What has stunts got to do with kidney patients? As most Singaporeans would know, twice a year, there is an organization which showcases some of the “best local talents” in a charity show on television. We would also realize that the charity show is to garner donations for sufferers of kidney failures. While the organization has a couple of million dollars in reserve, it is not enough: kidney dialysis costs up to S$2,700 per month (all statistics from an edutainment drama shown on a particular channel in which everyone has an illness or more/knows someone with an illness or more/is involved with helping someone with an illness or more.).
Despite empathizing with the plights of kidney failure patients, it is somewhat weird that “death-defying stunts” have to grace our television screens in a bid to raise funds for these patients. Where is the connection? Maybe it is because I am stupid; I fail to see any link between jumping a big triangle of fire and performing a charitable act (of course, some may argue that the link is the charity show itself.). What is even more fascinating to me is that there are prizes to be given away. Say, isn’t charity supposed to come from the heart without the need for rewards to entice people to make donations? Why not just donate the monetary value of these prizes to the organization?
Another intriguing point is that there is no indication of the amount we would be donating by calling a particular number (there are 4 telephone numbers to “choose” from). What happens if I cannot afford to pay for my $80 donation?
I really cannot get this puzzling show. If we have “local talents”, why not get them to showcase their “talents” and inspire viewers to make donations instead of jumping through big triangles of fire, walking on thick tightrope and driving through a wall of thin plywood with padded suits in place? After all, we have seen how foreign artists such as Emil Chow, Jonathan Lee and Andy Lau single-handedly induced a flood of donations with their sheer presence.
Why?
4 comments:
coz horr.. spore artistes not andy lau.. they cant single handedly attract millions.. and they've got not much talent har harr.. so nid to go on near-death stunts to attract a bit of attention.. i find it completely ridiculous too..
I wonder if more people called if they involved the artistes actually getting killed...
Next performance: XXX playing the grand piano upside down!
*applause*
*rope holding piano breaks*
*sound of banging piano keys and head being smushed by piano*
*calls jump by 10, 000*
Or better still, the challenge: Get doused in kerosene, and stand in an enclosed room filled with leaking gas and start smoking, and then see how long they will last.
"Call 1900-112-6868, and XXX will light this cigarette!"
Or to be really, really sadistic...
You know those funny qigong stunts where they walk on nails or have a car run over them and all that.
Now... watch 20 MediaCock artistes lie down in a row and see them support the weight of a 20-tonne tank! Muahahahahaha...
And if violence doesn't work, maybe they could just threaten them with stuff like,
"Call this number, or else... We will keep showing reruns of Holland V and A Kindred Spirit, and all our Chinese movies will be Stephen Chow reruns. All our variety shows will be hosted by Liang Po Po!"
Or... maybe they can always rope in the cute and cuddly.
"Call this number! Or else... we will drown this puppy..."
Too much studying makes one sadistic, so I've heard.
celle: Actually alot of the acts are not very dangerous, just not very easy. The most absurd I've seen is this disabled man who lost the use of his legs, "climbing" a ladder with his arms only. It was really amazing when I saw how he could support himself on one arm. Needless to say, he had a harness which was "tightened" very significantly with ever rung he "climbed"
hai~ren: I think the one that can get more donations would be the rerun threat.
It's because most local artistes have no talent that they have to resort to this.
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