The Lies of Doing Good

Summary

The article critically examines corporate charitable campaigns, questioning their true intent and effectiveness in supporting the causes they claim to champion.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses skepticism about corporate-led charitable campaigns, such as Mastercard's initiative to donate a penny for each transaction to Stand Up to Cancer. The author argues that these campaigns are more about public relations and tax benefits for companies rather than genuine altruism. They point out the irony of a former COO of JetBlue Airlines leading a cancer organization and question the lack of diversity on the board of Stand Up to Cancer, particularly the underrepresentation of African American physicians and scientists. The article also criticizes the provision of sugary foods at a breast cancer awareness event, which contradicts the health-conscious message such events should promote. Ultimately, the author distrusts corporations' motives in asking customers to donate during economically challenging times and suggests that direct donations to causes are more impactful.

Opinions

Corporate charitable campaigns are seen as a facade for financial gain and tax write-offs rather than genuine efforts to support causes.
The author prefers to research and donate directly to causes rather than through corporate intermediaries, due to distrust in their intentions and practices.
There is skepticism about the leadership of charitable organizations by individuals from unrelated industries, such as a former airline COO leading a cancer charity.
The lack of diversity on the board of Stand Up to Cancer is highlighted as a concern, especially for representing and addressing the highest mortality rates among African American men.
The author questions the contradictory practice of providing sugar-rich foods at breast cancer awareness events, given that sugar is known to feed cancer cells.
The article suggests that customers' willingness to spend money at a business should be appreciation enough, and asking for additional donations is considered inappropriate, especially during times of economic hardship.

The Lies of Doing Good

#21 December Challenge

Prompt: Tis the season for giving, and sometimes companies will create charitable advertising. Mastercard ran a campaign earlier this year where for every purchase you made at restaurants or grocery stores (including deliveries) on your Mastercard, they’d add one penny and donate that amount up to 5 million dollars to Stand Up to Cancer. What do you think about campaigns like this?

Campaigns like this are a money grab and a tax write-off. If you want to donate to a cause, then take your money and present it to said cause. These campaigns are not with the purest intention. You can’t buy a pack of gum with a penny, so what will my penny add to the campaign to help?

I prefer to research and donate to a specific campaign instead of contributing to Walmart’s efforts to combat world hunger, given that they dispose of tons of food daily. I do not trust big corporations’ unethical practices and am uncertain whether my donation would genuinely support the cause. Corporations can go to hell.

Speaking of Stand Up To Cancer, how does a former COO of JetBlue Airlines become the CEO of a cancer organization? Why can’t a cancer survivor or a retired doctor become the CEO? What is the correlation? Now, I understand how American Airlines has collaborated with the organization.

That same airline company has also donated $20 Million to the fund. Remember when I mentioned that America’s tagline is “a win is a win?” It’s all about money. Flying planes doesn’t have a damn thing to do with those who have cancer. If they’re sick, they can’t travel anyway.

Money keeps the train going, and at the end of the day, CEOs and COOs don’t care about the well-being of those who have cancer. They are willing to contract and connect with other big corporations to avoid paying taxes and to travel on a yacht while Mrs. Mary Mack is one breath away from taking her last breath.

If we break cancer down to ethnicity, African American men have the highest mortality rate while Asian men have the lowest. The board of Stand Up To Cancer isn’t diverse. Why aren’t African American physicians and scientists on the board to educate the public? Who speaks for black men on that board?

The only physician on the board, Dr Julian Adams, is also on the board of Gamida Cell, a pharmaceutical company, and we all know the history of Big Pharma and the American people. Just for shits and giggles, his salary sits at $2,232,000.

I participated in two Breast Cancer Awareness walks in my lifetime, which totaled 6.2 miles. They supplied water and snacks to rejuvenate as they crossed the finish line. One booth had water and fruit, and another had donuts and pastries.

I’m not a scientist, but I’ve researched enough to know that cancer cells love to feed on sugar. A lot of the participants on the walk were fighting breast cancer or have been in remission. Why would a campaign that’s supposed to bring awareness to this disease supply food that can metastasize the disease?

Did my donation turn into a dozen donuts?

Seeing that left a sour taste in my mouth, and I looked at the organization differently. Where is my donation going? Is it to supply merch and sugary food, or does it go to the researchers trying to find a cure? Susan G Komen has raised 1.3 billion dollars in the past ten years. That seems more than enough to fund research.

I say all this to say I don’t trust any corporations who want to do a “good deed.” With inflation and layoffs, most Americans can’t afford to “round up” and make a donation. Families are counting every nickel and penny for gas. Any customer willing to spend their hard-earned money at your establishment should be enough. Asking for a “donation” is tacky.