Bono does pop star social activism right
Published July 21, 2004
Bono makes a good example of appropriate social activism among entertainers on numerous levels.
For starters, a fair amount of U2's recorded work carries political and social themes to start with, so it's reasonable to expect some political content. The author of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" might reasonably think his audience should expect a bit of politics. Artists whose politics are baked in to their work automatically have more leeway.
Also, Bono does most of his activism on his own time. For example, hardly anyone would criticize him for speaking before the World Affairs Council of Oregon, as he is slated to do. If you don't want to hear his politics, don't go to their rally. That's a lot different than haranguing a fan who has paid $100 to see a rock show.
Also, Bono is serious. He does his homework. Often, celebrities talking politics appear simply to be grandstanding idiots looking for a little cheap applause. Bono, though, clearly knows something about what he speaks. He very likely does in fact know a lot more than most people - even policymakers - about the intricacies of third world debt and debt forgiveness issues. He's spent time in Africa among the plagued villages to have some first hand knowledge of issues on the ground.
That kind of effort means something. It shows commitment and sobriety and seriousness of purpose. It certainly means a lot more than, to pick a classic example, John Lennon's famous "bed-in" for peace.
Perhaps most important in differentiating himself from some activists, Bono treats opposition with careful respect. Very often, celebrity activists appear to be more interested in doing a little superior dance rather than anything to do with actual policy.
Bono, by contrast, seems relatively humble and sincere. He's not making cheap demagogic attacks on everyone he disagrees with. He's critical and strongly opinionated on certain topics, but he obviously makes a lot of effort to be conciliatory, and work with people whom me might often disagree with. Someone like Ann Coulter wouldn't be able to lay a glove on Bono.
For example, he spoke appropriately respectfully about Tony Blair in the run up to the Iraq war a couple of years ago. He publicly accepted Blair's honesty and sincerity - but insisted that the Prime Minister was "sincerely wrong."
Bono got a lot of points with me on all this stuff several years ago now, making the rounds for some of his debt forgiveness issues. He was courting no less than Jesse Helms, respectfully trying to present him with good reasons to do what he wanted. For any kind of left winger, Jesse Helms constitutes about as far a reaching out as you could get.
See, that's acting like someone actually trying to help solve problems and accomplish something.
Or you could just have a little has-been hissy fit onstage in Vegas like Rondstadt, and then get all indignant and play martyr and have people whining about "censorship" when management fires you for talking trash on the company's time.
- Bono does pop star social activism right
- Published: July 21, 2004
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- Section: Politics
- Writer: Al Barger
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I still remember the photo the Bono had taken with President Bush. It was a photo-op taken during, I believe, a discussion about the African AIDS epidemic. Bono will work and talk respectfully with anyone. He is very sincere. He probably loses some points among his fellow liberals for being this way, but it's their problem, not his. Bono has always been, in my opinion, one of the classiest of politically motivated rock singers and it's no surprise to me that U2 is one of the most respected and loved rock bands.
While I don't always agree with the positions that Bono takes I do respect his methods. In interviews he always come across as sincere, bright, well spoken, with a dash of humour.
I'm sure I'm a little late on this, but I'd just like to say that I agree with you.
U2 have not only grandstanded social issue they cared about through their music since the beginning; they have also donated a considerable amount of their time and money to various causes.
People so often clump all so-called "celebrity activists" into one category: uneducated, self-absorbed egomaniacs, just looking to get some publicity. Bono spent time in Africa in the early 80's, has donated proceeds from various concerts and singles to the cause, and has gone back to Africa a couple times in the past few years. It's not his cause of the moment, as it is with some celebs.
He's not a historian or political analyst, but he knows his shit. He appears to be an articulate, bright human being, and I agree his added bits of humor at the very idea of a rock star addressing a political forum are refreshing.
You don't have to agree with every approach DATA take to the pandemic, but I am glad you respect that they at least HAVE an approach, other than "throw more money at it." (although more money is certainly needed). Their campaign also supports the idea of Democracy, Accountablilty, Trust (I think it's Trust, anyway) in Africa. Meaning, the legislation they propose to governments around the world clearly states that countries honestly trying to do something about the emergency ought to be rewarded, and this is where the money ought to be challenged. They propose the idea of generic-only drugs, which can be produced extremely cheaply and effectively, of the sharing of this "intellectual copyright." They don't ask Americans for money, but instead to right to their senators and show that they will be watching this issue during election season. That Americans DO care. Just that one billion dollars more in funding, which the Bush administration promised, is what DATA, and many other AIDS campaigns are demanding. Not too much to ask when you consider this administration just blew more than 100 billion on a war littered with "miscalculations."
They also are not stupid when it comes to getting their message picked up. When they speak to the neo-cons, the message is that Brand USA needs a Marshall Plan-esque makeover, and that ending extreme poverty is also in the interests of American national security, as it is the root of terrorism. When they speak to churches and Christian groups, the rhetoric is that this is the morally Right thing to do, that God states that we MUST help our fellow brother, etc. When it's an economic forum, or when the meeting is primarily over specific requests for funding increases, the theme is that dealing with this medical holocaust now is cheaper by a factor of 100, as they put it, than dealing with it later.
Dommage people will never take him seriously because he is a singer in a band. He's not an angel, he's doing what any politically-motivated star with any sort of conscious would do: get in deep and really try to use that leverage for the greater good.
He may have lost the respect of fans and mostly non-fans, who are too narrow-minded to consider that someone with a higher income than themselves may still be a half-way decent person.
But he's gained mine.
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Until the recent news about her firing, I thought she was dead. I'll bet I'm not the only one either.
I honestly believe some of these people do this simply to generate some negative publicity. After all, when you're a has-been, any publicity is goodpublicity...