Everyone has their reasons for taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Some of them might surprise you.
Hi. I’m JJ Vincent, an Executive Editor with The Good Men Project. Throughout the Ice Bucket Challenge, I’ve read commentary on both sides of the discussion for do-it/don’t-do-it, why-it’s-bad/why-it’s-good, why-people-do/why-people-won’t.
One of the most interesting ones I keep reading is about narcissism and self-promotion.
My friend and fellow GMP Executive Editor Joanna Schroeder challenged issued me my challenge. I knew when it was coming. I was enthusiastic…and then I really realized this meant putting myself on video. Online.
Before I joined GMP a year ago, I would have dared you to find a picture of me online. Even now, there’s not much. And this may be only one of two or three videos.
Bottom line: I hate being on camera. I hate being on video even more. I hate having my voice recorded. This challenge forced me to get past all of these. And for it to matter, at all, I have to promote it.
Now, what do a lot of guys do in embarrassing, uncomfortable situations? They go for the laugh. They go for the ridiculous.
I didn’t. Not intentionally, anyway.
This is me, in my real-life, everyday robe, slippers, and PJs, the way I pretty much always look at home, which won’t earn me any dates. That’s also the closest thing I have to a bucket, which my guypartner was kind enough to fill with a lot of ice.
That stuff’s COLD.
I had first planned to suit up. But that’s not really me. If anyone’s going to accuse me of being narcissistic, then it will be of me as myself. And as for love of attention? Pictures of me are lacking. I’m not much for selfies. Seeing other humilitated? I’m not calling on anyone, and anyone who has that as their prime motivation, well, that’s just cold.
Wasting water? Did the dump on my lawn, with drip water and freezer ice.
Other charities being ignored? I’m donating $10 to ALS, $20 to Multiple Sclerosis, $20 to Alzheimer’s, two that are near and dear to myself and loved ones.
Now, I know the purpose of this is to raise money and awareness about ALS, also refered to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. But there’s other good coming from it, too.
Join-the-fad-useless-clicktivism? I’ve seen people engaged in something who’ve never paid attention to anything before. They’ve made time for their friends and kids. Offices of people who rarely speak or don’t know each other’s names are bonding over these silly videos. Not useless in my book.
No one learns anything about ALS? Can’t really answer this. I’m well aware of what it is. But anyone who has followed the stories of these challenges has learned something. I’ve connected with some interesting people and read some fascinating debate on everything from the nature of charitable giving to social guilt to why ideas go viral to using shame as a motivator. I’ve also had reinforced that the internet is made up of equal parts of anonymous jerks and pretty cool people. Maybe we haven’t learned everything we can about ALS, but there are conversations and education that weren’t happening before.
More than I expected when I saw the my first Ice Bucket video.
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See what Kermet Apio gets from the ALS Ice Bucket challenge when he invites his son to help him.
Joanna Schroeder of The Good Men Project got to educate us about ALS (and be water-conscious) when she did her Ice Bucket Challenge.
Find us at:
JJ Vincent: @gender_rebel
Kermet Apio: @kermetapio
Joanna Schroeder: @iproposethis
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