Good morning Internet!
Today, I'm going to talk about 'The Ice Bucket Challenge' and not just the famous celebrities participating or the news coverage, but the disease it's raising money for.
For the past month, the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' has been everywhere. The News, Social Media, you name it! The Challenge is an activity where the challenger must have a bucket of ice-cold water poured onto them, or they must donate to charity (as a forfeit). The result is that awareness is raised about The Challenge, and that more money is raised for the charity (more about this in a second)!
The rules for The Challenge are as follows:
1. The Challenger must have a bucket of ice-cold water poured on their head (and it must be filmed.)
2. The Challenger must nominate 3 other people to participate (if the nominees do not participate, they must donate a certain amount of money to the chosen charity.)
3. Nominees must say who tagged them in their video.
ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disease where the muscles become progressively weaker. This can cause the following symptoms:
- Inability speaking, eating and/or breathing.
- Inability controlling movement of limbs.
- Inability to control bladder and bowel movements (this usually occurs in the final stages of the disease).
The charity that most people have been donating to is the ALS Association (the link is in the doobweedoo)!
Probably the most famous celebrity to have ALS is Stephen Hawking, a ground-breaking physicist. Diagnosed at the age of 21, Stephen Hawking has defied all the odds. Given 2 years to live, Stephen has overcome huge obstacles! How has he managed to outlive his diagnosis by 49 years? Well, it's thought that he has a slowly progressing form of ALS, which has allowed him to survive so long.
Which celebrities have done the Ice Bucket Challenge? Let's see!
*Cue photos*
Tom Hiddleston
Benedict Cumberbatch
Christiano Ronaldo
David Beckham
Sarah Jessica Parker
Lady Gaga
And many more!
The challenge has faced opposition though.. Many people have expressed their views through social media, and a few celebrities have weighed in on the issue.
Here are some of the good points:
- It raises awareness for a good cause.
- It's funny to see the celebrity videos!
- It brings the community together.
- Did I mention that it's for charity!?
Some of the bad points:
-The charity being supported still tests on animals.
- It wastes water.
- Challengers might be embarrassed!
- Injuries. Yes, people have hurt themselves! Dubbed ' Ice Bucket Challenge Fails' these poor people have had their bad luck spread across the internet.
How can we fix these problems?
- Support a different charity that is involved in helping sufferers of ALS!
- Use reused water!
-Umm.. Maybe people could take photos, instead of a video?
- Double checking their safety precautions! Safety first, everyone!
So, that's my video for today! What are your views? Yay or nay? Comment below to let me know what you think! Thanks for watching!
NOTES/ RESOURCES
http://www.alsa.org/ - ALS charity
http://www.3news.co.nz/The-celeb-backlash-to-ice-bucket-craze-has-begun/tabid/418/articleID/357972/Default.aspx - Pamela Anderson on The Ice Bucket Challenge
http://www.viralnova.com/ice-bucket-fail/ - 'failed' attempts.
https://www.facebook.com/jim.beaver.7731/posts/10153087432119167- Jim Beaver reacts to backlash against the challange.
