As ice-bucket challengers splash away, Controversy reigns

John Maino performs Ice Bucket Challenge: commons.wikipedia.org

Has your news feed been cluttered with ice bucket challenges? Mine to.

Has every celebrity now and past accepted a challenge? It would appear so.

And as Twitter, Facebook, and Yahoo circulate the latest and greatest ice bucket dousing, voices of doubt seem to be growing louder to.

But is it legitimate or unjust negativity?

The challenge

As you may (or may not) know, the ALS ice bucket challenge is a fundraiser to rally donations for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The concept is that those who are “nominated” can either donate to the cause or douse themselves in a bucket of cold ice water. At this point however it seems that donors are also choosing to douse themselves in water. For extra affect. And possibly for viral video rights, but whatever.

According to Fox News, “As of Aug. 22, the ALS Association has received $53.3 million in donations, compared with $2.2 million donated during the same period last year.”

That’s great news, right? Well…. Maybe.

Controversy with a captal “C”

Nay-sayers have begun to question everything from the scope of the campaign to the reason why participants are taking part.

Is the money really funding research?

Are the donations enough?

Are the donations too much?

Who is really benefiting from the YouTube views and social media hype?

Is the average man just trying to get famous?

Is the famous guy just trying to get more famous?

Let’s break down the debate…

“Way to go” vs. “Gone too far”

For starters, let’s investigate the financial aspect of donating to the ALS ice bucket challenge, shall we?

Going back to Fox News…

 “for organizations that depend on a continuous support of donors, a one-time spike in revenue is only part of the picture. Another factor to consider is the number of people who publically show their support, for example, by dumping ice on their heads, versus the number who make a financial contribution, and may continue to do so, said Kirk Kristofferson, a researcher at the Sauder School of Business in Vancouver, Canada, who studies marketing and prosocial behavior.

If a fundraising campaign has a high percentage of people who voice their support without actually donating that could raise the problem of "slacktivism," which is the practice of engaging in virtual support such as "liking" a charity's page on Facebook, without having any real-world effect.”

Good point. The ALS campaign doesn’t end with the popularity of the bucket challenge. It’s ongoing. And needs long-term donors who will stand the test of time along with the fight for a cure. Much like the popularity of Breast Cancer awareness.

How much awareness though does the ice bucket spectacle create? As part of a Forbes.com article, Will Oremus was quoted as saying,

“As for ‘raising awareness,’ few of the videos I’ve seen contain any substantive information about the disease, why the money is needed, or how it will be used. More than anything else, the ice bucket videos feel like an exercise in raising awareness of one’s own zaniness, altruism, and/or attractiveness in a wet T-shirt.”

Here’s a test… do YOU know where to go to donate? Do you know how much you can/are expected to donate? I can’t tell you without a Google search. And I’m guessing more people are with me there.

There are certainly some legitimate points to be made in the skepticism circulating as quickly as the videos supposedly supporting the cause.

If you need further exploration, feel free to read this blog post Is Dumping Ice Water on Your Head Really Helping?

Did we miss the point?

As E!Online pointed out recently, most people are simply missing the point. That would be to make a donation, not to dump ice water on one’s head. The dumping remember—is the punishment for not donating in the first place.

Yes, perhaps challengers are thrilled at their “popularity” first for being nominated and called out publicly. Second, the thrill of making a video showcasing the thrilling, terrible, oh-so-shameless spectacle of being wet and cold for all to see. But by now the majority of us probably don’t really care anyway.

A few critics have complained about the water wasted to perform the ALS challenge. But since the average American already wastes roughly 50 gallons of water PER DAY, the one-time ice bucket phenomenon really isn’t the problem… now is it?

 

In the meantime, donations are still pouring in. ALS has been more than a mere mention in passing news (in the past mainly regarding someone famous who has been stricken). And maybe more Americans will think about additional causes close to their hearts worth monetary support.

What is being funded?

My research into the subject was wrapping up when I stumbled upon the most compelling perspective yet.

What kind of research is being funded??

In his own piece titled Why I Can't Accept the Ice-Bucket Challenge, Nathanael King details his own personal experiences with loved ones who have suffered with ALS AND why he has chosen not to accept the challenges he has received.

King steers clear of all the typical arguments and dives into the meat of his personal stance. He simply does not agree with all the types of research being performed by the ALS Association-- specifically, stem-cell research.

King writes:

"Sometimes, stem cells are harvested as part of in-vitro fertilization as described above, and other times they are harvested as part of an abortion procedure.  For example, one clinical trial, which was supported by the ALS Association with a $500,000 grant involved 'stem cells ... from the spinal cord of a single fetus electively aborted after eight weeks of gestation.'  At 8 weeks, a baby has it's own unique DNA, is 2 centimeters long, has tiny fingers and toes, and a heart beat of about 160 beats per minute."

 And on a moral level, he is not okay with that.

To dump or not to dump

The bottom line is... we all have a moral compass and we all have values with meaning. And if your chosen plight is the fight for ALS patients, no matter the cost, that is your call to action. However, if you have moral, social, or environmental issues with any aspect of the challenge, you have the right to not participate.

Choice-- is the true American dream. Every day we choose what we stand for. But at least respect yourself enough to stand for something.