In response to the devastating wildfires that swept Maui in August, Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey set up the People’s Fund of Maui. The aim of the fund was to provide local survivors with $1,200 a month to assist in recovery. Dwayne and Oprah each donated $5 million to start off the fund, and then publicly asked people to contribute. In my side-eyeing Paris Hilton for vacationing near the disaster site, I seemed to have missed that Dwayne and Oprah themselves received backlash… for starting a fundraiser to help. The criticism they received was for asking people to donate, despite the massive wealth between them. Over the weekend Dwayne posted an Instagram video update about the first round of $1,200 checks going to survivors, and he also took the opportunity to address the flack he and Oprah received during the launch:
“When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” Johnson said in a video shared to his Instagram on Sunday. “I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better. And next time I will be better.”
The “Moana” actor acknowledged that he knows “money ain’t falling out of the sky, and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like.”
Many people criticized Johnson and Winfrey for not contributing more from their own pockets and asking their fans to donate.
“When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you are easily pissed off. It’s frustrating,” Johnson continued in his video on Instagram. “And the last thing you want to hear when you’re living paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money — especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money. I get it, I understand.”
Johnson’s net worth is estimated at $270 million and Winfrey’s is estimated $2.5 billion, according to Forbes.
“I’ve never launched a fund before, but I’m a quick study and lesson learned,” the “Red Notice” star added.
He also thanked his fans for their honesty in his caption, writing, “I’ll always appreciate and protect that straight talk between us – you have my word to always listen, learn, grow and do better.”
Johnson and Winfrey’s fund is intended to give adults displaced by the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula a monthly stipend of $1,200 to help them during recovery.
In Johnson’s latest post, he said the first round of applicants has started to receive the monthly stipend.
“I’m so grateful and moved by all the messages I’m receiving out of Maui from the survivors of the devastating wildfires who are now getting their personal funding from The People’s Fund of Maui,” he wrote in the caption. “The strength of our people of Maui is beautiful and inspiring. Watching families and community come together after this tragedy is inspirational and I’m proud of our Polynesian people.”
Johnson concluded: “Thank you to everyone who has helped by sending resources, love and prayers to all people affected by the fires and a loving mahalo and RESPECT to our OG cultural leaders, our local community organizations, and all our first responders and every person who came together to help our people.”
I don’t usually say this, but in this particular case I’m with the million-billionaires. Between Dwayne and Oprah, they started off the fund with $10 million of their own money. A drop in the bucket for each of them, sure, but I still don’t think they’re the bad guys here. They each routinely donate generously to worthy causes. And they didn’t single out any one group to contribute to the fund, it was a blanket plea that other millionaires were welcome to respond to! That being said, this was a well done move by Dwayne — to acknowledge the parts that didn’t land from the original launch and promise to handle it better next time, all while giving a positive update on money going out to survivors. But overall, I think the intent, context, and track records matter a lot here. I mean, it’s not like Dwayne and Oprah just showed up empty-handed to a refugee center or foodbank for the umpteenth time.
photos credit: Kevin Mazur for Netflix, Getty and via Instagram
The initial criticism I believe was language they used where it stated they pledged but did not donate 10 mil of their own money. So lots of tiktok out there saying they started the fund but “pledged” money and are just distributing other ppls money. As in these billionaire/millionaires are just opening a fund and asking other ppl to donate while “pledging” money that they will get from donations.
They did each donate. It’s not like they were making anyone else do anything. They likely do have followers who are rich also and might have contributed. Where is the insult or harm in inviting people to participate if they wish?
In addition to that, they asked ‘everybody’ to donate, certainly not people who didn’t have money to start with.
This is one of those few times where I’m also on the part of billionaires….
Yea it’s a non issue now and they did donate but I think it’s the language they initially used. Also I think there were some ppl just angry about billionaires and not native Hawaiians buying mass amounts of real estate and pushing native Hawaiians out and this kind of is adjacent? I know the rock is but I don’t think Oprah is from Hawaii.
