Cynics can't shoot down the Ice Bucket Challege

The Huffington Post has published an article by one Ben Kosinski criticizing the Ice Bucket Challenge for being ineffective. In this same article he points out how effective the Challenge has been. Nice strategy there. The guy points out that donations to the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – known most commonly as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease – have increased fourfold since the start of this effort compared to the same time period a year ago.

Since he torpedoes his main point right there, he naturally must back it up with some ideas that might actually support his opinion. They don’t. They’re ridiculous, and they’re unoriginal.

He argues, for instance, that our participation in the Challenge (I use “our” because I did it) is less about raising awareness as it is filling our social-media-fueled need to share our life experiences. This is an idea that has been written about so many times, Kosinski should be ashamed for pulling it out again. Even worse, it’s completely misplaced. Not that it isn’t true. It is. It’s pretty sad knowing how many people out there feel the need to film and post all their life experiences. A vacation isn’t a vacation unless you can post it to Facebook.

That has nothing to do with the Ice Bucket Challenge, which is not a life experience. It’s something that takes five minutes and exists solely within social media. Social media, itself, is a pretty sad excuse for a life experience, but if you use it, you might as well do some good with it.

“Instead of donating, we are posting,” Kosinski writes. No. We are doing both. As Kosinski pointed out, donations are up fourfold. Did it not occur to him that people who take the time to douse themselves with ice water also are donating?

Here’s my favorite part: “What if the thousands of people who spent money on buying one or two2 (sic) bags of ice actually gave that money to ALS?” Brilliant. Instead of making a nice donation and encouraging others to do the same, calling attention to it with a little self-deprecation, I should have just donated $1.98.

And once again, this logic has been beaten to death. Every October, a few souls bash the NFL for its displays of pink for awareness of breast cancer. I’m one of those folks. The NFL outfits its roughly 1,600 players in all new uniforms, home and away, for one month. Coaches and officials, too. That’s a lot of money that could be put toward research, and it’s hard not to be cynical about the NFL’s motives, knowing the regard in which the league holds human health. And still, the effort surely is at least somewhat effective.

A bag of ice? A dollar ninety-friggin-eight. You, Ben, are suggesting I write a check to the ALS Association for $1.98. I have a better idea: you do that, you cheap bastard. The rest of us are actually making real donations and sharing a silly laugh through social media, which is how many of us share such laughs with friends from afar.

Nice try anyway, Ben. Seriously. I really enjoyed reading about the Ice Bucket Challenge “generating immediate and heightened awareness but lacking any actual donations” and “the ALS Assocation (sic) has seen as much as four times as many donations.” Way to back up what you’re saying with facts.

I hope everyone will keep up this lack of actual donations by visiting www.alsa.org and donating today. And, over Ben Kosinski’s objections, have a little fun with it.