Volume 88 | Issue 1 | obiter-dicta.ca
The Definitive Source for Osgoode News since 1928
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
PHILANTHROPY
you’re doing it wrong
ê I challenge you to tell me what als stands for. Photo credit: Kim Quintano
karolina wisniewski › editor-in-chief
I
f i spend too much time thinking about how
the internet and social media have changed
(damaged?) the way I relate to the world and the
people in it, I am often overcome with a profound sense of surrealism at best and distaste at worst.
If someone were to tell fifteen-year-old me that nearly
everyone I know would one day be dousing themselves with freezing water, filming these antics, and
posting them on the internet in the name of charity,
I would be perplexed, to say the least. And yet, not
only has this become a familiar sight, participation is
required if one wishes to maintain their moral pedigree. Or, at least, if they want their Facebook friends
to think so.
The ubiquity of think-pieces and social commentaries about the als Ice Bucket Challenge is nearing
the pervasiveness of the challenge itself. Critics have
expressed their disapproval in varying degrees of
concision and clarity, and have been met with nearly
universal backlash. To be fair, it can be difficult to
criticize a charitable undertaking without sounding
like anything other than a misanthrope. Though they
might at first blush seem like empty cynicism, these
voices can actually contribute a valuable perspective
amid the cacophony of shrieking girls in bikinis.
Criticisms of the als Ice Bucket Challenge can be
divided into three broad categories. The first addresses
the logically flawed rules of the challenge. To participate, one must donate to an als charity. Forfeiture
is possible, but the penalty is pouring a bucket of ice
water over one’s head. I can appreciate that initially,
this seemed like a win-win strategy: it raises either
funds or awareness. It is worth noting, however, that
according to these rules, the more people participate,
the less money is donated. However, as the phenomenon has grown and taken on a life of its own, a large
number of people are participating as well as donating,
» see cover, page 10
In this Issue ...
editorial
Welcome to Osgoode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
news
Writers Recruitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
opinion
Philanthropy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover, 10
arts & culture
Finding Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Osheaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Rock the Shores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9