@hangonamin: I don’t think Johnson is from Hawaii. He was born and mostly raised in the mainland US, though I think he did spend part of his childhood in New Zealand.
@Ncboudicca icic. got it. i thought he was for some reason. I know he is part Polynesian (Samoan?). for some reason thought he grew up in Hawaii. welp…then that is also probs why ppl complained. two uber rich ppl who bought property in Hawaii when most native Hawaiians can’t buy anything now and sending out language they are “pledging” money.
His mother is Samoan.
I’m with you on this and I don’t understand the backlash of starting a fund to help people! They put in a good amount and we’re trying to do something positive for the people of Maui who lost everything and people want to complain? I’m not sure why there was such a fuss over this. They were asking for donations not demanding them to donate.
Some people are miserable and like to share that with the world. It takes so much energy to be angry or offended all the time. Bless their cold hearts.
I’m confused. I thought the criticism was of Oprah because she hired private firefighters to protect her property while letting the rest of Hawaii burn. Didn’t realize there was criticism of Dwayne.
She didn’t hire private firefighters to protect her property
Kebbie – Thanks for your Oprah response. You’re right. What I was referring to (ineffectually) was the social media criticism of the pair 😔. Think this article in Business Insider is fair to Oprah while clarifying the criticism: https://www.insider.com/oprah-winfrey-land-maui-hawaii-details-photos-history-2023-9
I didn’t follow this at all. However, just narrowly viewing this from the apology The Rock wrote here: This is a very good way to say sorry!
100%. I’m not sure the apology was even necessary, but if so, that’s the way to do it. No excuses, no backtracking, no condescending, no gaslighting. Just “hey, my bad.”
Yep. While I’m not particularly bothered by what he did, I have to say this is a good apology. A lot of celebs could learn from how he handled this!
He needs to teach a class on it because that was one of the most conscientious, validating and sincere apologies I’ve ever heard.
Agreed. I really like him…his movies aren’t typically ones I’d watch but he’s grown on me because he just seems like a genuinely good guy.
I really didn’t understand the backlash. They were using their celebrity to try to help and also I appreciated that knowing Oprah is from Maui and she is a legit person that their fund was legit and for Maui. There were so many organization and go fund mes that people were linking to that I was not sure if it was legit or whether the money was really going to Maui or what. I get that not everyone is in a place where they can spare money for a cause and that is totally ok, just ignore it and move on.
Oprah owns property on Maui, she’s not from Maui. The Rock’s mom is Samoan, with family in Hawaii, and she moved back there with Dwayne in his early childhood (or so says my quick googling results). He has family ties there.
Oprah is from Mississippi. Her property holdings in Maui were part of the backlash because regular people are struggling with housing in Hawaii, even more than in some of the mainland cities with housing crises. And it’s not just the property. It’s the way the uber rich can secure their interests through influence on public policy that alarms people.
It was also one of those rare moments when the public sees through charity from the wealthy as a PR exercise. $1,200 a month over there is next to nothing, and they’ll both get those donations back through tax write offs, so it’s literally no $ out of their pockets.
However, I can’t recall the last time rich white folks were called to account for their tone-deaf charity stunts. Maybe I’m missing an example. Nothing seems to awaken class consciousness like a rich Black woman. (Johnson’s relationship to his blackness aside, this may have been a moment where it was part of folks’ willingness to speak up). Oprah receives a lot of criticism- though I believe there’s no such thing as ethical billionaires- that others don’t get because she’s a Black woman.
Interesting that Oprah is the one receiving the backlash and not other groups/property owners. Top 20 land owners in Hawaii:
United States Federal Government
Kamehameha Schools
Parker Ranch
Robinson Family
Pūlama Lanai (Larry Ellison)
Alexander & Baldwin
Molokai Ranch
Grove Farm
Lihue Land Co. (Steve Case)
Maui Land & Pineapple
Castle & Cooke
James Campbell Co.
