Red Nose Record - Why?

Cleaver

Just interested to get opinion on this BBC news story about Comic Relief.

Comic Relief's TV extravaganza raised a record £57m overnight, smashing the previous record of £40.5m from 2007, when the charity event was last held.

The total is expected to increase by at least £20m as more donations flood in.

Sainsbury's, which sold official Comic Relief merchandise, handed over a cheque for more than £9m - the biggest single donation ever presented in the event's history. The supermarket reported record sales of red noses this year - up 23% compared with 2007 - with an average of 100,000 noses being bought every day.

So why's that then? One theory could be around Mewbie's special jokeathon that he ran on here last night, but I reckon it's more than that.

I'm just interested in the psychology of this, as we're being told that everyone is tighenting their belts, storing money etc. I know charity is a different kettle of fish, but it's interesting that donations are so much higher this year than ever before. Do you think people are seeing a different side of life where spending money solely on yourself isn't quite as important to them as it once was? Or maybe a reaction to all the doom and portrayed by the media that we actually all realise that we are no where no as worse of as many in the world? I don't really know, just found it intriguing.

Apologies if this is posted elsewhere - all the threads I start recently seem to be somewhere else and I didn't spot them. Apart from that one about Paris Hilton's credit crunch advice. Ahem.

FungusFighter

Sainsburys success might be cos they had the noses and stuff right by the tills and you could just add them to you're shopping and pay by credit-card :beer:

Edinburghlass_2

Because a lot of people are mothers and indeed fathers, when you watch a child die before your eyes and a mosquito net for a nomimal amount to us could save a life then you pick up the phone and donate, simple as that.

a_rather_tall_man

Did Davina Mcall offer to pipe down and stay off the TV forever if the record was broken? That would be why if she did.

Seriously though these charity events do baffle me in so far as why do people need to be given a night in front of the TV before they donate? They can give to the needy any day of the year. Also I feel the 5 or 6 hours spent sitting on their backsides would be better spend going out and clearing up all the litter in their local park or physically contributing to some other local scheme. Maybe that's why they pay up...its easier than actually putting any effort in so eases their guilt. Damn, so cynical today....I don't know why.

Cleaver

Edinburghlass wrote: »

Because a lot of people are mothers and indeed fathers, when you watch a child die before your eyes and a mosquito net for a nomimal amount to us could save a life then you pick up the phone and donate, simple as that.

But it isn't as simple as that, as it's the same emotive subjects, videos and causes every year (a very noble cause I should add). But that isn't a variable here. There's been record money donated in a year when we're meant to have a lot less disposable income. There must be some psychological reasons behind that.

I should add that my original post wasn't question why people were donating so much as to imply that they shouldn't donate. I think it's brilliant so much was raised. Just surpirsed me as I thought they would struggle more this year. A nice indictment of the British public really.

FungusFighter

Edinburghlass wrote: »

Because a lot of people are mothers and indeed fathers, when you watch a child die before your eyes and a mosquito net for a nomimal amount to us could save a life then you pick up the phone and donate, simple as that.

Most poeple are selfish, if they can't afford their fags and stella this year they aint gonna give a couple of quid to charity just beacause someone at the beeb decides to emotionally blackmail them with clips about dying children. :rolleyes:

Nah, there has to be something in it for them;)

purch

as we're being told that everyone is tighenting their belts, storing money etc

It's only on forums such as this that all this 'doom n gloom' is constantly the only source of conversation.

In the real world, most people hardly mention it, and many are hardly affected by it, or if they are they are adjusting to it quite easily.

Because a lot of people are mothers and indeed fathers, when you watch a child die before your eyes and a mosquito net for a nomimal amount to us could save a life then you pick up the phone and donate, simple as that

.....and that too :T

Little_Chicken

Giving £5 via your mobile phone bill made donating easier this year too. Maybe people are also feeling that if things are tougher for them - they're even tougher in other parts of the world?!?!?!

jay3_2

I think it's probably something to do with a reaction to all the doom & gloom in the media. I heard a radio interview with someone from one of the major charities (WaterAid I think) a couple of weeks ago, who said she hadn't noticed any drop-off in donations recently.

Having said that, I think we should "blame" Mewbie anyway.

Lakelady_2

Two medium lattes in Costa = £4.60. A mosquito net to save a life = £5.
Maybe that was alot of peoples thinking.

Cleaver

Lakelady wrote: »

Two medium lattes in Costa = £4.60. A mosquito net to save a life = £5.
Maybe that was alot of peoples thinking.

That's kinda what I was thinking to be honest. Maybe we've reached a bit of a tipping point in our consumer society and people are starting to question what is actually important to society in the wider picture. A bit of a utopian view, but you never know.