Bono and Bob Geldof are fraudsters, using the poverty issue to gain more media exposure for themselves. Why?

Question

Bono and Bob, or B and B as they shall now be referred to have each made millions of pounds by using the issue of world poverty to benefit their careers. They both have lavish properties and huge funds in the bank, yet they exploit the naievity of people by claiming how much world poverty saddens them and how the every day citizen should donate money. Rather hypercritical of B and B then that they make more money from the so called fight against poverty than their own professional careers. Bob Geldof is the main culprit of this by a long shot as Bono and U2 still perform all over the world to huge audiences.

Its disguting that people like B and B can get away with it and its well overdue that both were exposed as the attention grabbing, single minded vermin that they are. Make poverty history, make those who use the agenda for self gain be made history

Answer 1

Just remember one thing; everything these sort of people do for charity money wise ,they claim off their tax as a charitable contribution,same with their time, they reckon to make so much for a paid concert,this is then claimed against income tax

Answer 2

Unless various governments do something, there will always be poverty. In a sense what Bono and Geldoff are doing is fine, all that aid, food and medicine is great, but it's only a temperory measure, all they are doing is letting the people live a bit longer. Once the concerts and money collecting is done, B & B and friends, after much back clapping and fancy speeches go home to their mansions.
The black kids you see on telly won't die this week, they might, if they're lucky make it till the next Bono and Geldoff show.
That is if the food etc. gets through to them, or like in the past some corrupt african officials or maybe the odd warlord get their hands on it first.

Answer 3

This is too simplistic an answer. I don't believe that Bob and Bono are doing this just for their own ends. Live Aid in 1985 cost Bob Geldof a lot more than money. He was totally exhausted after it, and I believe that his motives were totally honourable. Why did he have to do it? He already had enough money to settle down to an easy life, but he opened his eyes and saw the iniquity of the world and the obscenity of starving children. You're too cynical about this. Bob and Bono are genuine in their concerns. What point is there in them giving their money away to help these people? They have given something much more precious: their time and their effort to make us all aware of the evils of poverty and exploitation. Long may they continue!

Answer 4

Honestly, mate, I think you are the single minded vermin. It sounds like to me you are a little jealous of Bono and Sir Bob Geldof. They are rich, yes you are right about that, but they do use their money and their celebrity to help end extreme poverty. Maybe you should read into what they do before you call them frauds because they aren't and any one with an open mind can see that. What they do comes from their heart, have you ever been to Africa and seen what those people go through, I doubt it. You go and judge them b/c they are rich and want to help the poor. Well "the truth" (which you don't seem to be living up to your screen name, mate) If they weren't rich and weren't celebrities they wouldn't be able to work with world leaders to talk about these issues. I'm sure if you or I went to a world leaders office, sucurity wouldn't let us in. It's sad to say this but I don't think they would want to talk to some regular citizen that they've never heard of, they want to talk to someone who is actually known to be involved in the cause. Why don't you give some shite to those celebs who don't do anything at all but show off their "bling bling" and their mansions on Cribs, what're they doing? I think what you are saying is a bunch of bollocks.

Answer 5

Bob and Bono may make an absolute fortune compared to the rest of us, but what they earn is peanuts compared to the sums they help raise through active participation in the process. They are endlessly criticised from some quarters as greedy self-publicists - the easy way out would be to hide away in their large houses and lap up their riches, yet they carry on regardless. Suggesting Bono sells vast quantities of records because of anything other than people enjoying listening to the music is laughable, and who has bought a Boomtown Rats CD because Bob Geldof demands western leaders do more to help the Third World?! To me they are strong and genuine characters who have succeeded in bringing issues into the popular conscience that many aid agencies and NGO's could not have done alone. If after a hard days campaigning they enjoy a glass of champagne in the South of France then that's fine by me. To achieve success in life and not enjoy it is, in my opinion, as much of a shame as to have the opportunity to make a difference in this world and not take it.

Answer 6

Because they can't sign any more and need even more millions from the publicity.

Trying to help poverty, yeah right! Rich people cause poverty, THEN they try to use the issue to make even more money.

People who support these types of gimmicks are just playing in to the hands of greedy, scheming rich twits that have zero interest in the said cause, otherwise they wouldn't just simply fly to third world counties for MUG SHOTS with the poor. They'd put the millions where the mouth is.

I remember Phil Collins saying 'All we need is £2000 to make this town have it's own water supply', WELL OPEN YOUR WALLET! How about selling your platinum albums on eBay for charity, instead of asking the 9-5 worker to give up what time he does have spare to raise money for you.

Here's a little fact for you Bono! The UK worker has to work 117 days a year to cover all the tax he pays out, such as income tax, VAT on food and bills, etc. So if you want help try asking someone else that isn't being ripped off just to survie.

