Welcome to the first #FabDebate.  The topic for the introductory post will be the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Although I have been across the pond since the “dump a bucket of ice on your head” craze hit the U.S., I haven’t been able to scroll through my Newsfeed without seeing a video of someone taking the plunge (including Chris Christie).    The challenge is not without controversy (also evident in my newsfeed) and I’d love to hear everyone’s opinions.  Here’s a little background to stimulate the discussion:

What is the Ice Bucket Challenge?

The challenge is designed to raise money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  After Pete Frates, a 29-year-old former college baseball player who suffers from ALS posted a video of himself on Facebook others followed suit by joining “TeamFrateTrain” and made videos of themselves dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads.  People post the video to some type of social media and then challenge friends to do the same within 24 hours.  If the person challenged declines, he or she must donate $100 to ALS.

Current Statistics as of August 17, 2014

• 30,000 Americans suffer from ALS
• Between June 1 and August 13, more than 1.2 million videos have been shared on Facebook of individuals taking the challenge
• The phenomenon has been mentioned more than 2.2 million times on Twitter since July 29
• The ALS Association has received $13.3 million in donations since July 29 compared to the $1.7 million during the same period in 2013
• Approximately 260,000 people donated this year that did not donate last year

Some of the Top Criticisms

1)   “Slacktivism.”  Many people have argued that the campaign is a “click and post” (hashtag activism) that has little actual impact on the cause.  Although some people are taking the challenge and donating, the wording of many people’s posts just says they are sharing a video of themselves taking the challenge and not donating.

2)   Narcissism masked as Altruism.   As Arielle Padres notes in her Vice article titled, “Dumping A Bucket of Ice on your Head does not make you a Philanthropist,” the challenge has demonstrated that most Americans would rather dump ice water on their head than donate to charity.  She also notes that by the time the summer heat cools off and the ice melts, people will have completely forgotten about ALS and reminds us of the trendy Livestrong Bracelets campaign that also quickly went out of fashion.

3)   An Equally Enticing Incentive to donate.  The challenge seems very one sided.  Posting a social media video of yourself gives you exposure, makes you look good, and gives you an opportunity to show off a great summer body or support for your favorite sports team (by sporting your team’s tshirt).  There is no way to show people you made the choice to just donate the $100 nor is it “sexy.”  Will Oremus in his Slate article challenged people to the “No Ice Bucket Challenge” and warned that it is “not for the faint of heart” because it requires “real fortitude to give away your hard-earned cash without the promise of receiving Facebook likes in return.”

So what do all of you think?  Are the criticisms valid?  Does the awareness and donations outweigh all of the “cons” of the challenge?