I didn’t actually get challenged to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (thank goodness), but my husband did. I was also an avid watcher of the funny videos my friends posted to Facebook. At times there was controversy, especially from a friend of mine who was personally affected by ALS. Even before the challenge became popular he posted his apprehensions. But as the challenge progressed and started to raise more money, he gave his full support.
Then I saw posts from people who have been affected by other horrific diseases. Some of them commending the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and bringing awareness not only to ALS but also to their own diseases. Another particular post outright condemned the ALS challenge saying that they “wouldn’t put an opinion about the challenge” but saying that their child’s disease was just as bad and deserved some awareness. This negative post turned me off immediately. While I felt for that person’s child, I didn’t share their post simply because they were downplaying another disease to say that theirs deserved some attention.
As a Type 1 Diabetic, this particularly hit home with me. I never thought “Why aren’t people doing this for diabetes? It’s so rude that they’re raising money for this other disease when I have to deal with diabetes.”
And then this post came into the works. It doesn’t take everything into consideration. There shouldn’t necessarily be comparison between one deadly disease and another. Yet it’s interesting to know all the facts and gain knowledge.
Either way, the negative reaction to raising money for a disease was something that caused me to write this post. Any money raised, as long as the majority of it is actually put toward research, should not be put down in favor of another disease.
I’m in full agreement. I took part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and I’ve blogged before about my issues with people saying “But my problem is more important” in response to an attempt to raise funds and/or awareness of particular problems.
I’ve got two big objections to this reaction. The first is that it essentially says that the life or comfort of one person is inherently less worthwhile than that of another, which is bull.
The second is that this reaction is fed off the fallacy that you can’t support more than one thing at once. The idea that if you’re speaking up on on particular issue, you obviously don’t care about other issues. Which is also crap. It’s like saying someone must hate coffee because they’re currently drinking tea. It makes no sense.
Every issue deserves attention. Every disease should be cured, Every social injustice should be put right. But the moment your efforts to address your particular issue start to impede the work being done on someone else’s issue, you’ve become part of the problem.
Exactly! So well said.