This is a remarkably good post about what’s wrong with Oprah’s Big Give. The comments, however, are some of the lamest I have ever seen. They run the gamut, from a classic Sernovitz, to just plain missing the point, to my favorite, “Why would you ever criticize someone who is trying to do good?”
I find the tone-deaf comments extremely frustrating. They demonstrate to me that no one is taking charitable giving seriously; that somehow people believe all projects are equally valuable and effective. Give a car to a restaurant manager or an impoverished veteran. It’s all the same. It’s charity! And charity is good!
Some projects are better than others.
It’s not just that different nonprofits do different things. Some charities are better at stretching their budget. Some have better methods. Some are led by better people. It’s not all the same, and it’s not all equally important. Money spent on bad charity is at best wasted and at worst damaging.
I’ve mentioned this before: good intentions are not enough.
ETA: Mike makes an excellent point in the comments – the author can’t seem to decide if he hates the rules of the show, or the contestants. It seems to me that he was trying to say that the show is rigged to fail, and fail it did, but that point doesn’t really come across clearly.
I never even knew The Big Give existed. Seems kinda like Brewster’s Millions but utterly devoid of humor.
The linked article kinda gives mixed messages. It argues against the premise, and then moves on to chide individuals for not playing smart enough, even though the rules themselves were flawed.
Personally, I think the show would only be redeemable if you got rid of the crazy short deadlines that promote “binge giving”, but I guess that wouldn’t make for good television.
Good point. Though it seems to me you can both hate the premise and think contestants could have done better even within the terrible rules.
I enjoyed yours (and others’) reflections on Oprah’s Big Give – in full disclosure, we don’t have TV and my only exposure to the show was through blog reflections. Many of the issues that I have seen emerging by those who were disappointed and upset at the show’s results is something that also wells up in me about the education about philanthropy to youth. Often, I see well-intentioned parents give their children a piggy bank of sorts and an accompanying explanation that they can save some money and then put other money into this piggy bank that they want to go to charity. It isn’t just about putting aside money. It is about identifying areas of need, identifying programs and strategies that will be/are successful, and providing support (support can mean money, yes, but it also means volunteer time, skills, products, partnerships, etc.). This is probably many posts in and of itself so I’ll stop. Thank you, though, for sharing and igniting some thoughts!
Amy – teaching kids about charity is a whole huge thing, I agree. My son is two and I think about it a lot – how do I teach him to be generous, and generous in a useful way.