A Serious Request

I fully support the cause that Serious Request supports. Strangely enough I don't really care which cause that is. This year it's about AIDS-stricken orphans, last years they supported water-deprived people, malaria victims, war refugees, land mine clean-ups... Now I trust 3FM to choose a cause that garners at least some sympathy, but by rotating the cause there's an underlying feeling that the event is more about the event itself, rather than the cause, i.e. I give money regardless which is the good cause du jour.

The money raised is also a contentious point. We need to measure how successful a money-raising event is, and usually the amount of euros is the most clear one to take. It's just so powerful that it can actually influence what people bring in afterward. It makes it important to carefully orchestrate when money is counted to the overall total. It's like voting and polls, if the result is already clear from the outset, subsequent people won't bother showing up.

And what if the goal is to raise as much money, if not more, without the government's support? It just makes the government say, "good, the people give themselves anyway", rather than the government itself deciding on handing a lump sum of tax money without the constituency choosing to do so.

I like what 3FM is putting together each year. It's becoming a tradition that we all look forward to come December. But at this point, is it wrong to feel more sympathy for the guys (and girls) in the house itself and the personal stories of people giving than the actual theme of the event?