i was flipping channels earlier today and on pbs there was a show called now hosted by david brancaccio. i had never heard of the show and unfortunately i was only able to watch the last 15 minutes or so.
this episode featured peter gabriel and an organization he founded called witness. it's a human rights organization (headquartered in new york) that trains people to video tape abuses.
i DID get to hear mr brancaccio ask mr gabriel why he was doing this. why, because he certainly had enough money from the proceeds of his songs to retire somewhere in the woods and leave the hustle and bustle behind. mr gabriel's response was (and i'm by no means quoting here); that he HAD to do it. of course he lived in luxury and had many perks BUT in order to balance his life and be a GOOD CITIZEN OF THE WORLD, this was something he HAD to do. (as an aside, i never cared much for phil collins but i sure as hell ALWAYS liked peter gabriel. hey, he wrote a song about biko!)
here is the link to witness
Mission
WITNESS uses the power of video to open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. By partnering with local organizations around the globe, WITNESS empowers human rights defenders to use video to shine a light on those most affected by human rights violations, and to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools of justice. Over the past decade, WITNESS has partnered with groups in more than 60 countries, bringing often unseen images, untold stories and seldom heard voices to the attention of key decision makers, the media, and the general public -- catalyzing grassroots activism, political engagement, and lasting change.
Posts
5 comments:
that's a good thing he's doin' thanks for sharin' it with no tv rory
yes i know you have no tv mr shock (which is in fact shocking to ME) and i do think of you from time to time when i see something worth while (yup it DOES happen) broadcast.
although i do admire your discipline. i think how much more i would be able to accomplish without that thing on!
Rose, I love you to death......but I'm surprised to hear that you hadn't heard of "Now" prior to this.....Brancaccio took over the program from Bill Moyers upon his recent retirement after 20 years or so on PBS......"Now! with Bill Moyers" was one of my all-time faves....and Broncaccio, from what I've seen so far, will be a worthy successor, although he could tone down a bit......a little less of the "Cops" sensationalism and a little more of Moyers' tacit journalism.....
And Peter Gabriel, although another all-time fave of mine, musically, from "Genesis" to the present day, shouldn't be given the spotlight any more than Bono, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, you, or myself.....sure, we all have our opinions, but because you're famous doesn't make you an expert.....in most cases, they're mouthpieces, not for themselves, but for a cause or causes that they've aligned themselves with, mostly monetarily......or for simple PR......or have chosen to make their opinions public with the hope of helping a particular association raise money for whatever the cause.....
That isn't to say that I disagree with Gabriel's opinions, but for the viewing public to be convinced of the rationale of a particular opinion, it should come from a body given wholly to the pursuit & investigation of the subject in question, not from a celebrity......
But what the hell......if, maybe,a celebrity can make the public aware of a particular situation that requires attention, and their efforts and/or publicity help facilitate that awareness, and the public decides to research the subject more thoroughly, so be it.....
But I would prefer that if a program on PBS would choose to document a particular subject, they should do it within the confines of an academic and factual pursuit, rather than cater to the whims and agenda of a celebrity....it's like they never bothered to research the subject themselves, but decided to bring viewers to the celebrity, rather than the subject itself......
That, in my opinion, is a disservice.....
And, yes, I saw the entire program.....It was more befitting of Fox or E! rather than PBS....and made me question whether my contributions to Public Television, year after year, were worth it.....
Yeah, NOW has some great stuff. Haven't seen that one though. I'll have to check for it.
dearest sir lacksalot i DID watch mr moyers but i obviously didn't know the name of the program. i love his voice. it is soothing and gentle yet firm.
as i mentioned i only saw about 15 minutes of the show so i cannot tell if it was cops-like or not nor can i tell if it was more like e! than something that should be on pbs. nor can i tell if mr gabriel should have kept his mouth shut and let someone else spearhead this organization.
i dislike bono and branjolina with a passion. why i cannot tell you. why i accept mr gabriel and not them is a question i cannot answer outright. i can tell you it's true though.
wow, who knew this posting was going to put fire in your eyes????
mr shakespeare, this was the first time i've watched it (or so it seems) WITHOUT mr moyers
Post a Comment