avocado8

Live 8 In the Hood

I had the opportunity last week to join a conference call between the Live 8 organizers and Philadelphia bloggers (of which, apparently, I am one), but I chose not to dial in. My main reason for not participating was that, as someone whose second thought (after "why?"), upon hearing that Live 8 would be taking place in my neighborhood, was "oh my god, we've got to get out of town", I'd feel like a fraud.

The other big reason I didn't participate was that, frankly, I'm not sure where I stand on debt relief... or on the idea of a global concert's ability to raise awareness about the subject. I'm not against either of these things—I just don't feel like I have a firm enough grasp of the issues involved. (And for me, the issues involved are not which bands are playing and whether or not the organizers could have made tons of money for African relief efforts if only they'd sold tickets.) I do have some thoughts swirling around in my head about international aid lending, debt forgiveness, massive government corruption, and the effects of poverty, war, and disease on the African continent, but they don't add up to answers—only to many, many questions. I'm guessing that I may be one of the very people whose awareness Bob Geldof wants to raise.

Maybe I should have gotten on the call, if only to ask whether the goal of the concerts was to educate as well as entertain, and if so, how that would be accomplished—and what would be the measures of success. I'm also kinda curious about what kind of support they were looking for from the "blogosphere." But that brings me to my third reason for not joining the call: I've learned from experience that it's virtually impossible to listen to, much less participate in, a conference call while holding a(n almost) 7 month-old baby. Sadly, the call time didn't coincide with his nap.

I haven't decided whether to watch the Live 8 coverage on television this Saturday, but I definitely won't be seeing any of it in person. We are, indeed, getting out of town. Yeah, I know I might be passing up an opportunity to be a part of a historical moment (or a historical 6 or 9 hours, depending on how you count), but I'm really not a crowd person. I was perfectly happy watching Live Aid from my host family's basement in Sweden instead of experiencing it from underneath the crush of bodies at Wembly or, worse, the skin-frying Philadelphia sun. Back then I knew what I was watching was special, even if I didn't fully understand how it was going to help Africa.

Today I understand even less about how a concert will help Africa (and apparently, I'm not alone; millions around the world seem to think Live 8 is about raising money), but I'm hoping it will do something. I'm not so cynical or apathetic that I wouldn't wish the Live 8 organizers well. Here's hoping somebody's listening—and that they hear more than just screeching guitars and confused concertgoers.