Niihau (Aylmer Robinson)
Bishop Estate
Waimea Ranch
Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company
Dow Chemical
Ulupalakua Ranch
Kaanapali Land Company
Equality,
I agree. Part of it is that she’s a celebrity and so more recognizable than these groups. I’ve never heard of any of these. And that’s how true power works- the groups most of us never see or hear about. Wonder how much they gave in donations.
@equality – there absolutely is backlash in Hawaii against some of the entities you mentioned (the federal government, Larry Ellis, etc.). However, some of the entities were founded by native Hawaiian people, and you have to be from Hawaii to realize that (Campbell estate is the Kawananakoa family; Bishop estate founded by Princess Bernice, the last of the Kamehameha’s; etc.) — and that means they are viewed differently by the people of Hawaii.
I don’t know many native Hawaiians who are mad at Dwayne Johnson or Oprah. I think the backlash came from outside Hawaii, not within. Most people are appreciative of the fundraiser.
There are billionaires who do upset locals. I don’t know if Oprah is one of them, but when George Harrison was still alive, he blocked what was a traditional public access path to the ocean, angering many locals (native Hawaiians are supposed to be allowed by law to practice their historic and customary traditions on land that is less than fully developed, and have ocean access; all beaches in Hawaii are public). Mark Zukerberg took native Hawaiian people to court to FORCE them to sell their ancestral lands at auction (which he could out-bid everyone else for), to create his huge estate on Kauai, displacing native people in the process. There are reasons why billionaires are not especially liked by local people in Hawaii. But again, I haven’t heard much backlash against Oprah herself.
My initial reaction was “ why the fuss?”
But the more I got into it the more I saw some rationale for pushback.
The 1st was people speculated why not just pass the hat to your billionaire friends and donate rather than ask ordinary/struggling people ( particularly billionaires that have property on the island )
2nd that there would be a built in tax write off ( since they created the fund) that likely would negate their contributions . Food for thought..
Even if it’s a write off, there’s still $1200 sitting on some kid’s kitchen table. That’s a lot of food.
Good for him. It’s ridiculous to suggest he was soliciting money from paycheck to paycheck homes.
They are actually making a difference.
A lot of ‘woker than thou’ people looking for something to criticize do not.
I don’t remember if this was met with outrage or just weariness, but if Oprah is worth 2.5B, then 5 million is 2% of her net worth. It’s her money and her business, but it seems disingenuous to ask regular people to donate when she wouldn’t notice 5x that amount being gone. People who make decent money are struggling due to inflation and the ultra rich are out of touch.
It’s not 2% of her wealth, that would actually be a sizable amount, it’s 0.2% of her wealth. It’s like a person who makes $60K donating $120. Nothing to sneeze on, to be sure, but nobody will be tripping over themselves praising them for their generosity, even though at 60K many people do not have much disposable income and donating $100 is felt more, most likely.
Ahh, thank you. Math is not my strong suit clearly.
5 mil is .02% of her wealth and her portfolio and investments generates way more income than that daily.
If she is worth 2.5B. How much is liquid assets to know how much she would miss? She also has other causes she contributes to. How much does, for example, Jen Aniston give to St Jude Hospital? But I see her on TV all the time asking regular people to donate without backlash.
I usually don’t care for people who criticize people who genuinely do a lot for others, when they themselves often do nothing.
Often it’s a knee-jerk reaction because they contribute nothing themselves and that makes them feel uneasy. Criticizing the people who actually do something then makes them feel better.
I think it depends on how you view a billionaire in general. If you believe someone can be financially ethical as a billionaire, this is viewed as philanthropic. If you believe there is no such thing as an ethical way to become a billionaire, the criticism is more of a side-eye at the system. Oprah does not deserve hatred and certainly, there are much more problematic billionaires.
Pretty much this. I think they both had good intentions behind starting this charity and good will matters, but I also don’t feel any compulsion to praise rich people for giving money to a worthy cause because that’s literally the easiest thing they could do.
