But when Bono--Bono!--expresses his disappointment with Paul Martin's dithering on foreign aid, suddenly we're supposed to feel ashamed for the PM and our country:
"I am personally not just disappointed, I'm crushed, actually, because I really believed that the Prime Minister would do that," he said, noting Canada is the only country in the G8 to boast a surplus.
"I felt, as a former finance minister, he would be able to make the numbers work...If it doesn't work for Canada, it's very hard to ask why Irish people should commit to 0.7 per cent or French people or English people. So there is a lot at stake here."
I fall to recall what public office Bono holds, or what particular expertise in macroeconomics and international development he possesses, that gives such weight to his opinions.
The good opinion of allied governments, especially that of our southern neighbour and largest trading partner, should count for far more than that of a pretentious rock star with a Messiah complex.
Source: Globe and Mail
2 comments:
"I am personally not just disappointed, I'm crushed, actually, because I really believed that the Prime Minister would do that,"
Sounds like a great campaign quote to me.
Bono finally gets it- Martin makes promises but he doesn't keep them.
"I really believed he would do it" I wonder if all the recipients of the billion dollar promises flying around now "really believe he would(will) do it" too. Like Bono they will be not just disappointed, but crushed!!
Hey , look, feel free to ignore Bono by any means. And sure, his celebrity means his comments get way more attention than they would get coming from someone else. But I don't think that means his coments get more attention than they DESERVE.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying BONO deserves the attention, I'm saying his COMMENTS deserve attention (because I largely agree with what he is saying).
I take some celebrities comments more seriously than others, and Bono is one of them. Why? Well, because while he's no expert (which he would freely and openly admit) he does take the time to educate himself, and he is serious about the cause he champions.
And second, let's look at what Bono's cause is. Eliminating poverty worldwide (and especially, in hardest hit Arica). How can one argue with that? He's trying to use his celebrity to bring attention to the plight of the world's poor, and encourage rich nations to try to do more to eliminate their suffering.
Now, some seem to think that since he's rich and famous he should just shut up and donate all HIS money and live a more modest life himself. But it seems to me that misse the point. Bono knows (better than most of us, because he really has educated himself about these things) that he could give away every last dollar he has, and live the rest of his life in a box, and still not make a dent in worldwide poverty. So he's trying to use his celebrity to make some REAL change.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Bono deserves a medal for what he's doing. But we shouldn't slag him for it either.
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