For some months now I have received your magazine. I am not sure how or why I am getting it but I have enjoyed many articles that have been published. Until now. On the Front cover of the July 19,2010 issue, the headline reads, "The Celebrity 100, the Richest, Most Powerful, Movie Stars, Musicians and Athletes." I flipped to the article and you show the individual, their ranking among your 100 and what their earnings are.
I look at the list and see many of these people are talented and gifted indeed. The earnings go from $315 million to $6.5 Million. So I sit back a minute. When the economy has been in recession for the last few years do I really care who are the richest and powerful 100 celebrities according to you.
What would mean more to me and maybe others is how many companies do they own? How many employees do they have and retain with fair wages and health care benefits? Finally and equally as important as the first few questions, how many organizations do they serve on a volunteer basis to help others?
When I look at celebrities I want to know not only how good they might be on the big screen or basketball court, but what is their bigger impact on society?
It is interesting that in that same issue is a small half page article called "Dialing for Celebrity Dollars" and it lists the charity/celebrity, grants made in thousands, overheads and comments. You list "Oprah's Angel Network" as one with 37% overhead and that the charity is being shut down. You also list David Letterman's charity "American Foundation for Courtesy & Grooming" that gave out $1.2 million dollars last year with only a overhead of $25. Maybe with a little more research the two stories could have been tied together.
In today times where people are losing their homes, their jobs, their health care benefits and are just barely surviving, I for one want to know what your list of 100 celebrities do to help our society? It means nothing to me that someone makes $315 million a year or $6.5 million a year unless they are improving the life of others beyond what they do for a living.
Sincerely a reader,
Kathleen
Very well spoken!! And I agree 100%. I think that you should send this letter to the magazine also!!
ReplyDelete~Traci
Kathleen you have hit on one of the biggest downfalls of a capitalist/free market society. People who have are inclined to want more and more and very few are willing to share. Many also see helping people out when they are down on their luck as giving them a free handout and although I am sure that in many cases those receiving help from government agencies will take advantage of it, there are still a good many that want to be self supporting and independent and surely would be if someone could just lend a hand.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me to think that as the most "powerful" nation on earth we will help out other countries to the tune of billions of dollars but let many of our own people starve or freeze or go without basic human needs, many of those are even the very people that fought to ensure that those that have can get more... Something is definitely wrong with this picture and it needs to change.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Perhaps if enough of us share such experiences we will get to a point, collectively, where we have had enough and vote ALL the Democraps and Redumblicans out of office... just maybe...
Tracy.