All entries for Friday 14 July 2006

Project (RED) Bandwagon – Personal attack on myself

I'm not a big fan of Bono methods of pushing aid schemes onto the western world however I have just received a Motorola Red phone. As you can guess this has caused a bit of a personal debate. Have I just jumped onto a corporate bandwagon that is nothing more than a scheme to sell more mobiles? I decided that the arguments for and against needed to be raised so that I could form a justified opinion (as long it was for the phone so be warned this is probably highly bias).

Getting a RED mobile is just jumping on the bandwagon. My first justification was that I am getting a new phone anyway and I didn't like the Nokia's that the phone company was offering, but I did like the SLVR. So I had the choice between a standard SLVR and the RED SLVR. So where choosing the RED was jumping on the bandwagon, not choosing the RED would say that I am not willing to give the tuppence to RED which just seemed tight!

But Motorola are a huge Chinese company so I am effectively funding part of the Chinese industrial revolution that is going to see the production of a coal powered power station a week for the next ten years. I justified this with “but at least 1p in every £1 goes on improving peoples health. But it could be worse. I could be donating nothing.”

OK so the correct thing might have been to give all the money for the phone to charity and remove Motorola from the picture but as this was a free upgrade this isn't an option. And if I do that the extra money that the phone company will give to RED whilst I'm using the phone they will get to keep.

Bono, when asked if he was being used as an advertising stunt just pleaded ignorance and claimed that if millions of pounds are raised for AIDS, TB and Malaria who cares if it has come from the man (well he actually said that if it is the case “I'm not a cheap date” which the press assumed he meant that it will cost the man). And so far this is the best argument that I've heard. OK the phone companies might be bad but even if I help just a tiny bit I have done something slightly useful.

Sorry, about the rambling style of my entry but I needed a platform to craft my arguments when I get asked about the phone. I didn't want to look a complete fool when someone comes up with a negative argument about the phone and just say “well it looks nice” follow shortly after by a damming thought that, yet again, I'm a huge 'pillick'.

: 14 Jul 2006 12:19 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem