Live 8's Denouement
Elton John has called Live 8 something of a let down. that "lacked 'a sense of occasion'.
'I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be?' he said. "
I think that Elton has lost a sense of perspective with this Live 8 event and perhaps hasn't grasped the depth of the shift that's occured globally in the past 20 years in terms of the affluent's relationship to the poor, and the West's relationship to Africa. Shortly said, Live 8 is not emulating Live Aid. What Live Aid accomplished was a sense of unity and awareness, as well as a paycheck, as an attempt to help solve a single set of problems in Africa: starvation, etc. It raised a huge amount of money, and also served as a generous sigh of relief, assistence, and commeraderie among the entertainment elite that participated.
Live 8 could not have been accomplished without the successes and failures of the first attempt 20 years ago.
However, Live 8 did not share the same goal as Live Aid. Live 8 brought an entire new generation and group of people to awareness of one of the most serious issues in our current period- a problem that relates to every major global conflict that currently exists: the wide, systemic global disparity between the wealthy and the unwealthy, and the blocks that have been put in place to keep it that way.
What Live Aid did was raise a bunch of feel-good cash for immediate relief. By the time we even understood what was needed in Africa, and what Africa needs to do themselves, Live 8 could come to be.
Aid brought awareness; 8 brought an entire global change in perspective.
Look, I love Live Aid, and I think it was a wonderful experience. But having been part of Live 8, having tapped into that energy that was shared by billions across this entire globe- I've never felt more part of something. And I didn't have to heal the world this time- it wasn't up to me. I simply got to voice my opinion that those who can heal the world must. Live 8 was about empowerment. Live 8 was about bringing the world in line with Justice.
The question Elton might want to ask is how can I preserve that energy which is infinitely beautiful and valueable? What can I do to keep this pressure sustained?
These are the questions we all should ask, a month after Live 8.
What do I remember about Live 8? These moments- all of these people everywhere tapping in to this one noble thing:
'I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be?' he said. "
I think that Elton has lost a sense of perspective with this Live 8 event and perhaps hasn't grasped the depth of the shift that's occured globally in the past 20 years in terms of the affluent's relationship to the poor, and the West's relationship to Africa. Shortly said, Live 8 is not emulating Live Aid. What Live Aid accomplished was a sense of unity and awareness, as well as a paycheck, as an attempt to help solve a single set of problems in Africa: starvation, etc. It raised a huge amount of money, and also served as a generous sigh of relief, assistence, and commeraderie among the entertainment elite that participated.
Live 8 could not have been accomplished without the successes and failures of the first attempt 20 years ago.
However, Live 8 did not share the same goal as Live Aid. Live 8 brought an entire new generation and group of people to awareness of one of the most serious issues in our current period- a problem that relates to every major global conflict that currently exists: the wide, systemic global disparity between the wealthy and the unwealthy, and the blocks that have been put in place to keep it that way.
What Live Aid did was raise a bunch of feel-good cash for immediate relief. By the time we even understood what was needed in Africa, and what Africa needs to do themselves, Live 8 could come to be.
Aid brought awareness; 8 brought an entire global change in perspective.
Look, I love Live Aid, and I think it was a wonderful experience. But having been part of Live 8, having tapped into that energy that was shared by billions across this entire globe- I've never felt more part of something. And I didn't have to heal the world this time- it wasn't up to me. I simply got to voice my opinion that those who can heal the world must. Live 8 was about empowerment. Live 8 was about bringing the world in line with Justice.
The question Elton might want to ask is how can I preserve that energy which is infinitely beautiful and valueable? What can I do to keep this pressure sustained?
These are the questions we all should ask, a month after Live 8.
What do I remember about Live 8? These moments- all of these people everywhere tapping in to this one noble thing:
posted by General Stan at 3:21 PM
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