"Dedicate some of your life to others. Your dedication will not be a sacrifice. It will be an exhilarating experience because it is an intense effort applied toward a meaningful end." -- Dr. Thomas Dooley
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Wow -- just wow. It is thrilling to be here and watch this happening. I hope it's even half as good as it looks, but it looks very, very good -- even wonderful. Superstar entertainer Kanye West and MTV, along with MTV host Sway Calloway, team up to address with truth and candor some of the needs of hurting OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD today, in real time, while it's still happening - and it's possible to do something constructive about it. How cool is that?!
The MTV documentary special titled 'Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming,' will air this Monday night, July 28 at 10 p.m. It seems like a "Don't Miss" piece of "appointment television." (Be sure to watch the video linked below -- it's well done and, in places, riveting -- thanks to the vets themselves, and Kanye's candor and concern, which are clearly genuine.)
According to the article on AOL Music's website, linked here:
"The stories of the veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are important and worth telling." MTV's Executive Vice President of News Dave Sirulnick said, saying that the network and West "felt it was time to listen to them and show them the same interest by giving something back."
This is just GREAT.
Sure he's gonna give them stuff -- sort of Oprah-like in that regard -- and help them get back on their feet -- and that's wonderful (though some might argue they shouldn't be in the position of needing to be rescued, anyway -- we should be taking better care of veterans as a country, and as a military.) But it's not the handout or the hand up that's so impressive here: it's the veterans, it's MTV, and its Kanye.
The veterans have great stories to tell, and you want to see them succeed. MTV deserves props for putting their resources behind getting this show made. And Kanye, well, he impresses. He talks to survivors like another survivor, with warmth, empathy, care and concern - and you can tell the veterans feel, equally importantly, helped AND heard.
"I've had a lot of struggles in my life this year," he says to one of them (I'm paraphrasing), and continues, "I know you have, too." "I came here to encourage you and do something about your problems," he adds in another section (again, my paraphrase); "but you've encouraged me," he says to the vet, "you've inspired me to be a better person, and make better decisions." This is good stuff, and has so much power to heal. (The old Paul Tillich line we've blogged about here before: "The first duty of love is to listen.")
Well, and if you're a celebrity, it's phenomenal, and surprisingly (shockingly?!) rare, to actually use your public persona and clout (plus cash!) for good. For years, among women celebrities at least, Oprah has been a rare and shining light of socially-conscious giving that calls others higher, but few seem to follow. And socially-conscious giving as opposed to a welfare-y handout or cash prize for having a desperate situation, riddled with plugs from sponsors. From her "Remembering Your Spirit" segments from the 1990s to Oprah's Angel Network and beyond, she has set such a good example of digging down deeply into the difficult, troubling areas, and bringing up something that has the potential for catharsis -- in the subject, and often the viewer as well.
Is Kanye following Oprah on this path? For the extent of this documentary special, if nothing else, he seems to be -- and that in itself is fantastic, and refreshing. Converting pain into breakthroughs and overcoming adversity with help and courage -- wow -- who wouldn't be a fan of that? I certainly am. It's both a generous, and an inclusive, gesture, that draws the viewer in.
Even the title, "Homecoming," is well-chosen. You can see from reading Pat's story yesterday, linked here, that "homecoming" isn't always what it's cracked up to be. The pain from his, gone wrong, has followed him for decades -- and his story is typical. Homecoming is the celebration that starts a veteran's transition back into the community he left. It can go well or badly: he or she can be embraced, neglected, or shunned. It sets the pace for the decades afterward and we can see from a story like Pat's what happens when it goes horribly wrong.
But the word, "homecoming" SHOULD mean, "Welcome Back!" "We're thrilled to have you; we're very glad you're home." "Thank you for coming back to us; let us help you to be whole." What does the (erm) Good Book say? "Bind up the wounded" -- and not with needless bureaucracy and red tape, but with warmth and love, care and concern. Will Kanye and MTV, even with their great resources, be accomplishing all that? Nah, but they're making an impressive start. Kudos to Kanye for using his celebrity for good, in a very tough (his mom's unexpected death) and very successful (his "Glow in the Dark" tour, which has been eclipsing all expectations) year. And heartfelt thanks to him and MTV for not forgetting veterans.
[Editor's note: Kanye West's foundation in honor of his mother, Dr. Donda C. West, is linked here. It does not, however (at least not yet) contain information about this veterans effort with MTV.]
