February: a Dry Area

We are nearly at the end of February, and therefore at the end of the ridiculous month-long statement of sanctimonious self-importance that is Feb Fast. This cause sees participants abstain from alcohol for the month, and like Movember and other such awareness months, the idea is to raise money for charities which support people suffering from some sort of ailment or social disease, such as drug addiction, mental health problems, and so on. The outcome - that monies go from the private purse into these charitable organisations - is all fine and good, and Feb Fast has already raised a half a mill. But what an annoying month of self-aggrandizing puff the rest of us have to put up with, and not just from common or garden-variety goody-goodies telling us why they are not drinking, but also from would-be celebrities who use the awareness cause as a shameless, self-promotion exercise.

The Feb Fast website even includes a Famous Feb Fasters feature, to assist this strategy. One of the celebs is Angry Anderson…

Celebrity and charity now go hand in hand, particularly as charity is such an effective way to maintain a public profile. And your PR Agent will probably "do the right thing" and not charge you for letting the media know about your passion for high-profile charitable causes. So it’s a win-win for everything and everyone. Except perhaps quiet philanthropy. And publicans