Why We Need Fraternity Pranks and Girl-Scout Rah-Rahs to Meet our Global Health Care Needs

By Ron Knight

 

Thank goodness. Someone more empirical than I, who actually articulates the social pompostity (coined term) with the stats on how and why we all gave to the ALS Foundation for Lou Gerhrig’s Disease, by tossing Ice Buckets on our heads, published a very good read on why it was bad for us. Mind you, I gave as well but I couldn’t help watching everyone’s throw the bucket on their head antics, realizing that a real social virus had been spread. If this campaign had been from McDonald's. .. y'all done mighta thought twice.

         The Ice Bucket Challenge was bad for you. Not because it didn’t help an altruistic concern in need, it just made about 370% more of the target funding needed, just to operate and manipulate the fundraising process, while having everyone engage in a rah rah! Campaign more motivational than selling girl-scout cookies, and everyone being so proud that they learned the lyrics to the newest camp song.

         Thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge, the ALS Association received more than $70 million so far, compared to only $2.5 million during the same period last year. It is a great way to raise money. Giving to ALS is wonderful. Having raised more than three times the last year's funds is worthy for any and all causes. I respect any individual personal experience with any disease and the human, compassionate, community based battle to win the fight. These past seven years I personally have lost more people I know to cancer, people way too young to die, who should have had a lot more life to live and give. My own family history with cancer is a horrid road map. With compassion, we all contribute to the Circle of need as we can.

         I revert to a first bold comment on the social media thread: No one, in order to get the job done, needs to dump a bucket of ice water on your head. I love the one viral response that kids at risk of all these diseases and more in Africa, have rare if no perfectly clean and clear water to dump on their heads.

         Someone countered those who “saw through” this campaign behavior instigation, declaring what a pompous attitude. I in return noted that that very statement as a counter was pompous. Some of us have spent careers in marketing, as marketers. Getting anyone to adopt any behavior is an achievement in today's world. I know this was an unpopular discussion, and strikes a personal chord for many, especially if they or someone they know is afflicted with ALS.

        If 70 million was raised to help solve ALS - which we will SEE if it does... what will be decided upon and chosen to help solve Parkinson’s where I have personal lineage, MLS which has higher incidence, and again personal family experience- and even less funding for solutions? These and more?

It is not the philanthropy in question. What will be your next campaign? A polar bear plunge, dancing naked in the streets, streaking? Jerry Lewis perhaps did more for diseases that are now much more contained; he did it with shows and telethons. Maybe a few pies in the face, but no sorority or frat stunts. This is social media; the end of network TV. If you are pleased, happy and proud that your needs are met with this campaign, than we are all very, very happy and pleased along with you.

         “Boy, why are you turning this into a nasty dispute; JC, we're talking about a horrible deadly disease. Get a grip!”

Been a while since Ah been called “Boy” specially from a wat wimin livin' in Gilboa, upstate New Yawk.

         First, that point is agreed. I share in the community love and light that so much could be given to a good cause, with huge compassion to any of you and yours with the need for the solution. I hope they do apply the funds for a solution. The USA knee-jerked as it called a war against Ebola, as it came from Africa. So did AIDS. SARs from the East, or then cries that milk had melmac in it came as the world’s trade system allows milk from China. If the world had a global fund, with equitable contribution for research and development to extradite all diseases, which would then have to constitute a global vote, most likely a global tax as a preventative fund, perhaps much like global socialized medicine, which No One would all agree in, we as a Race could wipe out all of these issues. But good luck seeing anything like that.

         I just wish the next need can find the next campaign method, and then... when MLS, Cancer, Ebola, Aids, Parkinson ' s, ALS and all else as based in the USA ask the global supply of R&D funds to help out, many nations that do have a social structure for medicine, they will simply tell us... “Hey. We have our own social medicine. You don't. Figure it out for yourselves.” In effect... go dump a bucket of ice on your heads. I vote for one world medicine research, and yes, we all buy in. Pinch me. I'm dreaming. And yes. LOVE. I’m Showing the Love.

         Why do Americans always have to Show the Love? Because we don’t have a Social system that shows the Love in the first place? Is it because we all need a day to do a Snap wit are finguhs, maybe walk the red carpet, or get to go on the Arsenio Hall Show or get a place on Hollywood Blvd? Why doesn’t the world just HAVE a concentrated and “conscience-traded” effort to wipe out the diseases where it seems there is no solution on the things that have a threat to KILL us? If a threat was looming where the powers whose financial interests were going to be Killed, I assure you those interests would be moving the machinery into War. And by god, those financial interests have vested interest in ensuring these things Kill us.

         There is no profit in a cure. There is only planned oil changes, tune ups, replacement parts, but we need to otherwise take our aging and diseased and fill up a limited number of beds, throw them out the window when they die, and make room for the next wave coming in… into the inverted funnel of our massively aging Baby Boomer population, now with more people over 65 years of age than replacement youth population.

         So if anything, they HOPE these diseases WILL kill us, because there’s just not enough room - and planned population control is much better attribution to natural causes, rather than marching people over a cliff. Anyone running a profitable business, knows sooner or later you cut losses and drop the inventory into the mark off column. Why carry the negative operating expenses? Why would the pinnacle of financial power in our one world, carry all of these damn consuming little negative operating numbers?  

         I am sorry if the tone of the very public dialog on the past year’s ALS campaign was emotionally compromising for many. People deleted your very personal, poignant and very well thought and emotional comments in retort, it was so close to the bone, and then potentially compromising to leave ourselves exposed.

