The Rock & Roll Shrink Radio Show Ep. 58 - Celebrity Charity

Tonight’s show is called, “Celebrity Charity.”

This is not just a holiday topic, but it is definitely most relevant around public holidays that focus on gift-giving. Regardless of and apart from anyone’s religious beliefs, the Christmas Season is definitely one of the, if not THE, most active holiday for gift giving, fundraising, and other charity work.

Tonight we want to look at a very specific aspect of fundraising and charity, and that is Celebrity-driven Charity, Benefits, Donation and Fundraising events, etc. We will talk about some of the history of this practice, as well as its forms in the present day and in recent years. We will also talk about the motivations for the celebrities to be involved, as well as what is the psychology behind why this works. In other words, why are we more driven to donate when a famous person asks? How is the process any different from when a random person asks? Is it sentimentality? Is it feeding the feelings of esteem that many get from connecting to iconic celebrities they admire? Vicarious fame? The spur of the moment, driven by compelling media?

We will also talk about some of the criticisms of the fundraising model, as well as notable examples of the process going sour, at times. So let’s talk about why this works on us, and whether or not maybe this power could be harnessed by those who are not famous, and still put towards charitable works.

We'll start off the evening with some topic-relevant Classic Rock played by Dr. Mathis, followed by Classic Rock trivia, in "The Rock & Roll Shrink Recalls," followed by our topic discussion.