Three Notable Celebrity Initiatives Contributing Negatively to Global Conditions
In the mid-1980s, the world watched in horror as Ethiopia was gripped by a devastating famine. This tragedy was the result of a complex web of political instability and poor decision-making.
The communist military dictatorship, led by Mengistu Haile Mariam, implemented a collectivization of agriculture, which led to food shortages and eventually the famine. The government increased military spending to 46% of the national budget, seizing foodstuffs from rebellious provinces. The drought of 1985, which exacerbated the famine, was used as a cover for the government's military operations.
In an attempt to alleviate the crisis, Bob Geldof, the former lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, organised Live Aid, the largest simulcast live event in TV history. The event raised a staggering £150 million, but the distribution of the funds faced numerous challenges. The Derg government, responsible for the famine, had control over the funds and had no control over the rebel territories.
Oxfam covertly aided some rebel areas, but the food aid delivered to Ethiopia sat rotting while the government complained they had no trucks to transport the food. When trucks were shipped to Ethiopia, the Derg commandeered them for troop transport and intensified operations against the rebels.
Estimates suggest that 700,000 to 1 million people starved to death in the Ethiopian famines. The tragedy was not just one event but two, one in the South and one in the North. The aid money was not used for relief in the areas most affected by famine.
Fast forward to the present day, and we see similar controversies surrounding figures in the public eye. Bill Maher, a TV host on HBO, has expressed doubts about the germ theory of disease, suggesting that Louis Pasteur's theory of germs causing disease is flawed and that Pierre Jacques Antoine Bechamp's theory, which suggests that microorganisms are the result of disease, is more accurate. This stance aligns with a subset of anti-vaxxers who deny the germ theory of disease.
Jenny McCarthy, a former celebrity, has been an advocate for the anti-vaccination movement. Her advocacy has led to hundreds of thousands of parents declining to vaccinate their children, resulting in a doubling of whooping cough cases since 1996 and a measles outbreak in California.
In 1998, a medical researcher named Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet that suggested a link between the triple-dose MMR vaccine and autism rates. The study was later found to be fraudulent, and The Lancet withdrew the paper, published a retraction, and invited public comment on how to avoid such disasters in the future. Wakefield lost his job and had his medical degree revoked.
The Ethiopian famine of 1983-85 serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of misguided policies and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that well-meaning people all over the world raised a fortune to end famine by financing the war effort of the famine's perpetrators. As we move forward, it's crucial to approach issues with a critical eye and to prioritise evidence-based solutions.
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