N.B. I wrote this post ages ago. But the co-worker mentioned in the article still needles me with her attitude. Also, small disclaimer, I have a friend who is a Gates Scholar in the UK right now. I totally forgot that it might color my perception of the Gates Foundation. But she was really cool even before she got it.
Dunno if you can read this article about Vinod Kholsa’s efforts in microfinancing in India from the NYTimes, but there seems to always be this impression that the industrial tycoons of the modern age are all horrible people and they only give money out to burnish their image. [I personally think Vinod Khosla rocks. But then again, I think Sun Microsystems computers are pretty cool stuff and yes, this is an official endorsement of their products by Mapgirl. Watch their stock go pop right now on that endorsement. hahaha. SO NOT HAPPENING.]
I admit, guys like Ken Lay, Bernie Ebbers and Conrad Black don’t help. But I ran into an interesting attitude the other day. I’m not sure if it was about money or race or both. But an African-American woman at work was telling me she was getting all verklempt over the TV program about Oprah Winfrey’s new school project in South Africa. She should have stopped there but someone mentions Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s charitable efforts and the woman starts saying something that was tantamount to ‘those two old white men don’t do anything for minorities.’ I found her attitude shocking. The co-worker who mentioned them and I started to tell her that rather than help 500 girls, the Gates Foundation was trying to help every single person in the world by creating new vaccines so they didn’t have to die of TB, malaria, cervical cancer or HIV. 500 or entire continents of people? Hm…. Sounds like both are worthy endeavors.
I would truly like to believe the PR spin all three celebrities have for their good works. I honestly think that they are doing great things with their wealth out of a genuine humanitarian concern for the world. I don’t think this is an Andrew Carnegie type operation that’s only about spin after the Homestead Riots. I think Oprah, Bill/Melinda, and Warren are the real deal.
I know there’s some bad apples in the barrel of the wealthy. But I don’t write off anyone who is willing to try and save the world. Even if he’s silly and wears sunglasses indoors all the time and his music is overproduced crap these days. Oops. Did I write that out loud?
Having money isn’t horrible. It what you do with it.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
A tad bit tangential to the overall post, but one criticism of Oprah’s school was that it was too over the top. If she had toned down the ostentatious display of wealth, she could have helped 1,000 girls instead of just 500 or possibly even more. I feel that’s a very valid criticism because if this was actually about helping people out of poverty then she would have listened to others and done just that. Instead, she opted for opulence and the inclusion of a beauty parlor and a yoga studio. Are those things really necessary?
Back on topic now
That woman’s assertion that those old white men don’t do anything for minorities just displays an ignorance that is so utterly maddening from black people. I can’t stand it when black people act like that.
Tell her that the Gates foundation has financed some multi-million dollar programs to bring clean water and whatnot to African countries. Granted, black people in Africa aren’t exactly “minorities.” Or they support and organization which rescues little girls from forced prostitution in Cambodia and other places….not good enough for her?
If she goes off about it again, just e-mail her a link to the GatesFoundation (.com) and see what they’ve sponsored around the world.
I had to do research on them for something in college.
Is Bill Gates a good person? I don’t know, but I sure like what his foundation is doing.
Quite simply, it comes down to jealousy and ignorance. It’s more fashionable to gripe about something than actually take 5 minutes to learn about it.
EDIT TO ABOVE COMMENT:
Next time someone makes an idiotic statement like that, ask him/her what have THEY done for minorities. Hell, what have they done in their OWN back yard (i.e. their family/neighborhood) to eradicate poverty, HIV, or any other ailment in the African American community? Lawd knows, there are many to choose from!
For the record, I don’t think any wealthy person is “bad” based on how they SPEND their money. It’s their money, they earned it, and they should be able to spend it however they choose – regardless of naysayers’ opinions. If Oprah wanted to build a school with luxurious mall slap dead in the middle, it may have looked foolish, but that’s her business. If she wanted to educate 5 children or 5,000, that’s 5 children who would benefit from her wealth. If Bill Gates wants to focus on finding a cure for AIDs or a cure for dry skin, someone, somewhere will benefit. My point is, if I didn’t help you earn, I have no right to tell you how to spend it. Whatever they do will help someone and who are we to pass judgment.
IMO, what makes a wealthy person “bad” is not what they give back, it’s HOW they became wealthy (i.e. illegal/dishonest means, taking advantage of others, causing harm to those who are less fortunate, etc.) in the first place. Otherwise it’s their money and ALL philanthropic efforts should be appreciated, not criticized.
The reason people believe rich people are bad is twofold: 1) zero-sum thinking (the belief that people can only get rich by making other people poor) and 2) simple envy. Just an expansion on Chris’s “jealousy and ignorance” which is it in a nutshell.
The Gates Foundation also runs programs in inner-city American schools and offers scholarships to high-achieving poor minority college students. Check out their scholarships programs here: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/Education/Scholarships/
I think the Gates Foundation rocks! And another way Bill Gates has helped minorities — he grew Microsoft into one heck of a company that spurred on tons of economic and job opportunities for anybody willing to give a go at becoming a tech-nerd — I’ve met plenty of minorities who are Microsoft-certified and making a healthy living. All pretty much independently of direct intervention by Bill Gates, yet at the same time Bill Gates was a pivotal player in making that possible for them. Pretty empowering stuff.
And the last I checked, anybody — including minorities — is able to buy Berkshire Hathaway stock. If you use something like Sharebuilder you can even buy it in $10 increments (well, at least $100 increments would be better). Then you — even if you’re a minority — can sit back and let the Oracle of Omaha make you rich.
I think Oprah’s done a lot of good things, but I also thought that school in S.A. was pretty self-aggrandizing and it always bugged mw. Why didn’t she pour that money into a scholarship program encouraging young girls to study the sciences instead, or pour it into literacy education?
db- As I understand it Oprah made a promise to Nelson Mandela to open a school for girls.
Real Wealth is Zero Sum (Finite Planetary Resources) – the rest of the “wealth” is fake – profits on it go to the rich, and if and when the losses are “discovered” – the poor are made to pay up. Smart sound bytes, poor logic, Mr. Andrew Stevens.