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Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
A reality check
Ladies and Gentlemen, please put down your knives and forks. And your glasses… Yes, all of you.
As you know, we are all here to raise money as we ponder the parlous state of the world’s starving millions. I know you have each paid $550 to attend this prestigious event. Some of you have come because your hearts and minds are in the right place. Most of you, however, are here to be seen to be here. None of you have paid such a large sum of money because you thought the dinner would be worth it — it rarely is. And if you are tempted to leave at any time during my presentation, please remember the television cameras.
I will make your experience of the dinner worth it. I have asked the venue staff to remove all the food and drink from the tables. It is not going to waste, however, as in the next room there are some four hundred homeless people who will enjoy what you are going to be deprived of. You should feel virtuous — some of your money is already going to a good cause.
I promise you that you will go home tonight no hungrier than millions of people around the world. The first course you will be served in lieu of the entrées you were beginning to tuck into, is a small plate of varied roots, accompanied by a selection of roasted locusts. Please do not be alarmed by the muddy appearance of the water…
