There is some serious silliness going on these days and everybody is joining in, including movie stars, musicians, politicians and regular people too.
The so-called Ice Bucket Challenge dares donators to pour ice water over their own heads and then post the chilling results on line for all to see.
If you back down from the challenge you are expected to donate $100 or more to the cause and even if you do get wet and cold, damp donations are also happily accepted.
This stunt has been a boon for ALS researchers (Lou Gehrig’s disease) who are hoping the increased awareness and donations will lead to a cure someday.
This campaign started small but then the Internet took over and soon thousands of frosty buckets were being emptied on thousands of shivering heads.
Raised a lot of money
In the process many tens of millions of dollars were raised and millions more people worldwide are having a few good laughs.
Thomas Mulcair took the challenge and so did Peter MacKay – Justin Trudeau got Sophie and the kids to deliver dad’s dousing.
Of course, Mr. Trudeau is so hot in the polls right now he has nothing to fear from a little ice water on the noggin.
Alas, the Prime Minister does not care for such frivolity and he opted to make a cash donation instead of risking his stylish hairdo.
C’mon Steve, since you’re visiting the Arctic anyway, why not dunk your head in that cold, polar sea and be the first to answer the challenge with an entire ocean.
Kermit the frog rose to the occasion and proudly announced that he was the first to meet the challenge completely naked.
That muscle-bound guy that does the Old Spice commercials attempted the challenge but apparently he is too magnificent to get either wet or cold.
He donated a thousand bucks anyway.
Mark Zuckerburg wet himself and challenged Bill Gates to test the waters.
Mr. Gates responded with what is considered the nerdiest dunking ever, involving a type of home-made contraptioan and a very lame script.
With so many pranksters taking up the Ice Bucket Challenge, each one tries to be outrageous or creative enough to go viral and claim their fifteen minutes of fame.
Many daily newscasts feature the best of the daily dunkings and at times it resembles a group of children dancing around and screaming, “Look at me, look at me.”
Meanwhile, the cheques keep rolling in and the ALS Society is fundraising like never before.
But the Ice Bucket Challenge has its critics and some take a different perspective.
They say it allows trivial activities to be substituted for more genuine charity work and results in a token effort that makes no difference.
Even though they may have eased their conscience a little, ALS will continue to cause human pain and suffering – only true compassion can ease that.
Not everyone happy
Other charities have accused the ALS Society of “cannibalizing” potential donors who would otherwise make donations to many different charities.
Some are quickly re-evaluating the way they collect funds.
One professor at the University of Calgary says this is primarily about self-indulgence – why should we have to perform like circus monkeys to donate money?
The last word goes to actor Orlando Jones who poured a bucket of bullets over his head to create awareness of police violence.
He gave to ALS but says he is battling the disease of apathy – his challenge to everyone is to listen without prejudice, love without limits and reverse the hate.
Anything we can do to promote good will and laughter among us is surely a worthy cause.
