The second worst Christmas song ever written, and new forms of poverty porn and saviorism
Hi everyone, this will be the last post for this year. I’ll be back on January 6th.
My older son, Viet, loves holiday music, and often asks for it to be played when I drive the kids to various places. The kids would ask me various questions about the songs, and I try my best to answer: “Yes, The Little Drummer Boy, too, is an indictment of capitalism and US hegemony.”
The other day, a song came on I hadn’t heard in a while. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by a group called Band Aid, which was an effort by several super stars—George Michael, Boy George, Sting, Bono, and the like—to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia and other African countries. Here are some of the lyrics:
But say a prayer
Pray for the other ones
At Christmastime
It's hard, but when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing
Is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well, tonight, thank God it's them
Instead of you
And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life (Oh)
Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmastime at all? (Oh)
Here's to you, raise a glass for everyone
Here's to them underneath that burning sun
Do they know it's Christmastime at all?
Yikes. The fact that they still play this song today on the radio is embarrassing, considering the blatant poverty porn combined with the white saviorism of the whole thing. (Also, the line “the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears” contradicts Toto’s “Africa,” which expressly mentions the “rains down in Africa.”)
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was released in 1984, so 41 years ago. Poverty porn, othering, and white saviorism continue to plague our sector. Just a couple of years ago I was arguing with a colleague over whether it was ok to depict sad, starving children in annual appeals. “If it works to raise money,” she said, “then why not?”
However, these things are not always so obvious. Over the past several decades they have changed in how they manifest. As our culture and technology evolve, we need to be on the lookout. For instance:
Influencers are doing charitable work to generate likes and subscriptions and brainwashing a whole new generation of kids. I had to have a discussion with my 9-year-old on the complexity around his favorite Youtuber giving money to help poor people with critical surgeries and racking up views. He thought it was great and didn’t consider the systemic inequities around our healthcare system.
People recording awful things happening in lieu of actually stepping in to resolve the problem. On Instagram, for instance, someone published a reel pleading with people to step in and stop unmasked and unidentified ICE agents from taking people instead of just recording as it happens. (Apologies, I can’t find the video; please put the link in the comment section if you can find it).
“Digital saviorism,” where people feel empowered by liking and sharing videos and articles instead of taking more meaningful actions. I’m guilty of this myself sometimes. It’s important to amplify issues and solutions, but those things are not sufficient by themselves to address systemic injustice.
Crowdfunding platforms being viewed as a viable solution: The days of people calling in and donating after they hear “Do They Know It’s Christmas” or “We Are the World” or whatever may be over, replaced by online micro-donation campaigns. It can be heartwarming to see community members supporting one another, but it can also make us complacent.
Corporations and billionaires being framed as saviors: It may not be a bunch of millionaires getting the hero treatment trying to swoop in and saving people constantly living in a “world of dread and fear,” but instead billionaires and corporations being praised for “donating” back a fraction of what they owe in taxes to avoid the increasingly sharpened torches and pitchforks. As my colleague Aparna Rae says, “If Michael Dell paid his fair share in taxes, the government would have $50B+ to allocate (well, not this administration), instead of this $6B PR stunt.”
With the increase in Artificial Intelligence, all these and other forms of poverty porn, othering, and saviorism will be easier to produce, and possibly harder to identify and counter. Let’s all be on the lookout in the coming year. Yay, something to look forward to in 2026!
I hope you have a restful break, everyone. See you in January!
PS: If you’re wondering what the worst Christmas song of all time is, that would be “The Christmas Shoes." I will fight anyone who likes this song.
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Vu’s new book is out. Order your copy at Elliott Bay Book Company, Barnes and Nobles, or Bookshop. If you’re in the UK, use this version of Bookshop. If you plan to order several copies, use Porchlight for significant bulk discounts. Also, if you're buying 25 copies or more, I'll be glad to call in for a 50-minute discussion; please contact NWBspeaking@gmail.com.
