You’ve heard of reverse psychology? Telling someone not to do something you want them to do it, or to do something you don’t want them to do, with the result that whatever you tell them, they do the opposite. Perhaps that’s what’s behind this new ad campaign for the Oakwood School, a private school in Hollywood, wherein celebs ranging from Jason Alexander to J.K. Simmons to Steve Carell and Nancy Walls beseech viewers with one message: “don’t give.” Of course, any fundraising video has an ultimate message of “give,” even if what they begin with is several minutes of celebrities telling viewers “don’t.” This is a community school, and perhaps some of these celebs are also parents or alumni of that school. But when I see celebrities shilling for a cause, no matter how worthy or universal, I think about how much I make and how much they probably make. How much could my pennies do, vs. their many Hollywood dollars? It’s possible that these celebs are already major donors to the school. And I did find the video entertaining, even knowing nothing about the school, simply because of the people involved. (Walls and Carell, married in real life, are a particular treat.) But does a celebrity message of “don’t give” going to inspire great donations, no matter how great the cause? View the video and share your comments with us– I’m curious to know what you think.
Beliefnet
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posted April 5, 2009 at 8:35 am
This is as long as it’s unfunny. Just more LA naval gazing. Frankly, their snarkiness is totally insulting to what real people are experiencing, not what pretty people who pretend to be real people for pay are experiencing.
posted April 5, 2009 at 10:24 am
andy bachman, you just made the exact point the video was trying to make: that people may find shallow excuses to not give in these times, when oakwood is actually important & worth supporting.
posted April 6, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I totally agree with Andy Bachman (hi Andy!) and I would say that any school that can get all these folks on camera probably isn’t hurting too much, certainly not like our school that just let go 20% of the teachers.
posted April 25, 2011 at 7:25 pm
You guys have no idea what your talking about. This is great!