I’m thinking of someone like Chef Jose Andres and his tireless humanitarian work with World Central Kitchen. He’s a rich dude who donates but also shows up to places that have been devastated by war or natural disasters and actually interacts with folks and serves them food. Not saying it’s a contest but that’s the kind of walking the walk that is really meaningful to folks who are suffering.
You’re never going to make everyone happy.
They put some of their own money in (regardless of the ratio to their wealth, $5M is not an insignificant amount) and while far too many people are living paycheck to paycheck many are not and feel better for being able to do something positive to help people who are hurting. If they also get some of their mega rich friends to contribute then so much the better.
I can think of a certain group of extremely wealthy people who are more deserving of criticism and backlash for asking others to donate – the British royal family!!!! Notorious for showing up for photos and initiating make work projects for others to implement, yet they do precious little in terms of making meaningful contributions themselves!!!!
This is the first I’m hearing of all this, and while I can understand the backlash, I also know that whenever a crisis like this occurs, everyone — us “normies” as well as millionaires — immediately asks, “But what can I do to help?!?!?!” So I can’t really fault The Rock/Oprah for anticipating that public response & impulse to help that ALWAYS arises, and providing one [of many] option for people to direct that impulse. 🤷♀️
I’m kind of stunned that people weren’t paying attention to this – it was really a big deal. Oprah had private firefighters protecting her land, has not/did not open the 2000 acres she owns to any of the displaced families, and then put out this video that was very disingenuous and painted herself as the donor as she actually asked us to put in the money. When the wealthy non-indigenous people’s homes are fine and the locals are the ones left with literally ash, it is extremely out of touch for them to have done what they did. Maybe people aren’t getting it because they weren’t paying attention in real time.
This is not true, like a lot of rumors that came out in the wake of the fire. Oprah’s place wasn’t even in the fire zone.
Oprah opened her private road to help residents evacuate and donated supplies to shelters. You are spreading a rumor that someone started on TikTok.
I just don’t understand why anyone even listens to these tiktok people. It’s just some rando with good makeup and hair spouting some bs. 12k/month is solid help. More billionaires need to step up.
Also, Oprah came from Nowheresville, Mississippi and made her fortune on her own. Respect. Most of the rich started on 3rd base, like Gwynnie.
I’m repeating what I was told by Hawaiian friends, so if there’s a TikTok thing I’m not up on that. I don’t see anything about her opening the private roads – all stories refer to the 2019 fires, so if you have a source to cite I’d actually like to see it (not snark, I’d really like to see it).
At least one of her multiple properties absolutely were/are in the fire zone in Kula, so that’s inaccurate. I did see that she showed up at a shelter with a camera crew and was not allowed to bring them in. I also know that families in Lahaina who lost everything were being called by investors trying to get them to sell their properties.
If you don’t see those things as offensive, perhaps it could at least be understood as out of touch. It seems to be understood that the BRF is out of touch when they show up looking for self-promotion or do things that are blissfully unaware of the reality for the majority, so I’m not sure why everyone is jumping on the Oprah bandwagon.
Is Oprah one of the investors trying to buy peoples’ properties? Otherwise I don’t see the link to her. As far as hiring firefighters, there is no concrete proof of that according to fact-checking sites. Not necessarily jumping on the Oprah bandwagon, but also not sniping at her for doing something for others or accusing her of something without proof. https://www.thethings.com/did-oprah-lose-her-maui-property-during-fires/#:~:text=To%20help%20those%20affected%20by%20the%20tragedy%20evacuate,to%20those%20who%20needed%20to%20leave%20their%20homes.
It isn’t 12k a month, it’s $1200.
I didn’t say she was one of the investors, I was providing context for why people might be feeling like the wealthy aren’t really the ones to lean on here – thus providing context for some of the backlash.
The link you provided refers to her opening the road in 2019, just as I stated previously.
There’s also something to be said for not understanding that native Hawaiians have been very vocally asking people not to come there since well before the fires, and she’s part of the wealthy class that continues to not only purchase land but encourage other people to visit the islands.
