It’s not about holding grudges against the rich. As long as they fairly toiled for every cent then how to use their stash is their own choice. We might philosophize as this is an age where every other person philosophizes. We might say that why don’t they give large amounts to the poor and the needy. We might say “Don’t feel any guilt holding such big festivals while there are so many who are not sure of getting their daily bread come tomorrow?” We might dig up all those moral and moral sounding arguments. Well saying people especially those who are in the higher echelon of society should take the front seat in helping the poor and the needy do no harm to anyone. But then such things are personal choices and people would have their own legitimate reasons for the things they do and don’t do. If they don’t have those philanthropic genes in them well, what can one say!
There is this widespread belief that the rich and the well-off of this country don’t care about the larger populace. They are so self-centered all they think is about the luxury they and their families should enjoy. (I tell you I was shocked like many when I read that there were parents who paid a cool six hundred thousand birr a month for a single child’s tuition! Six hundred thousand! Really! Yes, really. Sometimes certain things don’t just make you wonder; they throw you out onto some no man’s land so much so you aren’t sure you’re still in the world you lived all your life in!) Anyways, some narratives which paint richness with all the wrong colors and do indeed confuse people; not only do they confuse but also push people to take in every word they said as if it was the whole truth. That’d be a little harsh.
But frankly speaking the facts though they don’t disregard such narratives completely have a different story. There are many well-meaning people among the rich who do everything within their means to help the needy and the disadvantaged. The only thing is that they don’t want to publicize their philanthropic activities. They choose to stay behind the curtain because even in the scriptures one isn’t encouraged to display one’s philanthropic activities.
Now there is this trend where philanthropic activities were more about publicity and image building rather than the innocent urge to help those in need. You can tell from what transpires on the media and even at times in the mainstream media that even ‘the philanthropist’ is thinking about maybe the applause he gets from the public or whoever. Yes such people deserve all the appreciation; but that shouldn’t overshadow the real problem. Even some in the media fall for this calculated ruse of image building and focus more not on the problem for which the donations were secured but the actual personalities behind the good response.
In fact this image building in times of some personal and societal difficulties seems to have become some trend which everyone seems to be part of. Take the passing away of some prominent personality in the entertainment world. I don’t even feel comfortable all the theatrics you see from some of the mourners who act in ways which steal attention away from the departed and the grieving family.
Recently there was this horrific landslide in our country which took the lives of hundreds on innocents. In fact the news was on many of the global mainstream media as it should have been given the extent of the loss of life and damage. However some local media outlets were saying that.
Look while I’m at it I’ve a couple of thoughts here. Some media outlet in the country however are treating this fact as if the global media have kept silent the pain would have been any easier. As if the global media coverage was the display of real remorse on the part of those media outlets. They were doing their jobs; period! It is as easy as that. However it is also good to really look at the method of presentation; because most of the time there would probably be some element of arrogance and/or political play. I have read some reports on the mentioned media where the notion of “Oh they! Not again!”
Again while we’re still at it many of us have to reexamine our long-held notions about the global mainstream media. Over the past several years the colors of most of them have come out in the open and no more are we going to fall for their word play. Really the story in the global media industry has changed fast and far over the past several years and is still on the process of changing even more. Especially after we have seen the global mainstream media’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war; the Israeli-Hamas war; the succession of coups mostly in West Africa: the tensions in the South China Sea and elsewhere and now the American elections which at times appears like a reality show of hate, arrogance and lots of negative and repulsive emotions we no more are easy prey to be led by the nose to where they want to take us. Shortly, the times when we used to take the global mainstream media as the masters of ‘the truth, the whole truth but the nothing truth are fading fast. So our own media have to open their eyes wider, or else a situation where the populace is far ahead of the media wouldn’t be nice for that profession.
Going back to what we were talking about, it wouldn’t be taking things too far to say that people who try to turn sad events into promotional opportunities for themselves aren’t as few as we might think. A few minutes of browsing the various social media platforms would tell you that. I mean that is not only immoral but worrying too. I wonder what all those cameramen and women are thinking when they zoom in on the wrong faces of usually some personality from the entertainment industry and the like. Why should I care about the amount of tears that famous actress shed, an actress who probably isn’t anywhere close to be of the relative or even a close friend of the departed! What I want to know is how the society could console the bereaved family. What I want to know is if there was anything in the offing to make sure the memories of the departed are kept alive so that the living could draw lessons from them.
As to those who want to turn sad events or disasters into promotional tools for themselves we have one little thing to say! Get off it! We’re simply tired of image-building tears!
EPHREM ENDALE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 4 AUGUST 2024