Live 8

the beach bum
A brief note on the Live 8 concert...

First, the Pink Floyd set was absolutely awesome! (That's the only set I saw...and one of the few I cared to see) Those boys still have it, after all the years & miles & age & arguments. Hard to believe they haven't played together in 24 years...

Now the idea behind it all...
Noble-minded. Compassionate. But fixing a shark bite with a band aid. Much is said in this country about "root cause." Until the root cause of famine in Africa is addressed, all the Live 8s & debt forgivenesses in the world won't solve the problem. The issue is corruption at the highest levels of government in the famine-torn regions of Africa. I read that one of the former dictatorial leaders of a small-ish country in Western Africa looted the oil fields of an amount approximately equal to their entire output over a several-year period. Which, of course, renders oil money useless to solve problems.

Also, I disagree with the anti-corporation, anti-money sentiment prevalent @ Live 8 & @ the G8 protests. Um, hello? With no money, how exactly are we in the affluent parts of the world going to help those in the less affluent regions? That darn logic rears its ugly head.

Finally, the self-importance of some of the artists involved. Cold Play's singer gushing that "this is the greatest event in the history of the world." Hmmm...the Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the Rise & Fall of communism in Russia, the discovery of penicillen, the defeat of Hitler, the publication of the works of Shakespear, the work of Beethoven, Bach & Mozart,...not to mention the invention of written language,...and, of course, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ...

Surely those are contenders...*sighs a heavy sigh*

I appreciate Bob Geldoff's heart and passion. I enjoyed the clips I did see, of U2, Sir Paul McCartney, and of course, Pink Floyd.

But let us not raise our hopes too high. And I say this with a heavy heart that is burdened for the peoples of Africa. A concert will not solve the problem. Neither will debt forgiveness.

Two words: root cause...