Her being from Kosciusko (or Nowheresville, as it was so kindly put) isn’t relevant at this point – she has a massive amount of wealth that she’s had for decades that she is very condescending about when not on camera. (That, yes, I have witnessed firsthand. Literally from her mouth. In person.)
When billionaires pay their fair share in taxes, perhaps people will have less of a problem with them.
So if the Native Americans in other US states ask for people to stop moving there and to not buy property there, I guess, all non-natives move on? To where? I feel for them, but the government is the one who should be taking action for that purpose because the US gov and the state gov of HI are the largest land-owners in the state. Followed by:
Kamehameha Schools
Parker Ranch
Robinson Family
Pūlama Lanai (Larry Ellison)
Alexander & Baldwin
Molokai Ranch
Grove Farm
Lihue Land Co. (Steve Case)
Maui Land & Pineapple
Castle & Cooke
James Campbell Co.
Niihau (Aylmer Robinson)
Bishop Estate
Waimea Ranch
Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company
Dow Chemical
Ulupalakua Ranch
Kaanapali Land Company
Is there a reason to think that Oprah would help out during one fire and not another? Or a reason to center all the ire toward her and DJ and ignore the rest?
At what point did I say that Oprah and Oprah alone is responsible? Your blatant disrespect for native Hawaiians is really impressive, and so is your willingness to believe that if Oprah had opened the road in 2023 there wouldn’t be a ton of stories to refute the claims that she hadn’t. Instead, we see stories with misleading links and quotes that refer only to 2019. If her PR machine could directly refute those claims, don’t you think they would have by now?
How do her PR people prove a negative in saying she didn’t hire firefighters? They have put out statements refuting. My point is that Hawaii is part of the US and people not coming there or not buying there is not going to happen (even among those not US citizens). Like, I said, I FEEL for them, but just asking without governmental back-up is unrealistic. If you want to over-react and read that as disrespect, have at it, I guess.
It would be helpful if the goal posts weren’t constantly being moved. I said that if she had opened the private road it would be out there instead of the 2019 references alone. If they opened the road, they would have a government official willing to corroborate that statement – which is where the 2019 statement came from. As far as the private firefighters, again, this is what I was told by people who are either in Hawaii themselves or have family in Hawaii. Proving or disproving that hasn’t been any part of this conversation.
I suggest that you educate yourself on Hawaiian history and the sovereignty movement. Speaking on it without having any knowledge of the issues surrounding the conversation *is* disrespectful. Dismissing their concerns by asking where the non-natives are supposed to go *is* disrespectful. I have to get some work done now, so I’ll leave you to sit with your thoughts.
Non-Hawaiians buying property is one thing. How they acquire the property, and what they do with it is something else. Here are two examples of what someone with respect for the native people should NOT do:
George Harrison blocked what was a traditional public access path to the ocean, angering many locals (native Hawaiians are supposed to be allowed by law to practice their historic and customary traditions on land that is less than fully developed, and have ocean access; all beaches in Hawaii are public).
Mark Zukerberg took native Hawaiian people to court to FORCE them to sell their ancestral lands at auction (which he could out-bid everyone else for), to create his huge estate on Kauai, displacing native people in the process.
This type of behavior is deplorable. I don’t think EVERYONE who buys property in Hawaii will be criticized, but just don’t act like these @ssholes.
I mean, Oprah has over !,000 acres of land out there. If she hired firefighters or whatever, she definitely has the privacy, wealth, and resources to hide that from the public. That being said the claims are still unsubstantiated at this time so..meh.
i think it’s a very very sensitive issue with native Hawaiians regarding the essential colonization/annexation of Hawaii to the US as stolen land and basically the lack of respect for the islands from the government and mainland visitors. while I don’t think Oprah and Johnson deserve all of the blame, I do think they are part of the rich elite that promote US citizens and other tourists with financial means to continue to visit, buy land and marginalize native Hawaiians. These are also the individuals with the means to PROTECT their interests through legislations and government rulings. I think people forget how much influence you can buy with money…which is A LOT. Sure, they helped people when their houses burned down during a crisis, but they’ve not really shown to help Hawaiians when there is no natural disaster to promote equity and fairness on the island.
