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[personal profile] badstar
Okay kids! More debate.

For anyone involved in the discussion of using a name or likeness without consent (in that context, for spiritual/ritual/religious purposes...scroll down to the entry titled "Here's The Line..And Here's Someone Pole Vaulting It...." if you don't know what I'm talking about and care to know.)

So here's a real-life situation of similar structure but completely different details and context.

A coven in Colorado is holding a fundraising event at the end of the month. The fundraiser was originally intended to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. Some people in town found out about this and made a stink because the coven was renting an American Legion Hall. These people circulated a petition to try to get that organization to cancel the hall rental and took the issue as far as the city council. As far as the town's concerned, the issue has dropped and an apology was issued to the coven. The event has not been canceled. The issue has made national news. St. Jude's has since sent the coven a letter asking them to stop using the St. Jude's name for the fundraiser because the situation has gotten too much media attention. They say that they authorized the coven to raise money for them but not to use their name. Huh. The coven has since changed the focus of their fundraiser to a Native American reservation in South Dakota.

St. Jude's has not consented to the use of their name in this situation. If the coven had not chosen to raise money for another organization, but kept with the hospital, should St. Jude's have remained detatched and felt no effect? Or would they have been violated in some way?

(It's interesting but not relevant to the question to note that St. Jude's authorized the group to raise money for them, but not use their name.)

Articles on the story...no registration to read.

Hospital for kids tells pagan group to count it out
Letter to pagan group from St. Jude's

Curious to see what y'all do with this.

Date: 2005-10-05 07:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] liritsvoice.livejournal.com
nothing, HAH!!! i'm going to bed now. :-D

Date: 2005-10-05 07:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fuego.livejournal.com
well, you're no fun! :-P

Date: 2005-10-05 09:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] justchelsea.livejournal.com
*shrug* I think a charity can accept or not accept help from whomever they want. They don't want money from a coven, that's ok. The coven can just choose to help someone else.

Date: 2005-10-05 09:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dcnblus.livejournal.com
*oy* yet another case of "help me, but don't let anybody know you're helping me." Charity's want/need money. They'll take it from any source they can get it from. And they'll take any publicity they can get that will help drive more money to their cause.

In this case, the people in town that raised a stink have cost St. Jude's Children's Hospital a good deal of money. The only reason I can see, based on the letter link, that St. Judes brought up the "miscommunication" is because the event because "politicized and controversial." I think it's reprehensible and quite irresponsible of those that complained about the event to have caused such an uproar -- just because their narrow views of their "faith" were... well... were... what the heck did a pagan group trying to raise money for caring for kids have to do with anybody's faith??? They were trying to help KIDS for crying out sideways. *grumble*

Rather like all the furor about the Victoria's Secret display in the new Tyson's mall. A few people thought it was in bad taste, so now there is a big uproar. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401413.html

Stupid people. Too many stupid f*****g people.

Thank Goddess most pagans aren't so petty :)

Date: 2005-10-05 09:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fuego.livejournal.com
yeah, they can. but that wasn't the question :-P

(it's in reference to the big debate that rumbles on farther down in my journal)

Date: 2005-10-05 10:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] liritsvoice.livejournal.com
aww, ok. i'll respond. i hate to dissappoint you, lovie.

the way i see it, its a matter of publicity. its sad that the local folks made such a fuss, but since they did it has drawn negative publicity to the hospital. the hospital is a money-making business just like anything else and cant afford negative publicity. its a horrible, stupid consequence of living in the media-obsessed, bottom-line, capitalistic society we all know and love.

this situation is different from the last one. large institutions are different than individuals. institutions have no feelings to be hurt. they can face similar consequences (being ostracized, for example), but for an institution it will hit on a financial rather than an emotional level. and theres really no violation.... hospitals are organizations whose policies and practices are open to public scrutiny and accountability already. the ruckus of the townspeople caused the public to be *more* aware of this hospital's practices, whereas normally no-one would have noticed or cared where the money was coming from. (and the hospital hadnt told the coven *beforehand* not to use its name. it only became an issue after the public became aware of it.) if anything, if there was a violation, it was caused most of all by the townspeople dragging this aggreement (between the hospital and coven) into the public's attention.

Date: 2005-10-05 10:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] liritsvoice.livejournal.com
lol, here in switzerland i pass by a department store window every week. the display window faces the street, clearly visable to all. in the display window are... well, it involves lots of black lace and a leash. i'll leave it at that. ;-)

i havent heard of any complaints.

Date: 2005-10-05 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fuego.livejournal.com
i'm gonna take this one to a post...

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