Following on from this post, we thought it might be appropriate to share some opposing opinions to the ice bucket challenge, which is still going strong and getting more column inches (not to mention YouTube minutes) than anyone could have ever dreamed.

The craze recently found its stride in Asia with an ongoing chain of Japanese business folk, as well as tycoons and celebrities across China. However, one Taiwanese sufferer of the ALS had some criticisms to voice.

Recently China has also been gripped by the ice bucket challenge which has taken the Western world by storm this summer. In Taiwan, one of the most high-profile participants has been Terry Gou, founder and chairman of Foxconn, who took the challenge in New Taipei surrounded by people actually fighting the disease as well as volunteers from the Taiwan Motor Neuron Disease Association.

However, concern has been raised that many participants aren’t even aware of the charity aspect of the stunt, and countless celebrities have failed to make any mention of ALS in their videos.

The following critical blog post was written by a Taiwanese sufferer of ALS, the acronym for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“My body has gradually stopped being able to move and I’ve lost most of my sensation. This monkey show of people participating in the ice bucket challenge is so transparent. What’s the point in everyone feeling cold on my behalf? But I can’t even say that. A certain mayor participated in the ice bucket challenge and said that it was really cold. If you cold, then that’s a good feeling. If you really want to experience my illness then you should throw ice water on yourself after first being bound hand and foot. That way you’d be able to experience the sensation of your freedom being in the hands of other people, like a piglet. An entrepreneur did the challenge and nominated a female idol, and everyone was wanting her to do it in a white t-shirt. Before she could do it, a second-rate performer went and did it first. By now I’ve run out of insults for the way you’re acting like your enthusiasm and the tedium we feel are on a par. Well, whatever. This is what you’re expecting of us at any rate.”

Of course the comments turned into a flame war with some people agreeing with the sentiment of the post “90% of people doing the ice bucket challenge don’t seem to even know what ALS is” and likening the stunt to trashy reality TV with people just doing it for attention. Others continued to support the cause, however, pointing out that the ice bucket challenge has resulted in a massive increase in donations to ALS charities and that most people are “not doing it because they want to experience an incurable disease; they’re getting the word out to raise funds.”

Have you participated in the ice bucket challenge? Were you and your friends aware of the donation aspect before taking part? Let us know in the comment section below.

Source: dqnplus