Point of Live 8

I'm somewhat bemused, somewhat amused, and somewhat despairing over the number of people who are saying "Live 8 is [insert negative] because any amount of money collected will make no difference in the long term".

People, you clearly didn't notice, but there was no money collected. The tickets were free, there was no donation method. That was not the point. Those people who are saying that corrupt governments in Africa are the problem - yes, that's what Live 8 was saying! Those people who are pointing to third world debt and trade barriers, yes, that's what Live 8 was saying. It really does your credibility no good when you rail against short term money collections by rich pop stars when there weren't any.

Let me summarise: Live 8 was about putting pressure on the G8 leaders to:

Drop third world debt
Dispose of trade barriers preventing Afican nations from exporting
Lend support to getting rid of corrupt governments in Africa
Increase aid to an actual meaningful level

Four items, very few of which have been comprehended by the naysayers. I hope the actual G8 were paying attention, but given the obtuseness of much of the population who were aware of Live 8, it's not awfully hopeful.

[Edit: hkim points out re: collecting money - That's not necessarily true. Each text for the London gig cost £1.50. I think about £3 millionw as raised. £1.6 million went to the Prince's Trust, a pay-off for cancelling Party in the Park. The rest covered costs, AFAIK.

So money wasn't collected for anything more than running costs.]

Terminology

Much as I give out about other people jumping to conclusions, not reading things before they comment on them, and so on, I'm occasionally guilty of it myself. This is particularly with regard to the anti-globalisation movement, which I'm now finding to be a label imposed on that movement by the media. In my defense, I'm fairly certain that the Socialist Workers Party here use it themselves, which is probably one more reason that they're widely ignored.

Erikson

caturah and others who pointed me at Steven Erikson - thank you! My review on dukestreet of Gardens of the Moon will tell you how much I liked it, and if you could see your way clear to leaving the other books in the series where I can get 'em, I'd muchly appreciate it.

For those of you who didn't already know, dukestreet is my other blog - scifi and fantasy and gaming mutterings. You can read it without leaving the comfort of LJ at dukestreet - I usually just put the first paragraph or so in the feed, so your friends page won't be jammed with it.