A question for Bono...How much of YOUR money have you given to end poverty?

Question

My point...for those of you who have missed it...is that Bono and his ilk are all for YOU giving YOUR money, but seldom give their own. He may have given millions. If so, terrific.

I answered his question on this forum by challenging him to keep $1,000,000 of his money for himself, and give away everything else he owns.

Answer 1

i agree i would also like to know..i know he started the foundation but seriously how much money do "stars" give to help..they are always askin for us to give money or to help...i look at it like this they sure make alot more money than i do or you or your parents do...and why help other countries when we have the same problems here with poverty and homelessness...i am tired of seein "stars" such as Bono sayin we need to do this and this and this..well thats fine he is bringin it out that there is a problem but instead of askin for my money that i barely have to support myself and my family to give his..i am sure he has wwwwayyyyy more than i do!!

Answer 2

He's louder than others about his giving which makes a lot of people wary, as people have always been a little wary of folks who toot their own horn. It's a bit irritating, and it makes one wonder whether the altruistic intentions are real, or put on for publicity and ego-feeding accolades.

But if we discount the self-aggrandizement behind all of this, what is actually DONE may be helpful, and that's what counts in the end. The motives of the driving force behind the programs count far less than full bellies. So though I hate the plastic demigods the media has set up nowadays, I can't help but respect the actual deeds that U2 have performed.

Maybe if we all ignore "Bono the Celebrity", but instead look at him as "just this guy who happens to have a louder voice given to him", and if we listen to the words instead of paying attention to the tinsel in front of them, we'll be a little more settled about the whole thing and think more about what he's saying instead of about HIM.

Which also would be a good start to getting rid of the all-pervasive cult of celebrity nowadays, and starting to care about and pay attention to stuff that really matters.

Answer 3

I'm confident that Bono has given lots of his money AND time to the cause for which he speaks out. It's sad that so many people are so jaded and cynical of the motives of famous celebrities that they automatically assume any altruistic efforts are done for less-than-noble reasons.

Anyone who has followed the history of the band U2 knows that they have been involved with social activism since the beginning of thier career. In the late 1980's and early 1990's they actively worked for and promoted Amnesty International. If you doubt this, go pick up an old cassette of 1987's album "The Joshua Tree" - you'll find inside the liner notes contact info for Amnesty International.

The lyrical content of songs "Pride (In The Name of Love)", "New Year's Day", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" all provide evidence and credibity to U2 and Bono. They all express lamentation for the horrible atrocities humans have inflicted upon each other, or to express hope of a brighter future, or to extol the vitues of love's power to lead an individual to sacrifice for another person.

Bono, I commend your efforts and that's why U2 is among my top two favorite bands. The other is Rush.

Most celebrities give only lip service to charities. Bono is the execption to that. He is there when the rubber meets the road.

Answer 4

Shame on you.
Bono is doing so much in this world. He is a radical man that has ideas that nobody else has even thought of. He is helping them so much. Not all stars are stuck up rich snobs that don't want to help anyone. In fact many of them have chraritable organizations. You just may no hear about them very often or at all. Bono gives plenty of his money to the organization. One man cannot do it by himself so he asks for help.
So next time you think about bashing someone you should do a little research first.
It is not like you have done anything to help world poverty. In fact you probably never will.

Answer 5

It's easy for most of you to say "Oh, rich rock star...how much have YOU given to poverty. Sell your mansions, sell your cars, etc." Honestly, how much have each of YOU given? I'm sure Bono has given much more money than all of you combined. He even admits that he's a rich rock star and he's not perfect. He tries to balance his life as a rock star and as a humanitarian, and admit it people...it's not that simple. He has a wife, four kids, yet you STILL see him out there, all the time. He gives his time to these issues. I realize Africa is a thorny issue, especially with so many issues here at home (USA.) so I won't get into that. My point is...before you attack the rock star for not giving, look at yourselves. Are YOU giving? Have you made a difference in your community? Do you give a dollar to the homeless guy or do you wince and think "Get a damn job already."? He that is without sin, cast the first stone....

Answer 6

What questions and criticisms like these seem to be saying is this: "If you aren't putting your money where your mouth is, then stop whining about it." Fair enough. Bono has put significant money and time where his mouth is.

Unless we are willing to say it is perfectly moral to enjoy every bit of one's wealth without giving a red cent or rat's *** about the rest of humanity, then we cannot fault Bono for enjoying some of the wealth he earned.

What do YOU believe about what is right or wrong in this world? Have you spent any of your money or volunteered your time? If not, then by your own standard, you had better just keep quiet.

Answer 7

I'll say it again, you can give as much food and money for food as you want, and all you'll do is feed them long enough to breed the next generation that needs feeding. What Africa needs is economic development, a staple crop that can be grown there, and to put the "people in poverty" to work doing something sustainable for thier own good. Otherwise it is a self perpetuating pit into which you can throw as much money as you want and only make the problem worse producing more to starve when the industrial world has a crisis bad enough to force people like Bono to take care of their own first. Sure, it's a global world, and a Christian should love everybody, but help them help themselves don't just feed them teach them to do something useful or have less babies, or produce something to buy their own food with else you could feed them for a thousand years, and there would still be some starving. . . I mean we're talking about a continent where they drink cows blood to survive because they can't get enough cows to live to be able to kill them for meat, and thet've been doing it that way for thousands of years. LOL, the only reason Africa wasn't settled by the white man displacing the population like the Native Americans is because the land is not good for agriculture or supporting our kind of society, I mean it's a lot closer to Europe than America, it's just not good land. Spend the millions on solar generators and windmills to set up on the deserts and savannahs, and sell electrictity to feed the poor, and teach them how to build more and maintain what you buy them, and maybe you could use Africa's real resource for its good and employ them in something that will help everybody and the environment too. Buy them food and they'll just keep starving unless you buy them more. Ok, thats as much of my brain power as I can spare for a bunch of people thousands of miles away that I will never meet or even see except on TV, they're even less real to me than Bono who really has no importance to my life himself.

Oh, and maybe convection towers too, you can build them out of mud brick, and then all you have to import is fan blades and generators.

Answer 8

Well, Mr. Bono, I personally dont think there is enough money in the world to end poverty. Why not use your money to teach birth control to these poor ignorant mothers who keep having babies and watching them die off or pregnant with one and holding a dead one in her arms? Money might help in the short term for a few, but teaching family planning will bring about a solution in the long run. Thank you

Answer 9

The problem with poverty has a distant relation with money. To solve the humanitarian problem, money, food, and hardware are essential. But to solve the poverty one must add software, education, markets, knowledge, stability and hope. Do you think that Bono is not investing enough? What are you doing to help?

Answer 10

Shame on you! Bono needs all the money he can get so he can jet around with models and maintain his several homes in various countries!
Not only that, as an aging rock star, he needs a "cause" so he can feel good about himself, feel less guilt about his opulent lifestyle and, above all, keep his name in front of the Media.

Answer 11

It is going to take more than just Bono to end poverty. It is going to take everyone. So , quit asking others questions about their money and dig deep into your pockets and donate a little. Are you too selfish to donate and just want to ask questions of celebrities that are trying to make a difference.