Do famous voices really help?
Is raising awareness just as important as giving money or aid when trying to solve global problems?
In this video, Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org, explains how public figures can use their visibility to draw attention to urgent global issues. He talks about how his values were shaped early in life, and how having a platform has allowed him to shine a light on the global water crisis, an issue that can change everything for people’s lives.
Watch his video and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Video not working? Follow this link: https://vimeo.com/teef/matt-damon
Tell us what you think
You might want to structure your answer like this:
I think awareness is / is not as important because [your opinion]. The video suggests that [something you learnt from the video]. However, others might argue that [an opposite opinion].
Make sure you read the comments from other Topical Talkers and respond to someone whose choice or opinion is different from yours.
Comments (24)
I think awareness is as important as giving money or aid people cannot help with a problem they do not know or understand. awareness helps global issues reach a wider audience and encourages people to care, donate, or take action.The video with matt suggests that famous voices can draw attention to global problems much faster than charities or governments alone, because celebrities have large platforms and can influence public opinion, it could lead to more discussions, media coverage, and support for important causes. but, others might argue that awareness but no action is not enough, and giving money, aid, or practical support has a more direct impact on solving global problems.
Yes I agree to this because nowadays people follow trends more than anything and trends could be anything ranging from the latest dance moves to helping the needy and most at times these trend setters are popular faces including musicians, artists, you-tubers etc. So yes I believe that if famous voices were given the right aim, they could really be of great help.
Public figures are very essential when it comes to the matter of global problems. I say this because as public figures, they have much attention on them and their voices really draw attention to whatever they say. People like Matt have the platforms to voice out their opinions, and have the spotlight on them most of the time, and with the fame they have acquired, most people will listen to whatever they have to say. Government, NGOs and other organisations help when the need arises, but there is a limit to how much they can do, especially on a global scale. In cases like these, all hands need to be on deck and all the help that can be gotten is needed. And what better way to rally people towards a national or global cause than to use a voice that the people will listen to (mind you, it is the people that contribute highly in scenarios like this and the won`t unless they have a good enough reason to). In my opinion, this is one of the responsibilities placed on such figures; to unite the people towards a common problem.
I think awareness by famous figures is important because they shed light to issues. that may be overlooked. The video suggests to me that famous figures can actually shed light to things that may be overlooked. This is because people see them as role models and want to do the same thing they do, and as the figures bring the problem and offer solutions, the individuals who look up to them will do what they say. Take for example, the topical talk voices, these individuals are all experts in different areas and are brought together by this platform because of their expertise to ask questions on issues, convince us and see our perspective, which is actually incredible.
Like the voice of this topic, Matt Damon who is the founder of water.org, water credit and water equity, these companies have an aim to help eradicate poverty while trying to contribute to water cleanliness. He stated some vices in the video such as poverty, political repression and systemic inequality, from his story, we see that his mother was his role model and shed light to this issues which affected his mentality and in his bid to be like her, he became the individual he is today. An advocate against water crisis and as he stated in the video advocates for clean water as it can change everything in someone's life.
I think awareness is as important because, as the video suggests, public figures shouldn't just take their position for granted; instead, they should use this opportunity to make a change in the world. Everyone should have a vision. In the case of Matt Damon, he used his public status to address issues such as global water crisis, which led him to become a co-founder of Water.org. These issues should not be overlooked, but should be taken care of immediately as this can lead to great development.
Also, considering the fact that these public figures are well known, most people might actually listen to them when they address an issue. By this, many people will work hand in hand to solve the issue at hand, and this will improve the standard of living in many communities.
Furthermore, public figures can aid by donating money to less developed communities through fundraisers, recurring giving etc. These communities can use the donation to develop their society in wherever they are lacking, to the betterment to individuals and society at large.
However, many may hold opinions that differ from mine, due to everyone having diverse beliefs, in the sense that public figures don't really help in solving global issues and crises. Thank You.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic versatile_morning. You state that public figures shouldn't take their position for granted. Do you think all public figures should be world changers? Can you share more on this point with us?
