If you prefer a milder view of why people give to charity, please consider another blog

Stewart Lee took a look at charity in a recent episode of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.

In particular, he focused on the uneasy relationship between charity and celebrity, ironically summing up his position in the first minute or two when he explained why he does charity gigs...

"Not out of altruism. I do it because it makes me feel good about myself. And because at the big charity gigs there's often important people there who might see you."

If you know Stewart's style, you'll know his comedy isn't about telling jokes. It's about challenging us to look beneath the surface and question motives – those of ourselves and others.

And in this instance he's pointing out one of the most powerful reasons that we support charities – because we need to be seen to be good.

Note to people unaware of the work of Stewart Lee who have questioned the title of this blog post. It's simply a reference to Stewart's most recent DVD release.

Comments

[Andy Robinson]

I preferred the first episode where he said that he did the charity gig because of the free crisps. Has anyone tried a free bag of Walkers as part of their recruitment strategy?

[mark phillips]

Personalisation is going to be tough. Salt and Vinegar just won't work for me.