The Truth About the Ice Bucket Challenge

[Sasha]

I just watched a video of a woman undertaking the challenge whilst sitting bareback on a horse. I'll leave it to your imagination as to what happened next (poor horse).

 

[DanME]

I was talking about this challenge with someone last night. She said that she really disapproves of the challenge aspect of the ice bucket thing in that it's like a chain letter in some ways. It puts social pressure on people to do something whether they want to or not. I think that's true - it's why it's been very successful but when I imagine whether I'd challenge someone, I don't think I would - I'd feel very uncomfortable putting specific people on the spot like that.

I had the same thought yesterday. A former colleague of mine has been nominated yesterday, then posted on Facebook she is going to give money, but doesn't want to nominate anyone. She wrote, ALS got attention now and from now on, people could decide on their own, if they want to contribute. So she broke the chain letter in clever way.

I think, at the beginning, there wasn't much pressure. You could easily ignore it. Now everyone knows about it and the social pressure can be quite extreme (even Kermit and Homer Simpson did it.

In addition I read an article yesterday, which implied, the main motor of the Challenge is narcism and self promotion. Again, I think, in the beginning this was not the case, but now you can see some examples of this at Facebook and YouTube. Like the crazy horse woman.

 

[Sasha]

In addition I read an article yesterday, which implied, the main motor of the Challenge is narcism and self promotion.

We also thought so, at least in some cases, but it's a tricky one. I (and the entire UK, probably) were brought up to believe that if you gave to charity you should do it without "bragging" about it. However, research shows that what people see others doing becomes the norm so if you really want to boost donations to a charity, you should tell people about your giving to set that social norm. That's why, every time I donate to an ME charity, I post about it here - but every time I do it, I can hear a little voice telling me I'm going to look like I'm showing off.

At least people are promoting themselves by doing a good thing rather than a bad one.

 

[Alea Ishikawa]

We also thought so, at least in some cases, but it's a tricky one. I (and the entire UK, probably) were brought up to believe that if you gave to charity you should do it without "bragging" about it. However, research shows that what people see others doing becomes the norm so if you really want to boost donations to a charity, you should tell people about your giving to set that social norm. That's why, every time I donate to an ME charity, I post about it here - but every time I do it, I can hear a little voice telling me I'm going to look like I'm showing off.

There is a way to get around this: someone else would have to naturally catch you and talk on your behalf. I wouldn't suggest thrusting oneself into a staged situation, as that doesn't solve the spotlight problem, but sometimes someone else might see the work done and end up talking about it.

Also, you can talk about how good a charity is or mention other people who are involved, but fail to mention that you specifically donated. You have an example of that in your signature.

 

[Gingergrrl]

In addition I read an article yesterday, which implied, the main motor of the Challenge is narcism and self promotion. Again, I think, in the beginning this was not the case, but now you can see some examples of this at Facebook and YouTube. Like the crazy horse woman.

@DanielBR I have not seen the crazy horse woman but are all these individuals actually contributing $100 to the ALS Fund or are they just promoting themselves for attention? I know this may sound weird, but if we had a campaign which raised millions of dollars for ME/CFS true biomedical research, I wouldn't care if random people used it for self-promotion in the process (if they are ALSO donating the money.)

 

[Sasha]

Just wanted to express my appreciation for such a well-chosen and expressive collection of smiley faces! Seldom seen it done better.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Just wanted to express my appreciation for such a well-chosen and expressive collection of smiley faces! Seldom seen it done better.

@Sasha, I don't know why but your post not only cracked me up but made me feel proud of my use of smiley faces! This has been a tough week for me, so thank you for doing that for me!

 

[NK17]

@Sasha, I don't know why but your post not only cracked me up but made me feel proud of my use of smiley faces! This has been a tough week for me, so thank you for doing that for me!

What's better than putting a smile on a fellow sufferer's face?
Truly priceless!

 

[Sasha]

@Sasha, I don't know why but your post not only cracked me up but made me feel proud of my use of smiley faces! This has been a tough week for me, so thank you for doing that for me!

 

[Little Bluestem]

are all these individuals actually contributing $100 to the ALS Fund or are they just promoting themselves for attention?

From what I hear, many of them are also contributing money. IIRC, the original challenge was to donate $100 to ALS OR dump a bucket of ice on yourself and challenge three other people. In other words, either donate money or try to get others to donate.

 

[WillowJ]

From what I hear, many of them are also contributing money. IIRC, the original challenge was to donate $100 to ALS OR dump a bucket of ice on yourself and challenge three other people. In other words, either donate money or try to get others to donate.

I heard it that way, but others are giving at least $10 even if they take the challenge. This is just individuals. I imagine theme parks, philanthropists, etc., give larger amounts even when they take the challenge.