STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

shopgirl82 · Chanel

RE: Brad Pitt on Primetime

RyanJ · Coach

There are very few celebrities that I actually care to hear from, but I am glad that Brad is talking about Africa and Oprah too.

I have been to Africa and have seen all the problems they have. I have visited the orphanage and was amazed at how many children were there because they lost their parents to AIDS. I do believe that we need to help people in the US, but many people in the US have opportunities that Africans don't have. We have food stamps, welfare, and homeless shelters and many opportunities for people to better themselves, but Africans do not. These children live in horrible circumstances and the poorest in the US are considered rich compared to some Africans.

I am all for helping our country, but I think we should also help other countries that need our help.

Although, I don't think that throwing money @ the problem will make it go away. The US has given @ least 3 billion to Africa just this year. So I don't really know what the answer is.

-- Edited by RyanJ at 14:10, 2005-06-09

blubirde · Chanel

shopgirl82 wrote:

i believe that giving is giving. and as cheesy as this sounds, i believe in one world, not u.s. and everyone else.

I agree with you. If you have x number of dollars to spend on charities (or good causes, whatever you want to call it) what difference does it make who it goes to? If money = help for someone then I don't think it matters if it's here or somewhere else. I think it's wonderful he wants to help anyone at all and takes such a hands on approach. Celebrity or no, there aren't many people out there who would be willing to do that.

bean · Kenneth Cole

honey wrote:

as far as us versus other country problems, it's like apples and oranges to me. not that the us doesn't have problems, but they in no way compare to what goes on in impoverished nations. also a lot of us problems like homelessness, teen sex, etc. aren't quick fixes and more or less reflect problems with the infrastructure of our society that can't be easily remedied through money. i.e. in many countries ending homlessness is as simple as giving people money so they can buy the materials to build a house. it doesn't quite work like that in the us.

You hit it right on the head, honey. And if we waited until we fixed our own problems before we helped anyone else, who knows how many millions of people would die terrible deaths of disease and starvation.

RyanJ · Coach

blubirde wrote:
I think it's wonderful he wants to help anyone at all and takes such a hands on approach. Celebrity or no, there aren't many people out there who would be willing to do that.

I think there are many people that would be willing to do it- they just can't afford to.

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

honey wrote:

mclantern wrote: The reason that so many celebrities and the like are so vocal about helping other countries is because one billion people live on less than one dollar a day and most live in these "third world countries". I personally give money not only to the US but to poorer countries also because these poorer countries often lack resources to improve AIDS, poverty, etc. on there own. i feel similarly. at the very least, it's nice to know that some celebrities care, and if they can use their status to raise awareness then more power to them. as far as us versus other country problems, it's like apples and oranges to me. not that the us doesn't have problems, but they in no way compare to what goes on in impoverished nations. also a lot of us problems like homelessness, teen sex, etc. aren't quick fixes and more or less reflect problems with the infrastructure of our society that can't be easily remedied through money. i.e. in many countries ending homlessness is as simple as giving people money so they can buy the materials to build a house. it doesn't quite work like that in the us.

well said, honey. i completely agree. i think that the "let's focus on our problems first" argument is dangerous. who's to say that our social problems (though they are numerous) are more important than what is occuring in africa? AIDS is a global issue, and africa has been hit especially hard. they need all the support/aid that they can get.

good for brad, i admire that he is socially conscious and trying to educate people when so many other celebrities throw their money around on frivilous material things. and while i'm not sure how i feel about angelina (homewrecker or no?), i also admire her for donating so much of her time, money, and energy to her work with the UN and other causes.

Drew · Gucci

Brad Pitt, just like his fellow peers, spends money frivilously too. He jets around on private planes and owns over 300 pairs of sunglasses (according to some interview I read a year or so ago), which I think is a pretty good indicator that he spends quite frivolously.

People can help whatever cause they want- more power to them. I wasn't trying to say the US is any more of a worthy cause than any other country's causes, I just think our problems are more our business; we don't govern Africa and can't really change the social/infra structure, contrary to what Pitt thinks (I really got the feeling he thinks he could somehow be personally responsible for starting a revolution - high aspirations and even noble- but from Pitt I felt like it was more self serving - to leave a legacy kind of thing).