Well, in my opinion, I think all public figures should be world changers. You may be wondering why I say this. You might think that the primary reason for public figures hold their position is simply to show off and make money. However, that is not the primary reason. Their primary reason is for them to influence and create an impact in the environment around them. Everyone should take part in coming up with solutions that benefit our communities, and public figures are no exception. They, too, should co-operate with citizens to solve crises that may be affecting their communities. Many public figures claim that they have nothing to do with the crises around them due to the fact they don't want to stoop to low. A famous quote goes, " No one has ever become poor by giving"- Anne Frank. Just as the quote implies, no one has never and will never get poor by giving. Therefore, I don't think it is acceptable that some public figures refuse to help others simply because they fear losing what they have.
I think all public figures should be world changers not because they want only their names to go far and wide but to help their various nations and countries. Even if they might be busy they should be able to contribute ideas and be like fundraisers to their nations.
By nature, as someone might say, public figures as such tend to draw more attention to certain details in life, which is probably why they are so often used to advertise, but in this aspect, the public actually do help with extreme cases like lack of water, poverty, and so many more, and if they stand against them and if the public know their opinions on these kinds of issues and know what they are doing to hinder these issues, the likelihood is there for people to follow on. In Matt's instance, water – he has a website for donations to give access to clean water sources and tools for access to water. We know Matt for movies, but if you happen to open up on him, it won't take you much research for you to find he is the founder of Water.org. My point is that in this case, famous figures do play a part in such aspects of life.
I think that spreading awareness is important because some people aren't aware of some global critical issues.
Some company like save water (as mentioned) uses some famous voices as an awareness point to spread the issue of lose of water around the world. Save water uses a lot of celebrities like MR Beast and Kai Cenat as they spent a lot of money and encourages others to spend more money for giving more water for poverted kids and adults.
As the celebrities have millions and millions of followers and most of them follow more that one so they could see the goodness spreading and donate too.
I agree because spreading awareness is just as important as giving money or aid, but in various ways as they have different roles. Like you said, it makes people aware of global issues. Just to add, it changes the behavior or mindset of people, and can inspire large people to act, an example is the MeToo movement, which in Tarana Burke's view is to empower women through empathy and deal with sexual harassment.
Also using a point from the video, Matt explained how famous voices matter and the good they can use their voices to do. He also stated how it is making an impact on the global water crisis.
Raising awareness is just as important as providing money, but in a different dimension. Money is saving lives today. Awareness can change the future.
Yes raising awareness is as important or more then as giving aid. With out raising awareness there would be no attention to a certain issue.
Matt Damon highlights that raising awareness is important and is an important step in fixing our earths problems. Without awerness and issues are not addressed and fixed. Water.org is just a small step in fixing earths water crisis but he did say that these issues do not need to be accepted and we can fix them for the better. Others might argue people who actually give the materials are the true heroes. They are the ones who give the key materials to change with. But the people who create the aweraess are the really heroes, they create the plans and the ones who donate are just following that plan. In conclusion people like Matt are the ones fixing our planet one step at a time.
I think awareness is definitely important, because making sure people are aware of a problem is the first step to solving it. If we are in the dark about what is going on, we will not be able to take action. People should know about what is happening, or about important issues that may affect themselves or others. That way positive changes can be made. If you try to do something without raising awareness of your cause, it would be impossible to gain support, and nothing will happen. I think public figures are definitely an effective way to raise awareness, because people look up to celebrities and are influenced by them. If a celebrity does something, we feel like this is the fashionable thing, or the right thing, or the thing that we should be doing. And also, the very definition of being a public figure is that people and the media pay attention to you, so if someone in the public eye tries to raise awareness of a cause, people will hear about it so this is a very effective way of raising awareness. Although celebrities are not always necessarily reliable sources of information, public figures definitely increase awareness.
Thanks for sharing your point of view noble_turtle. Why do you think that celebrities are not always reliable sources of information?
