IMHO It's All A Farce!

The scene was so 'textbook'.
They were all just doing what they are good at.
Crying.
Acting.
They just stood there looking at the monk climbing up the building,
in the hopes of raising funds for the not-so-fortunate.

To all those donors who called to pledge your donations: What moved you to perform the non-dangerous, unpretentious charity act of donating your hard-earned money?

Was it the dangerous performance by the monk?

Was it the incessant public crying by Mediacorp artistes?

Was it the videoclips of suffering human beings?

Was it the repeating of phone numbers and prompting by the artistes?

Think further: DID THEY HAVE TO RESORT TO SUCH GUILT-TRIP TACTICS ? WILL SINGAPOREAN RESIDENTS LEARN FROM THE NKF SAGA? Or does this really mean that we are a resilient and philantropic bunch of people?

Instead of standing there and acting like a bunch of crybabies, why can't they encourage and cheer for the monk? I'm sure some encouragement would have let him climb that extra floor. Was it too difficult to scream "Keep going! You can do it!"? I've heard of encouragement as effective and realistic methods of pushing someone beyond their normal limits. Ask anyone who has done a marathon, triathlon or any race.

I certainly have not encountered gloomy sob-story methods of motivation. Have you heard of 'motivational' music that is gloomy and sad? Does crying and being awfully downladen with gloom pump up the adrenalin level? I don't see crybaby supporters at the finishing line. Apparently it works!

In fact, the only form of encouragement was from artistes seeking viewers to pick up their phones so that cash registers ring with $$$. Ah, so is this the magic formula?

"See him climb! Aiyoh... so scary... *sob* so dangerous *sob sob*"

"So hero. He's climbing because he understands the plight of those who suffer *boo hoo*"

"Quick! Look at him climb. Support the cause. Dial 1900 1234 5678 now and donate. *sob sob* it's so sad"

Pathetic.

Disgraceful.

Embarrassing to say the least.

Some charity show it was, eh? That's why I think it's a farce. But that's entirely my opinion and I did not donate. I'd rather donate based on freedom of choice rather than being coerced into doing an act of charity because of some crybabies.

How about this as a suggestion for future charity shows:
Ministers and top Admin Officers pledge *just* 5% of their newly-revised salaries, and let it be an example for fellow citizens to follow. More than enough. No need to climb buildings and do daring feats. No need to cry father cry mother. No need to act. Everyone has a clear conscious. Everyone is happy. Just follow law!