Facebook is a handy cultural thermometer. I sometimes use it to test the temperature on subjects that concern me. Last week was a case in point. When the Japanese clothing company Uniqlo announced that it was donating 1.4 billion yen to earthquake victims, I posed a question on Facebook: was this marketing opportunism? After all, I occasionally give money to charity, but I rarely issue a press release about it.
The responses quickly came in. Most people agreed that it was a no-win situation. When you give money, you’re an opportunist. When you don’t, you’re heartless. A friend who works at Louis Vuitton said that the company had been criticised for not giving money to Japan – when in fact it had, but just kept quiet about it. Starbucks took the middle path and discreetly tweeted about its donation.
Then I discovered an interesting fact: the Japanese Red Cross has said on its website that it does not need donations. Japan is not Haiti. It is a wealthy nation. Money given to aid organisations for Japan is likely to be diverted elsewhere. That is no bad thing, as there are many shattered lives around the world, and it brings me to my point. Instead of reacting to a tragedy, isn’t it better to give a certain sum every month, for many years, to a charity you feel an empathy with? Disasters on the scale of Japan are rare; but somebody needs your help every day.