Because, just because someone is a celebrity, this doesn't necessarily mean they are an expert on any given topic (unless the reason they're famous is for being an expert on that specific topic, of course) people are often more likely to believe something if a celebrity says it, but someone being famous doesn't always mean that what they say is accurate. Sometimes influencers are paid to make things look a certain way, or the information they present isn't well researched. This isn't always the case, just sometimes.
I think awareness is important because it helps people notice problems in the world that normal people might not see. Some serious issues, like the water crisis, can stay hidden if nobody talks about them.
After my research about Matt Damon, I found out that he travelled and saw how other people live. He realized how serious the water crisis is and decided to use his fame to tell people about it.
Awareness can also make countries take action. When people talk about problems, countries may feel they should send aid to help those in need.
However, Some people might say awareness is not enough because talking about problems doesn’t solve them. They think real help like giving money or food, is the only way to make a difference.
I think awareness and aid should work together because if people don’t know about a problem, they can’t help solve it. Knowing about a problem is the first step to changing it.
I Hope my everyone understood my opinion!!!
Thanks for reading 🤗
I think awareness is extremely important because even if we have the internet to get informed we still take a lot of things for granted, like the example Matt Damon gave about safe water. A lot of people don't realize it is missing from a lot of places in the world just because they never had to live without it.
I think its important for famous people to support good causes because they can influence regular peoples behaviour. And regular people can also make donations but also they can change their behaviour, which actually can have a positive impact on society and the planet.
However others might argue that famous people come from a privileged position and so they don't have the moral ground to tell us what to do.
I think awareness is important because if something is very important you have to be prepared for the aftermath. the video suggests that famous people get attention because of their jobs. However others might argue that famous people do not get attention because in the video it says " I wanted to use the attention to address the global water crisis."
Hi practical_introduction - Could you explain a little more about the argument that famous people do not get attention?
In my personal opinion, l think that awareness is important because in the video, Matt Damon talks about how famous figures status will bring people to listen to them more than protesters or people fighting for a cause. The video also suggests that public figures have lots of influence on people based on their status and how they can use that attention to speak about important causes the world is fighting. In contrast, others may argue that people will only listen to famous figures because of their status and because they are more biased, not listening to what people are fighting for in the world.
I think awareness is important because,if you don't have awareness then you won't be aware of your surroundings and what's going on in the world good or bad.The video suggests that you should be aware because Matt Damon used the attention that he got,to talk about things that really matter which lead him to talk about the global water system.He made a company about cleaning the water that we drink so we can have clean water.However,other might argue that awareness from famous people is not reliable because some famous people might not give the information their suppose to say.But I believe that they will tell the right information if needed.
I think awareness is just as important as giving money or aid because awareness is what inspires people in the first place. If no one knows a problem exist then donation, policies and long term solutions never get started. In this video suggest public figures like Matt Damon can use their platforms to shine a light on issues that most people never think about- like how the global water crisis affects education, health, and even safety. His story shows that visibility can spark a huge change.
However others might argue that awareness alone isn't enough because talking about a problem doesn't automatically fix it. They say that real progress depending on funding, infrastructure, and practical support, not just attention.
I think the strongest solutions happens when awareness and action work together- one opens people's eyes and the other changes lives.
I think awareness is important because in the complex world of International Aid it serves as a Foundation for Justice. while Financial Aid provide immediate physical tools such as food, water or infrastructure it offers only a short time fix, On the other hand Awareness provide long term sustainability by addressing root causes and ensuring that justice is served. This video suggest that public figures can you there visibility to draw attention to global issues and it is true because I saw a video of Bille Eilish on Grammy Awards where she had a chance to speak up and she used it to speak about the ICE OUT movement where immigrants are facing injustice and she address their issue and I want to share that this was travel from USA to India and this made materialI want to share that this was travel from USA to India and This made me to realise how Just is had no boundaries if aI want to share that this was travel from USA to India and This made me to realize how justice had no boundaries if awareness was spread. I would like to share that awareness would have a great impact because it has people who are in the dark to realize what happening globally, if people do not know anything about Crisis they might not show interest on international aid which would lead to a major problem. someone else might argue that awareness is simply posting something about a crisis on social media and not actually helping it, I will answer them by telling if we spread awareness the hell will come because the people would stop think we should Help and think we should give Justice. Thank You!
