The Reluctant Whore

If there was any doubt that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are the all seeing, all dancing, patron saints of Western Culture then news that they donated a crap load of money to charities this past year will obliterate it.

People Magazine reports that :

All told, they gave more than $8 million in donations in 2006, with Pitt putting in $4,402,317, and Jolie donating $4,123,613, the Huffington Post reports, citing newly released federal tax filings. (These latest figures don't include 2007 – in which, among other charitable efforts, Brad's Make It Right Foundation raised $5 million.)In terms of dispensing their funds, according to records for 2006, the foundation handed out $2,367,935, including $1 million to both Doctors Without Borders (International Division) and to the Global AIDS Alliance.

Additional gifts included $137,935 to the Namibia Red Cross Action Program (their daughter Shiloh was born in the African country); $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation (the late journalist's widow, Marianne Pearl, was played by Jolie in A Mighty Heart); $100,000 to Global Green U.S.A. and to the Epidermolysis Bulloma Medical Research Foundation. In addition, $20,000 went to an art park in Los Angeles, as did separate $5,000 donations to two orphanages that Jolie had visited.

Isn’t that lovely? Not only are they pure, unblemished, saintly, manifestations of selfless perfection and inspiration and sexual dynamo, this revelation is also perfectly timed because it really shows up the crap-tastic efforts of Paris Hilton in South Africa and I enjoy that. This is almost, in that respect, the pop cultural equivalent of Senator Barack Obama’s speech about race occurring at roughly the same time as Senator John McCain’s speech in the Middle East where he said things about al Qaeda which were so vastly wrong that Senator Joe Liebermann had to correct him mid-speech. Senator McCain looked like an incoherent dinosaur hell bent on his own version of reality where Senator Obama looked like a cultural visionary and dynamic speaker and leader.

I will at least partially acknowledge that there is no real link between Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Paris Hilton but I just find it edifying to find new ways to metaphorically smack her smug whore-ish head into the ground. It just feels like people would benefit from that around the world. Moreso than say a token visit to an orphanage with paparazzi in tow followed by a nightclub event to congratulate oneself. [source]