Ti(red) of Glorified Charity

As things go, the concept of branding, everything that it promotes, and those who are behind its promotion all work together to promote societal alienation in many respects. Much can be said about the ways in which corporate/brand charity (the two words can be used interchangeably here) promote a type of sociocultural acceptance and adherence to the idea of materialism, subsequent changes in thinking [and action] of the general populace in regards to charity, and how this in turn alienates society at various levels.

As a result of globalization, there has indeed been a general trend (albeit faint) towards viewing humanity as a global community, as opposed to the more isolationist view that Western individualism has been known to produce. Corporate globalization finally began to witness a counter–movement sparked by the need for global justice by those opposed to the slavery (we might as well call it that) of many for the benefit of the few. People began picking up their Nike shoes, their Columbian coffee, their soccer balls with the label ’made in Pakistan’, and started to look at all such material possessions in a very different light. People in the developed world have finally begun to realize that disparity, as a product of globalization, is increasingly proliferated by corporate–led alienation. And thus, the counter–movement began. We told them that we didn’t want globalization if it came at the cost of the global community’s disadvantaged. We thought they wouldn’t listen.

And yet, they did listen; but not as we had hoped. One may assume that such a shift in attitude of the masses would do nothing but oppose the alienation of society, that movements sparked would move up the ladder of influence and spark change up top; and it did just that. The corporate/branded world was quick to pick up on this relatively small shift in thinking, and turned things around so that the change in winds would be at their back, rather than a hindrance to work through. Oh, they changed things alright, but only to better their own crumbling image in the public eye. What exactly was the product of the public need for social change and a response involving corporate trickery? An objective aimed towards the commercialization of charity. It is a type of charity that we cannot even wholly trust, as this charity has been through the wringer of sensationalisation and glorification. It is nothing but the shell of the type of charity that activists have been seeking to get out of corporations.

Bono’s (Red) Campaign is one such example. The genius behind this relatively new campaign is that those behind it have taken the widespread obsession with materialism and brand–named material possessions in the developed world, and exploited this trendy vice (so to speak) for their own benefit. At the heart of the (Red) campaign’s manifesto lies the idea that ”At no cost to you, a (Red) company will give some of its profits to buy and distribute anti–retroviral medicine to our brothers and sisters dying of AIDS in Africa.“ And who are these (Red) companies? The gap, American Express, Apple, Converse, Emporio Armani, and Motorola are examples of companies that comprise this deceptive campaign. The campaign, thus far, has spent $100 million on marketing and advertising. The total gained – a laughable (though heavily debated) $18–25 million (As reported by various news sources). Furthermore, this campaign isn’t simply being sold and promoted by Bono in conjunction with heavy–hitting brand association; countless A–list celebrities stand behind (Red) and all that it continues (or fails) to promote. Oprah featured Bono and (Red) on her show when the campaign was launched, and ended the segment with a phrase now well known among those who see right through this ploy: ”Shop till it stops!“

Shop to stop AIDS? Seems like a viable solution to me.

Through such efforts, not only are corporate brands promoting the proliferation of the logo–loving trend, they have also managed to largely alienate the global community at a blinding level, all in one fell swoop. This campaign, and other similar pioneers of corporate ”charity“ actually diffuse the efforts of those who are fighting on the front lines of the African AIDS pandemic; those people who are struggling on a daily basis to get global aid to the grassroots level, in order to truly make a difference. The campaign does subtly try to cover its rear, as the manifesto goes on to say, ”(Red) is not a charity. It is simply a business model.“ Sure. But it is a very misleading business model, one that profits off the beliefs of caring (though clearly naive) global citizens who believe that their purchase of that red iPod will help some poor child in Africa recover from AIDS. Not to say that it’s a complete sham; certainly there must be some trickle down. Yet, had that red iPod consumer not been so alienated from the entirety of the situation on a macro level (as a result of being caught up in useless details at the micro level), he/ she would have been much better off (as would have the African child) by simply donating to pure grassroots operations where the aid goes directly to where it’s needed, rather than being picked apart by the (Red)’s clever ”business model“.

At the end of the day, what message does this debacle of public social awareness send out to corporations? It lets them know that we’re okay with the continued alienation of the rich from the poor, the oppressed from the oppressors, and the privileged from the disadvantaged. It lets them known that we as a society are far too self–absorbed to give up our materialistic ways; that their exploitation of our need for brand–driven materialism is just as okay as their inability to give out of their own free will; that it’s perfectly fine for them to profit off of charity and the charitable intentions of the clearly idealistic public. The globalization/ logo-humping/corporate–deceit countermovement certainly has the right intentions, but far too many of us are being swept in the wrong direction. And although we still have a lot of work to do in shedding our materialistic desires and lifting off the cloud of alienation that we so happily sit under, it definitely isn’t something that’s out of our reach.

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