This is a dumb criticism. I work in the nonprofit sector, and obviously, if you’re struggling yourself, you shouldn’t feel obligated to stretch your resources even more thinly–but I don’t think he ever suggested that anyone should. As others have noted, he knows lots of other rich people, and this is how fundraising works–money tends to attract money, high-profile supporters attract more high-profile supporters, etc.
This is also a pretty simple model–cash-transfer to disaster victims. Usually, I find it frustrating when people set up new foundations in response to disasters because the “established players” such as the ICRC can almost always do a better job assisting victims than new organization with minimal infrastructure, green staff, etc., but this initiative makes sense in the context of what happened.
(Side note: I always give $; you are costing a nonprofit time and effort if you shop for, and ship, bottled water, TP, food, etc.–it’s much easier for them to use $ and purchase and direct supplies where they’re most needed. A lot of charities just won’t say so because they don’t want to seem ungrateful for well-intentioned efforts.)
I would also like to add that the fact that I’m not a mega-millionaire doesn’t absolve me of the responsibility to help. Because I work in the sector, I’m pretty careful about researching causes before I donate, but as a middle-class American, I’m pretty “rich” by global standards. I can and should donate more, even if I’m never going to be in a position to donate millions.
I didn’t understand this at all, didn’t see it as a request for donations from people who might not be able to spare dollars. So many “regular” people were already donating after the fire, this was just one more option. The NYT had a list of 5 or 6 local organizations; among others, one thing I did was buy something off the wish list for the Maui animal shelter whose link I saw there. Pictures they posted showed they were already getting a massive response from area residents stopping by with bags of food, litter, etc.
The will to give was already there. This fund was just another way to do it.
Yeah, I just think some people want something to complain about.
My critique generally would be “send your $ to established orgs and not new ones” rather than “don’t ask others to donate if you yourself are rich (but have already given a lot of $”) but again: this is a simple model that requires minimal infrastructure to administer.
Sometimes, I give general operating support to good nonprofit organizations in the aftermath of disasters because I know they’ll get so many “earmarked” donations, and general operating support gives nonprofits more flexibility. That’s my other “effective giving” recommendation, but my kids say I’m being self-interested because my work falls in the “general operating” bucket rather than “program work” bucket. (I’m not getting rich, but I have to eat too–and nonprofits can’t accomplish much by way of programmatic work without good fundraising, communication, and fiscal management people, among others.)
He seems to play the PR game better than most celebrities.
I’m sorry I started a fund to help survivors of the fires with $5m of my own money with my rich friend who also donated $5m and invited others to donate IF THEY CAN.
He’s a good guy apologizing for being rich and generous. That’s a non starter for me.
Well done on this apology. When people are mad just because, you are not going to change their mind. He just kept moving on with his charity and was the bigger person.
And giving people cash is so efficient and compassionate.
Lol, the solution to this is to tax them and increase the social safety net. All this should be handled by the government. That’s what taxes are supposed to be for. It’s the local pot we all pay into for when shit hits the fan. Why else would we give <1000 people control of billions in revenue. Americans are just incredibly obtuse when it comes to social generosity instead of individual.
Even countries with strong social safety nets have nonprofits/charities that help with disaster response. For example, the ICRC was heavily involved in the response after the German floods of a year or two ago. https://redcross.eu/latest-news/experience-in-floods-response-feeding-the-disaster-management-system.
I personally would never give to Red Cross after this: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/red-cross-6-million-ebola-fight-stolen-through-fraud-n817701
@Kitten, I am going to continue donating to the Red Cross because they do a lot of good for people in the aftermath of disasters. These findings are from an INTERNAL audit (and not something discovered by investigative reporting). The Red Cross took immediate steps to redress the issue.