I think raising awareness is just as important as giving money or aid because when more people know about a problem, more people can help solve it! For example, Matt Damon talks about the global water crisis in his video. He uses his fame to make more people care about it. It's like when your friend shares a story in class about a charity drive; if more people know, more people donate, right?
In the video, Matt says he learned about water problems when he was younger, and now he’s using his platform to get others to care. I think that’s pretty smart. But others might say just giving money or building wells is better because it actually helps people right away. I get that point, but if no one knows about the problem, no one’s going to help in the first place, right?
This reminds me of climate change. A lot of people talk about it, and now more governments and companies are taking action. You get more people to care, and it just grows and grows.
So, if we want to fix problems like water shortages or climate change, we need both: raising awareness and giving money.
I think awareness is just as important as giving money because if people do not know about a problem, they will not try to help solve it. In the video, Matt Damon explains how he used his platform to shine a light on the global water crisis. He shows that when famous people speak about an issue, more people start paying attention and learning about it.
However, some people might argue that awareness alone is not enough because real change needs money and action. I understand this opinion, but I believe awareness is the first step. When people care about a problem, they are more likely to donate, volunteer or support organisations that are working to solve it.
I think that famous people really do make a difference in this topic as people follow them and support them, otherwise they wouldn’t be famous. Say if Trump (no offence) told everyone his opinion, all of the democrats would ignore what they wanted to vote and do the opposite of the person they don’t like.
I also think that public figures make a big change as people will copy them and listen to them. Matt Damon makes a good point about using his job, that is well known, to share his political opinions and listen to others. But I don’t think that famous figures are very important when it comes to aid, depending on their job at least. Say if you co-owned a company, and shared your opinion on which country you think your government should give aid to, that wouldn’t be very important and I don’t think the message would reach people important enough for anyone to care.
Thank you.
I think that awarness is sometimes more important than giving money or aid, because people must know what are the main problems in their country before they actually start to help it with. Also, when small amount of people become aware of the global issues, they can spread the word and then everyone can become aware of the problems in the world. I think that public figures can use their visibility to draw attention to urgent global issues, because many people know celebrities on social media better than the state leaders. A lot of people follow celebrities on social media, and I think, when they spread some opinions on social networks, a lot of active followers can see it, and many of them will accept it. However, others might argue that following celebrities cannot be very effective in solving global problems, because some people do not support all celebtities and not everyone agrees with their opinions. Of course people won't confirm someone else's opinion if they don't agree with it. I think that in the end everything comes down to personal choice.
In order to provide aid and money when solving global problems, one needs to be aware of the problem. That's why informing and discussing problems such as this, is the first and most important step, because if we are not aware of the problem or what has caused it, we may end up providing false help, meaning helping where aid is not needed while ignoring the real issue. We might even end up creating other problems. For those reasons, awareness is very important and when public figures use their popularity to draw attention it can be really helpful since not only is it a confirmation that people from all walks of life can help but also inspire others, especially young people who are the future.
Famous people can be really influential when it comes to the matter of global awareness. I say this because public people get much attention.In my opinion awareness is important. Matt Damon suggests that other people should care about global problems such as water.
I think awareness is important because if we are not aware of the problems around the world then we do not provide anything in return, i believe that everyone should participate in one or more activities that help solve problems of our planet. The video suggests that some people who are in the public light they should promote those kind of activities.
I think famous voices help because some famous people are like role models or idols, so if famous people speak about international aid or other global problems, people(their fans)will try their best to do what is in their power to help.
Public figures should use their popularity and influence to draw people's attention towards global problems.