I'm really pretty glad nobody has been foolish enough to tag me for the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Aside from my general automatic resistance to coercive memes, what does the IBC offer anyone but a chance to be seen  - not being seen writing out a big check to a charity because that would be boring - but to seem to support a charity (by sending them a lot less money than you *could*) and maybe look a little bad-ass by inflicting icy discomfort upon yourself.

My charitable giving habits are not lavish, but they are also not driven by peer pressure and surely won't be mentioned on social media.  What causes I might support are my business and I regret that someone just might get offended when a challenge like this is brushed off.

I think that it's nice for the ALS charity to have a whole lotta cash come in that they would not have gotten, but what other charities are now not getting money they would have gotten and how many others are going to try and replicate ICB and generate windfall donations?

Maybe the net effect will be good, in the "awareness raising" kind of good and maybe in 4 months nobody will even remember it and countless attempted follow ons will have already faded from conscious memory.

Oh and YOU DAMN KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!