I hate the majority of celebrity activism, and so by rights I really should have loathed Bono’s op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but to be honest, I was ok with it. And this is not just because I am a pretty huge U2 fan. I think Bono does a better job than most celebrities of actually being informed on the issues that he confronts. He has cultivated politicians and bureaucrats across the ideological spectrum and has done a pretty good job of educating himself compared to a lot of the celebrities with their thimble-deep knowledge of their cause du jour. Those who do not know Bono’s activism but do know his occasionally grating political speeches during his concerts might be surprised that he is relatively (relatively, mind you) un-preachy in his activism.
As for the article: It is little more than an unfocused bit of reportage. I’d accuse him of name dropping, and smugness, but he’s Bono, so name dropping and smugness are, I suppose, relative.
