping out a good cause but as it was pointed out, it also draws other people's attention to the cause. So you or I go and volunteer in India or Nepal or wherever, no one cares. (Well, maybe we inspire a few people in our own circle.) But a celebrity goes and spends time in a third world country and it's news. And that's a GOOD thing because 1000's and 1000's of people will read about it. And maybe it will inspire some of those people to open their hearts, to donate money, or to go and volunteer. THAT is the most useful way to use one's celebrity status I think.

And I don't agree that doing good work 'quietly' is necessarily better or somehow more noble than doing it publicly. Doing it publicly can be much much more far-reaching.

You have no way of knowing what someone's motives are. Why are you assuming that if a celebrity does something good, it must be for selfish reasons or to 'pretend' to be a humanitarian?? It certainly could be, but it's also entirely possible that their actions are genuinely altruistic. And you know, I think either way, it really doesn't make much difference what their motivation is, because if it motivates someone to donate $$ or do good works, that's all that really matters.

And who are you to decide how someone should live their life? I've heard Angelina Jolie gives a third of her salary to charity. Do you do that? Have you adopted any 'crack babies' lately? No? Well, then you have no business deciding that that's what would be best for someone else to do. I don't think Angelina is some saint, but i do think she's just like the rest of us, trying to do the best that she can.

Nick-H

We are all entitled to our opinions, of private figures, of public figures, of each other...

navinkurian2002

Well we will be really happy if Scarlett Johansson comes back again lives with the local and really feels what they are going through.The picture shows all the kids laughing and playing some game.But is that how their lives are everyday?Will Scarlett Johansson or any of the celeb's ever get to see a real day in the lives of the dalits?

I really wonder who are the local partners ? The local in the andamans have received nothing. Maybe havelock is not covered by oxfam .

Also Pt calimer(Nagapattinam district) the people are still living the way they did before the tsunami straw huts...

Just seeing these huge figures and not see that convert into real changes (like in the photo the kids do not even have a pair of shoes.. ).Those kids could use a pair of slipper and these kids usually can make a pair of shoes last for years!

ba9rn

I think you'll find that Scarlett Johansson is one of them actually. The article posted is from Oxfam, not from a newspaper. I suggest you read it again in that context. This is just a case of Oxfam using their own site to advertise themselves and their high-profile supporters. There was little/no coverage or photo ops in the press about this, nor for her support (also through Oxfam) of the tsunami victims.

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"After the battle, many new ghosts cry. The solitary old man murmurs in his grief." Du Fu