Bono, Bloody Bono

Time Magazine's March 4, 2002 issue featured a cover story titled "Can Bono Save the World?", covering the U2 singer's campaign against global poverty, particularly in Africa. The issue also featured photos of Bono with various politicians, a short retrospective of "political rock", and a commentary noting that "the debate on global poverty needed a bit of glamour. Bono supplied it."

While Bono, long noted as an earnest and self-absorbed practitioner of rock-star politicking, became involved in the debt relief movement in 1999, his visibility in the debate was heightened when he was an invited participant at the Genoa G8 meetings on the weekend of July 20, 2001. Criticized for his "phoniness and crass attention-seeking" participation at Genoa in the Irish Times, Bono replied that "if you develop a coherent argument, if your ideas have any legitimacy and weight, you will be heard" in an interview with another Irish newspaper. Bono is reportedly displeased by criticism of his actions. He also appeared with World Bank President James Wolfensohn at the September 2000 Prague meetings, and participated conspicuously at last month's transplanted World Economic Forum in New York City.

However, some see this as a public relations bonanza for the global power brokers. Recent speculation regarding the profuse apologia on the part of WEF participants and the growing role of the World Social Forum as a destination for "World Bank directors and even corporate executives" raises questions about the "commodification of dissent." Where does popular music and Bono fit into this?

More than a century ago, Ambrose Bierce defined a hypocrite as "one who, profession virtues that he does not respect secures the advantage of seeming to be what he despises." A modern commentator notes that "Every generation has an Elvis. Being an Elvis is not only about shaking your hips or making teenagers scream. When things are going bad in the public relations department, a famous entertainer can add pop, sizzle and glamour to the message. Performers sell soap, cars and coca cola. And lately, rich corporations have been in need of a little sizzle to sell corporate globalization."

Read the full commentary here.

Click here for discussion on this issue.