It's OK to be cynical; it's just difficult to be cynical toward others and generous toward others at the same time.

Does anyone believe the rock-charity send-up "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" -- featuring performances by Beck and other top artists -- was conceived to help people?

I don't.

I think it was created to project the hipper-than-thou cleverness of the artists involved, as this New York Times article makes amply clear. The fact that proceeds go to Unicef is an afterthought.

One of the most important things that good public relations practitioners do is work with clients to determine their goals and what they are trying to accomplish. If this project had come from a sincere place to begin with, and if the objective had truly been to help people, the stars involved could have produced a song that raised far more than the $10,000 to $20,000 expected here.

Maybe I'll write a more honest charity song for these artists: "How Can I Help Dying Children and Still Look Cool?"

I love Beck, btw; I just find this an unfortunate use of his talents. Here's the video, if you'd like to watch it.