Purchase the authenticity of homelessness

"Gwen is the world's first homeless doll, although her role is focused on being a friend to Chrissa, who's bullied at school. But her story emerges: Gwen's dad ditched them, her mom lost her job and their home, and they sleep in their car.

The pop culture fan is well-splattered. Columnists rip Mattel for mocking homelessness by charging $95 for a doll who uses an armrest for a pillow. Homeless advocates murmur that fortunate families that can afford such playthings could get a clue. Others suggest that Mattel marry the thrill of capitalism to the warmth of charity.

The American Girl folks have stated that they are 'disheartened that there has been any confusion over our fictional characters.'

A peek at the American Girl Web site's comments suggests that however well intentioned a life lesson, a doll is always a doll: One young customer was perplexed by Gwen's lack of accessories. 'I expected some outfits.'"

Via http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2009975550_homelessdoll30.html

I refuse to donate money to the orphans unless I see some goddamn razzle-dazzle

The current economic downturn is making it tough for charity organizations to raise money from the wealthy.

Ms. Murray explained, however, that there is pressure in the philanthropic world, despite the economic downturn, to always outdo past performances.

“There was some talk about getting a normal tent — our budget is about 10 to 15 percent lower than it was a couple of years ago — but we don’t want to give people less,” she said, adding that Mr. Simmons rented a free-span tent two years ago and didn’t want to do without it this year. “What does it say about you if you’re charging less or giving them less? Each year we’re expected to grow this event. People want to see some razzle-dazzle.”

Of course, if you want to maximize profits, you must first minimize labor costs.

Eliza Rand, a spokeswoman for the Children’s Museum, said planners realized a week before the July 12 gala that they would fall short of their $280,000 goal, so “we decided to downscale in order to maximize what we were bringing in.” Out went the cover band, in came the local teenagers and museum instructors, performing free or for $75 stipends.

Things are so bad that even the daily flower arrangements aren't being outsourced.

It might be too early to call this the East End’s summer of austerity, but Jeff Pennington, a high-end florist, said he had noticed that many of his steady private-home accounts had fallen off. “They’re asking for estimates, which they never used to,” he said. “For weekends when they don’t have guests, people are just doing their floral arrangements in-house.”

What I think this shows is charitable giving by the rich is often done in an atmosphere that does not require them to be somber or reflective. Rather, it is a way for them to engage in their already-hedonistic lifestyle with the added exoticism and thrill of it ostensibly being for a humanitarian cause. It is a fetish where excitement is enhanced by the fake selflessness that promotes it.

Via Ohio

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/nyregion/19galas.html?_r=4&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin