Trendy Altruism?

Ok, I first saw this beautiful New York Times Magazine cover shot on another blog & was immediately drawn to it. The cover, from last weekend’s edition, features Natalie Portman, a supporter of microfinancing, and an entrepreneur who was the recipient of a microloan for her business in Mexico. As a person passionate about a global cause myself, I connected with the image. But admittedly, the part that struck me the most was the celebrity in the photo. I’m still trying to reconcile whether this is a good thing.

I haven’t read the articles within this edition yet, but the images brought a lot of feelings around celebrities & philanthropy to the surface for me. Star power has the ability to draw attention in a profound way. When used wisely, this can be great. But another byproduct of it is the influence of trend. We can all summon memories of several good and bad trends…think Hammer pants….that were escorted into popularity by a celebrity.

Traditionally, fashion is likely the most popular realm where we find examples of this. But in recent years American culture seems to have evolved when it comes to raising the bar of our ‘cool’ factor. My girlfriend Natalie in Cape Town recently told me it seems like Americans are obsessed with “big” things. From our food portions to our homes she said we basically appear to enjoy over-doing things. When looking at recent American infatuations, i.e. all things lavish, her point is valid. Most notable of these infatuations seems to be what I call ‘values-based’ trends. As ideologically dysfunctional as that term sounds, there are examples all around us. Instead of people simply wanting to emulate a celebrity’s style, now many find it a great idea to adopt a whole new religion as many did with Scientology after Tom Cruise sung it’s praises. Then there’s the example of Angelina Jolie’s adoption of overseas orphaned children, followed in suit by Madonna and others. In the business world we can add Cause Marketing, both on & off-line to the list. However, I think it’s Oprah who has probably had the biggest impact with her efforts in South Africa.

But the question is…is the fact that these new trends are celebrity-inspired a bad thing? When I think of the long-term social impact of Oprah’s efforts in South Africa, it appears clearly a wonderful thing. But where it gets fuzzy for me is when the piggyback effect kicks in; The point when a profusion of celebrities begin to make headlines for the same or similar actions. At that point I begin to question whether the image of them doing good or the actual good deed itself is their driver.

As the cause of my own organization (Giving Spirit) benefits a cause within South Africa, I realize this probably is on my mind more than the average person. Although, I know the idea behind my passion predated the current popularity of related efforts, I still feel uneasy in light of these values-based trends.

If I had to make a conclusive opinion on it all, I’d have to say the risk-benefit ratio is what matters most. When we look at the the sum effect of these new ‘values trends’, the long-term human-impact is clearly immeasurable. Whether it’s needed spiritual enlightenment for someone who jumped on a religious trend, or the facilitation of permanent sustainability for a family made possible with a microloan, the end would seem to justify, or in this case give a pass to, the means.

What do you think?