Unfortunately, fraud is an extremely common issue for all nonprofits and NGOs working in countries with ineffective central governments and widespread corruption (which is pretty much all non-rich countries and plenty of rich ones too). It’s very difficult to thread the needle between “providing effective help to those in emergencies” and “accounting for every penny of funds disbursed.”
Exactly!!! We had a recent post in our neighborhood forum about the high school art budget being $1000 for the entire year (and it’s been this way for 20 years) and the immediate reaction was for people to start up an Amazon wish list and a GoFundMe and it’s like….guys, this is not the solution to the problem! Asking people to pay for stuff that they already presumably pay for with their taxes is becoming increasingly common. Meanwhile, there exists a solution that actually addresses the ROOT CAUSE and puts the responsibility where it should be but isn’t: TAX. THE. RICH.
If we can’t eat ’em, tax ’em.
Just so sick of the wealthy paying less than their fair share then it falling on the shoulders of the middle class to subsidize non-existent social safety nets and programs with our own hard-earned cash, when we’re already paying through the nose for college, housing, healthcare and of course the ever-increasing cost of goods. American society is disgusting.
@Veronica S. Yes!!!!!
YES! Relying on philanthropy to solve problems faced by the masses, puts the masses at the mercy of rich people’s whims. We really need to start taxing the rich. And especially churches, which accumulate huge amounts of wealth and, like other rich people, dole it out (or not) at their whim. And because of “freedom of religion” the “causes” churches support are often in direct opposition to what the public needs (for example, funding anti-family planning policies). Just tax the rich and churches already, and don’t rely on *them* to help the poor, because most often they will not.
I kind of get the criticism but also think people just want to find stuff to criticize, so they can get that dopamine hit and feel holier than thou. As an American, I feel so freaking frustrated that we pay a lot in taxes yet we still can’t take care of these Americans and get their needs met through our tax dollars? Why is a country this wealthy have to have billion and millionaires start funds in the first place and ask us to donate? Why can’t our freaking government just figure this out and give the money to the people and get them taken care of? Anyways, looks like we’re gonna have billions of our tax dollars sent off to our private defense companies for another war yet but no way we can afford healthcare or to take care of our citizens after a disaster. Our government is such a joke at this point and I can’t believe we are expected to tolerate how we treat our citizens.
They are the bad guys fullstop and it’s frankly disgusting.
This ”controversy” always seemed dumb as hell. If it was a case of The Rock (a millionnaire) asking people to give 2500 to save his maid’s dog, a donation he could easily do himself, I would understand. But billions will be needed for this island. Did they expect half of Hollywood to sell their cars and mansions and live in 2 bedrooms appartment to pay for this alone? I bet 100$ that 99% of the whiners didn’t even give a dollar themselves.
A lot of miserable people in this world – and too many of them exist primarily online.
This issue of native Hawaiians asking people not to come there, move there or own property there is a thorny one for me. I understand that it drives up property prices and makes it harder for people to buy homes. That is true in many parts of the United States. I know Zillow bought up homes in a part of Florida where property values then exploded. Prices in New York where my family lives are outrageous. Things in my neighborhood in Houston have gotten pretty out of control, too. Even lots are going for over $1M in many cases. And Houston is NOT a pretty city, lol. There are nice neighborhoods but it is pretty lacking in natural beauty. Also, the summers are brutal.
That said, is it better for people not to visit at all? Do tourism dollars not help the local economy? Hawaii is a beautiful place and people naturally want to visit. And it is part of the United States, so if someone wants to move there from the main land, we can’t very well forbid it. I understand that how it became a state in the first place is problematic, but it has been one for a long time now.
I think the cost of housing crisis really needs to be addressed in some systemic way. I’m just not sure what that way should be.
I thought the backlash was overblown. They actually didn’t have to do anything. There are umpteen wealthy people who haven’t given a dime.Oprah does a lot philanthropy wise. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.