Answer 7

After having watched Bob Geldof's programme on the warlords of Somalia and the one area "Somaliland" where the indigenous people having resorted to going back to their traditional way of governance, and proving that this is working for them; I can only thank Bob.Secondly when he highlighted the nature and depth of corruption ingrown in the african governments, I really appreciated it for the World Bank and other development organisations continue to give money to these governments knowing very well that a huge percent will be siphoned off into private pockets. He wrote about the president of one East African country who is a darling of the west and his questions and comments gave rise to wrath, BUT he had a point. He realised one important factor: it does not matter how much money you raise for the poor if that money will NOT get to them. An interesting fact is that for more than 50 years NGOs have been collecting money from us in Europe saying that they are going to "dig boreholes" for the people who have no water. How come we are still collecting money for these boreholes? Surely even if Africa is huge, there must be equally huge areas filled with boreholes. There are wrong things going on in this world. Some people do use poverty to get rich but I dont think Bono and Bob are in this category. If you and I wrote about the things the discuss, probably no one important would give us the light of day but when Bob Geldof did it, there was an uproar for he is famous enough to be listened to. I think these two artists were given their gifts to lead them to fame and be a voice for those who have no voice. The huge amounts of money they make is just the icing of the cake.
Remember at the end of time God is not going to ask you how much money and fame you had. He is going to ask you what you did with your money, fame or whatever you have going for you.

Answer 8

You must have personal access to both these men's bank accounts, accounting ledgers and tax records to spew forth so vehemently about how they make their money. I mean, you must be looking at their records in order to honestly and truthfully say the things you are saying.

All of you seem to forget that these men, and other wealthy men and women, whether they are entertainers or not, work for their money. Why are they not entitled to have a nice house if they want one? Are you really sitting here telling the world that if YOU had $20 million in the bank, YOU wouldn't have the most beautiful house, car, toys, etc., that you could afford? Of course you would; so that makes YOU the hypocrite.

Financial records are confidential; therefore, nobody can say with absolute surity HOW Bono or anyone else makes their money. And for you to be so jealous of someone else's success that you would intentionally try to harm the good that they are trying to do with their success is morally criminal.

The next thing you are saying is that famous/ wealthy people are SO shallow that the only issue close to their hearts is their wallets. By definition, that would mean that these people have never experienced humanity in their lives; they have never been poor, they have never been hungry, they have never been close to someone suffering with diabetes, AIDS, cancer, or any other cause that a celebrity might take up to raise awareness, and what exactly is wrong with that?

And let's just say for argument's sake that these people to get paid to appear on talk shows or whatever to talk about their causes? So what. Why are you so focused on what other people are doing? What have you done with what you have been given to alleviate some of the problems of this world, even if it's only in your own neighborhood.

To whom much is given, much is REQUIRED. The fact that a few stars are out beating the pavement to raise awareness on serious issues and MIGHT get paid something in the process is not really an issue. The real issue IS, where are the rest of them?

Shame on you. YOU are the selfish one, petty and motivated by nothing more than jealousy and apathy towards others. Your angry tone is what gives you away. Shame on you.

Rebecca
http://www.ipowergrfx.com

Answer 9

I do not know much about Bob Geldof. But having worked with Bono at several charity events in Dublin, I think that he is sincere and believes that he can help to make a difference and better the world. You might not agree with that, but you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Or are you just envious?

By the way, why do all these pop stars have so much money?
Most of them come from working class backgrounds and started out as poor lads forming a band.
What makes them successful and gives them money is a large amount of people who buy their records and other products. So don't blame the pop stars for their money, blame those who like their music and spend money to hear it.

Personally I prefer classical music, and all composers whose music I listen to are long dead (and therefore do not cream off millions from us). The classical recordings are a lot cheaper for that reason.

Answer 10

The night before last I dreamed and saw Bono with a supermarket trolley.
He was tryin' to throw his arms around the world.
He commanded a space shuttle full of saints singing "Hallelujah," all the way through the eye of the smallest needle.

Last night I dreamed and saw Bono driving an open top beattle.
He tried to drive it back through the needle.
He really wasn't wasting gas.
He was just tryin' to save more little girls.
When the beatle got stuck in the eye of the largest needle,
Bono said, "What the F**K! I'll just party here with those whom love The Word of God."

I don't know who Bob Geldof is, but Bono is not a person to judge.

Answer 11

Anybody with least amount of intelligence can receive maximum publicity if they really want to. Streak across a football pitch, bathe naked in a city fountain, dress in a dinosaur outfit and prance the streets in abundance. Least Bono and Geldof are being exposed to the media for a good cause. Let's be real here, are they not both famous enough not to warrant further media attention!!! There are many envious people in the world today - my advice is --- go streak, you're certain to attract media attention to yourselves...