I compare fixing the countries problems with a person fixing their personal problems before trying to have relationships with other people; it's kind of hard to tell someone how to fix a problem that you yourself have. I think this country should work on being a model country, then other countries could see how successful our model is and follow suit. Besides, I think some countries rely too heavily on other countries. Why don't they help themselves? Because their governments are that corrupt; they don't even take care of their own people, or even try to IMO. We can't go around being Big Brother to everyone -it stretches our resources thin and we end up fixing nothing.

mckenke · BCBG

I didn't see the Brad Pitt interview, but I have to put in my $.02. I admit I am partial since I work for a UN agency and specifically on HIV/AIDS, but I just wanted to say a couple of things. First, I do think we (the U.S.) are a model in many ways. We are far from perfect, but we have low infant mortality, low maternal mortality, we barely even think about the things that kill millions of children every year, i.e. diaherrea, polio, malaria, tetanus. These health issues can be solved with a fairly small investment and we have the mechanisms and the know how to do so.

Second, many countries do "help themselves," but it takes an initial investment before the government buys into a program. We often put in money for a program and the goverment contributes 3 or 4 times that amount when they see a program is successful. Money is scarce in most of these countries and they don't have the funds to be testing a million programs that might not work. When they see that something is successful and when government officials have been trained on the subject they do work to help themselves. Of course, not all governments have the funding to help themselves there are too many problems to address. How can a tiny country like Swaziland with an almost 40% HIV infection rate combat HIV in young people, ensure care for AIDS orphans plus deal with all the issues they already faced chronic malnutrition, rampant poverty, lack of access to clean water, low school attendance, etc? I don't think the issue is that they don't "help themselves" it is that there are so many issues it is hard to prioritize.

-- Edited by mckenke at 16:00, 2005-06-09

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

Drew wrote:

Brad Pitt, just like his fellow peers, spends money frivilously too. He jets around on private planes and owns over 300 pairs of sunglasses (according to some interview I read a year or so ago), which I think is a pretty good indicator that he spends quite frivolously. People can help whatever cause they want- more power to them. I wasn't trying to say the US is any more of a worthy cause than any other country's causes, I just think our problems are more our business; we don't govern Africa and can't really change the social/infra structure, contrary to what Pitt thinks (I really got the feeling he thinks he could somehow be personally responsible for starting a revolution - high aspirations and even noble- but from Pitt I felt like it was more self serving - to leave a legacy kind of thing). I compare fixing the countries problems with a person fixing their personal problems before trying to have relationships with other people; it's kind of hard to tell someone how to fix a problem that you yourself have. I think this country should work on being a model country, then other countries could see how successful our model is and follow suit. Besides, I think some countries rely too heavily on other countries. Why don't they help themselves? Because their governments are that corrupt; they don't even take care of their own people, or even try to IMO. We can't go around being Big Brother to everyone -it stretches our resources thin and we end up fixing nothing.

i'm sure brad pitt spends frivilously too. my point was that at least he's doing something, which is more than many other celebrities.

i didn't see the interview, so i can't comment on his motives/aspirations for his efforts in africa. perhaps it is a bit self-serving, i have no idea. for me the bottom line is, i don't care what his motives are as long as he's making a positive impact.

in a perfect world, we'd concentrate on our domestic issues, become a model country, and countries could then follow suit. in reality, that's simply not possible (this also brings up the issue of the US imposing its westernized "model" or "ideal" on countries that may or may not share our values or ideals). obviously many other countries can't just "help themselves." lack of resources, corrupt governments, etc. all play a role in that. how can we expect the children of africa- the victims, the orphans, the voiceless- to "help themselves"?

ejc423 · Coach

sfcaligirl wrote:

(this also brings up the issue of the US imposing its westernized "model" or "ideal" on countries that may or may not share our values or ideals)

I am so glad you said this. There's nothing wrong with wanting the US to be a nation that we can be proud of and think of as worthy of being modeled, but most "underprivileged" nations don't share our culture and lots of them don't want to. I personally think "Westernizing" those countries would be tragic. I do think there is a way to help them without imposing our culture/ideals on them and I feel some degree of responsibility (not out of duty but of privilege) to use my resources to do that.

