It was Stalin who claimed ‘one death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic’. With millions dying in the world every day, charities highlight these tragedies by showing us individual cases. Save the Children’s ‘No Child Born to Die’ television campaign introduces the viewer to several children’s stories as they suffer in places such as Bangladesh and India. The charity, as do most of its sort, attempts to hit the viewer in the heart in order to stimulate a response from their wallet. The scenes of crying children, swollen bellies and desperate mothers are familiar motifs. It is this familiarity that arguably drives down the effectiveness of these campaigns as the initial shock or pity produced is diluted. The tragedy of one death becomes as dishearteningly ‘normal’ as the millionth.
Last weekend’s Sports Relief is, I think, the perfect example of this. It might be claimed that the increasingly dramatic events are a testament to people wanting to do more. However, I think it is instead that increasingly more needs to be done each time in order to have the same effect. David Walliams swam the channel six years ago (22 miles) but this year he swam the Thames, a distance of 140 miles. Other incredible ventures were Helen Skelton trekking across Antartica and John Bishop overcoming his ‘hell’; a run, row and cycle of 290 miles. Everything needs to get bigger in order to have the same impact as people not only become desensitised to the cause but also the campaigns.
This is not to ever downplay the work of these charities or the seriousness of their cause. However, when, on a daily basis, the public see these images and hear these stories the shock effect that adverts rely on is somewhat lost.
The impact of this on the charities has been widely touted. It gives the impression that despite the money already donated the problem isn’t abating. It even makes the public think the problems are increasing as the appeals get more dramatic, as discussed above. The issues run deeper than the charities themselves. African charity worker Yvonne Ekpe argues that the countries the appeals are referring to are becoming known only as difficult and grim. The negative stereotypes the Global North holds in regards to the Global South as a destitute, corrupt and poverty stricken place are only accentuated and reproduced. They fail to show the slow progress that African countries are making.
However, despite these worries for the future of charities, such campaigns are still seen to be successful. As of Sunday night, Sports Relief has raised £52,070,587 pounds. This was £7,820,000 more than the amount raised in 2010, a fantastic feat. Still, shock tactics that these appeals need to provoke a response are also increasing; the future of these campaigns remains a worry.