         Yet I have done as much as I can in this life to foster whole community wellness, and sometimes when I see outcomes in the human condition, now approaching my senior years; the curmudgeon comes out only as a scientist and engineer making statements to vigil the world's wrongs. In the short course, that may make me unpopular these days, while in younger years I did what I could to proactively construct better worlds for those who needed them.

         My mother was an RN. She died from cancer at 47, when I was just 22. Her mother died when my mom was just 14. Cancer also. Cancer then later took her father, my Grampa, in his early 70’s. As a nurse, my mom was very well trained. She had the gift of healing and science. There were no P.A. 'S in those days; but she knew more than a lot of doctors. She once took care of Albert Einstein. She always said that here he was... the Father of Relativity... he could conceive that E=MC2, and all points of relativity; and in just leaving his hospital room to turn out the door and take a little walk down the hall, he would get completely lost.

         He may have understood that E=MC squared, but he had no clue if his room was right or left, or however many steps he had to revert. My mom always saw the science and the medicine, and she saw the financial powers at hand and she always got so angry. This woman was a warrior, an angry lady, because she always saw the answer in health and healing; She would see and exclaim that medicine, science and Healthcare should be so easy and obvious... but it couldn't as long as these Damn Corporations won't get out of the way! She saw the process follow the special interests and the money. And by God, in the name of Wellness, she did have an Angry god. Maybe in my younger years, I was a cheerleader and coach for those in the arts. These days, I just ask the hard questions of a world before I die. I never meant to hurt or offend those who may have taken affront to my asking why is it that all we have is a system where people have to have bake sales to raise funds for medical solutions locally, when many of our diseases, if not caused by the damn diets inflicted in the name of profitable Capitalism, are even trans-national in nature.

         I am hopeful for the ALS cure. While offering all confronted by ALS, the LOVE and support, I trust people do what is right. I know however that many still eat food coloring that cause these diseases in the first place, without any more question than eating French fries prepped in Palm Oil, as first engineered under the Reagan administration, when science clearly shows that Palm oil does not process, pass through the human body and causes more disease than we can imagine. But America eats its fries. I know this may not be popular at this time in my life; but any court jester has to improve the parody the way he sees it. I hope all I do just prompts people to ask more questions on their tasks and behaviors.

No, it's not my job; no one elected me to do it, and no, I don't have to be an ads hole or answer the question Who elected me Mayor? I used to speak for national TV networks, and countless trade associations. Now I don't speak for anyone. I'm just bouncing some thoughts so people might speak for themselves. Know that I love and support all of the battles. That doesn’t mean I particularly found the agenda most agreeable in this particular battle plan.

         It appears that the published article on why the Bucket Challenge was Bad For You, also questioned the campaign; yet with enterprising statistics on world health diseases and their respective populations, and the proportionate amounts used to challenge these diseases, included commentary on the “social promotion” of the Ice Bucket, was written by a Canadian. Only a Canadian could have written the article on why the Ice Bucket Challenge isn’t good for you. Because the successful viral trend was started by Americans who love to “rah rah” in their support of all things that look like groups and games, love to buy into promotions and faddisms, and yes, gives the media spot light something to do this week. Americans still gots dat Can-Do Attitude. “I know!” says Mickey Rooney or “Spanky” from Our Gang. “Let's put on a Show!” - Meanwhile, Canadians have a social plan for medicine, which essentially gets down to business.

         For those very good Christians from Indiana who see those of us who question this social viral phenomena as being pompous and arrogant, as they so pompously and arrogantly point out, many don’t even understand the very political man who their Jesus was as he absolutely railed and rallied against the Romans in charge, who perhaps had a very incorrect system in the world for a social plan as he knew it. As a radical, he was finally put to death for asking the questions that such pompous and arrogant people, those who THINK of all of these things, who might instigate better solutions for a community at large, might ask today.

         Those same Americans would never ask the questions as to if they know that our health care or much of its science and research is flawed and driven only by divisive factions who say, that the million they get are only for ALS, only for the betterment of Parkinson’s, only for cancer, and then must proceed with profits, and lying with statistics as it helps such private sector grants and solving just one sliver of the wellness –disease pie. Why they don’t ask why this system isn’t appropriate and leaves some of us asking, “Why do these very critical and important health needs need to be left to selling girl Scout cookies.”

         Hey, I like Snickerdoodles. And I think the matching outfits are just tout sweet! I am very happy that a great faction took matters into their own hands to show the love and help those with ALS….   I want to see the vaccinations, the implants, the ultrasound therapy or oxygen based infusions that eradicate this disease from the world, much like I want to see real solutions for those afflicted and now gone, many close to me, who have suffered from MLS, or real answers as the entire whole for many in our world, such as in my family tree, who did not bare well with cancer.

         While I love the idea of getting people to eat popcorn while watching movies, I am always much more interested to see the process of knowing how sociology is played to get people to do what they do. When I was a young musician, it was interesting to me that when the band started playing, people got up to dance. I always asked if we stopped playing on beat 2 and a half of 4 in the middle of a verse, would everyone freeze on the dance floor with one leg up in the air?

         Freeze - with an ice bucket over your head, and one leg up in the air. There’s your health care system--and the very reason why we’d better come up with a better Army to win the war on Disease.

Ron Knight

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Ron Knight(Ed. Note: Ron as a creative, talent, director and business executive has media credits spanning from Marvel Productions, Archie Comics, King Features, Nickelodeon, The Travel Channel, ABC and Sirius Radio. He waddles around the lakeside area with the humble online media enterprise Chapala.TV - He's also been known in a few incarnations as a writer, a musician, a composer and humorist, a coach and facilitator; all of which with a dime still won't buy a cup of coffee... not even in Mexico.

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