I also think that part of being a good example includes generosity to those who need help.

You can tell who the bleeding hearts are among us . . .

halleybird · Hermes

Luv2Shop wrote:

atlgirl wrote: Halleybird, I usually agree with you, but I feel differently here. Billy Bob and Laura Dern were *not* married...not to excuse that whole mess, but I think for a lot of people marriage is where you draw the line at any possiblity of a relationship with someone. Otherwise...."all's fair" and all that. I don't personally feel that way, but I know many other people who think that anyone who's not married is fair game. I certainly can't speak for Angelina's POV, but that's my two cents' worth, anyway. *s* Anyone who thinks that way needs to remember that the next time someone is hitting on their boyfriend. I think they would be quick to change their minds. That is why I DO NOT respect Angelina. I think the tables would turn if someone was trying to take her man away. Married couples or not I think she is a homewrecker.

Atlgirl- the reason I think she is hypocritical is because she said in that interview that she had an issue with cheating, period, since her dad cheated on her mom. So I think the idea of it being a marriage really has no bearing.

In any case, I don't blame Angelina for anything, even if Brad is dating her now. The term "homewrecker" is terribly sexist and implies that the man had nothing to do with it. It takes TWO people to cheat, and I also believe that in many (certainly not all) unfaithful couples, cheating is an effect of the problem, not the cause.

halleybird · Hermes

I also wanted to say that yes, this country does have many problems, but I don't think we can begin to compare the issues in even our poorest communities (which still have access to [albeit flawed] government programs and healthcare) with what's happening in Africa.

Whether it's PR or not, I applaud Brad Pitt for doing something when so many others in his position do not.

theotherjess · Chanel

halleybird wrote:

I also wanted to say that yes, this country does have many problems, but I don't think we can begin to compare the issues in even our poorest communities (which still have access to [albeit flawed] government programs and healthcare) with what's happening in Africa.

I just watched a documentary where they showed the poorest part of the country (the Bronx) and they interviewed the people that were getting free soup at a soup kitchen. Almost all of them had color TV, microwaves, and air conditioning

. The poorest people of America have access to SO much more than the poor in Africa or elsewhere.

Drew · Gucci

theotherjess wrote:

halleybird wrote: I also wanted to say that yes, this country does have many problems, but I don't think we can begin to compare the issues in even our poorest communities (which still have access to [albeit flawed] government programs and healthcare) with what's happening in Africa. I just watched a documentary where they showed the poorest part of the country (the Bronx) and they interviewed the people that were getting free soup at a soup kitchen. Almost all of them had color TV, microwaves, and air conditioning . The poorest people of America have access to SO much more than the poor in Africa or elsewhere.

The poorest people aren't in the Bronx! Whose documentary was that? The poorest people live in the middle of the country; you wouldn't believe how many people still live without electricity and running water.

I just want to touch briefly on remarks to my comments of the US becoming a model country and other countries could follow suit. They don't have to follow suit; I never said we should impose our ideas on other countries, just that we could set a good example.

Look, people came to the US with nothing. We used our ingenuity, bronze, and determination to build this country into what it is today - without handouts. I really don't understand why certain countries fight so much internally and cannot get it together, and I certainly do not feel some sort of responsability to fix it. I take care of those around me; I don't forsake them for people I don't know/have never seen thousands of miles away.

atlgirl · Gucci

Atlgirl- the reason I think she is hypocritical is because she said in that interview that she had an issue with cheating, period, since her dad cheated on her mom. So I think the idea of it being a marriage really has no bearing.

Well, that makes a difference - I didn't see the interview. So I can see where you think she's hypocritical from that.

I really think all of this is kind of sad - I like both Brad and Angelina, and I like Jennifer Aniston too. None of us will ever *really* know what happened between the three of them, but it must really suck to have people all over the country gossiping about it. :(

honey · Gucci

Drew wrote:

I just want to touch briefly on remarks to my comments of the US becoming a model country and other countries could follow suit. They don't have to follow suit; I never said we should impose our ideas on other countries, just that we could set a good example. Look, people came to the US with nothing. We used our ingenuity, bronze, and determination to build this country into what it is today - without handouts. I really don't understand why certain countries fight so much internally and cannot get it together, and I certainly do not feel some sort of responsability to fix it. I take care of those around me; I don't forsake them for people I don't know/have never seen thousands of miles away.

this is an extremely idealistic interpretation of the founding of our country. before we were a country we were a colony, and many of the original settlers were people of means who came here for a variety of reasons including the quest for religious freedom. while i don't doubt their ingenuity and their determination, it's a lot easier to accomplish things when you have the money to back your dreams. and as far as handouts, well...you kind of don't need them when you've got "free" labor.

I really don't understand why certain countries fight so much internally and cannot get it together

if you look at african history (i'll use africa as an example since it keeps getting brought up) many of these countries were colonies and the colonizers maintained their power by exploiting existing differences between various tribes, and this sort of thing went on for generations. while the u.s. also started out as a colony, they obtained their independence relatively early on in their history so they've have centuries to work out internal struggles.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

my grasp of african history isn't the strongest, but it's true that we've had a lot more time to sort out our problems -- hundreds of years more. it's only in the late 1800s that there was a rapid scramble to colonize Africa (although there had a been a longer history of colonization, like Carthage, from the 4th century BC) and then many of these countries only gained indepence in the 20th century, even in the 1960s.

i agree that america is a tremendous example to the rest of the world, and that as a country it's utterly remarkable that all these immigrants came here and formed a new society. i'm sure we can all trace our lines back to ancestors through immigration (for me, it was my grandfather from Italy via Ellis Island when he was 8 years old). but we don't have a perfect history of rights for all from day one (i mean, emancipation happened in 1864, but it took another hundred years for the Civil Rights movement, the right for African-Americans to vote, and the end of segregation), and it took a lot of strife and bloodshed and conflict to get us to today, a today that isn't perfect, but there's nowhere else in the world i'd rather live. our access to education and all sorts of services is truly incredible. i just read an article about AIDS/HIV in India...it can be easy to forget that what we take for granted is completely foreign to so many other people.

look, our frivilous interest in brad pitt's marriage has brought us to political and historical discourse!

ejc423 · Coach

Drew wrote:

I just want to touch briefly on remarks to my comments of the US becoming a model country and other countries could follow suit. They don't have to follow suit; I never said we should impose our ideas on other countries, just that we could set a good example. Look, people came to the US with nothing. We used our ingenuity, bronze, and determination to build this country into what it is today - without handouts. I really don't understand why certain countries fight so much internally and cannot get it together, and I certainly do not feel some sort of responsability to fix it. I take care of those around me; I don't forsake them for people I don't know/have never seen thousands of miles away.

Drew, my comments were not targeted at you, I don't want you to feel attacked. It is just a hot button issue for me that western nations are so eager to "fix" other nations' problems by "developing" those countries. I didn't think you suggested anything of the sort, it was just a general comment.

sephorablue · Marc Jacobs

I have to say I think it's good whenever a powerful celebrity gets involved purely even in just raising awareness. I didn't see the interview so I don't know specifically what he was talking about, but I am haunted by everything I hear about the genocide in Sudan. One remark in particular sticks in my mind from one of the articles I read--that while money has been flowing into the area, it isn't really helping--it just means that the black Sudanese are well-fed when they are murdered or raped or tortured by the Janjaweed. In a situation like that, you need political pressure to force the local government to take steps to control the slaughter more than you even need financial donations... and if some big-shot celebrity makes a big deal out of it and more people pay attention to it, well then maybe that will get some sort of ball rolling that could actually do some real good there.