Alice Cooper Blew It

Did you ever think you would see Alice Cooper golfing with Michael Douglas?
Amazing how worlds diverge as time goes on.
I randomly came across a charity golf tournament a few weeks back. The tournament is sponsored by Douglas, The Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf tournament.
Not something I would typically watch, but I'm getting softer and more open minded. I was also killing time (I hate that expression) before rousing my fat ass to cook yet another extravagant dinner.
I was glad I watched.
First of all it was good to see Michael Douglas looking OK. I like the guy, love his movies, think he's pretty classy and cool. Kind of an updated version of the old school movie star.
The charity was the Motion Picture and TV Fund, for which Douglas's tournament has raised $10 million over the years.
The motto of the fund is Taking Care of Our Own. I love that. What a great sentiment. What a noble goal. The mission is to protect and preserve the health and quality of life of those who devote so much of their lives to a career in the entertainment industry.
The fund is designed to help anybody within the entertainment industry who needs help; union, non-union, struggling actors, everyday people who work the sets and behind the scenes.
The fund provides for health care, child care, counseling, referrals, information and emergency financial assistance, estate and financial planning leading towards retirement.
They operate six health centers in Southern California as well as an active retirement community.
Does your employer do that?
What I love about it was that it was started in 1921 by the wealthy few and has been maintained by them ever since.
It was started by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W.Griffith, taking it from a simple coin box where industry workers deposited spare change for their fellow colleagues, to an organized and dedicated fund.
In 1932 Pickford started the Payroll Pledge Program for those earning over $200 a week. And you know damn well that in 1932 it was only the elite that were making that kind of money.
The celebrities use their fame to sponsor numerous charities which raise large sums of money.
Anne and Kirk Douglas recently donated $20 million to the fund, Barry Diller donated $30 million.
The concept is exactly the reverse of the world most of us live in. In our world people, get rich by screwing other people and spitting on them when they make it to the top. Wealth is jealously guarded and absolutely not shared.
Corporations are designed to get the most out of their employees for the least cost and to reward them with cupcakes. To keep them down and terminate their employment without thinking twice.
And on top of that, the fat salaries and the kickbacks are enhanced with $100,000 worth of stolen wine.
The members of the entertainment industry recognize it as unstable and unpredictable; they anticipate employees going through hard times and they find ways to take care of them.
Ironically enough right now EVERY industry is unstable and unpredictable, but you won't see any of the corporate fats cats doing anything to ease the burden of the people who make their wealth possible.
The entertainment industry is unique and it provides unusual opportunities for the wealthy to take care of their fellow workers.
I realize that.
It's the spirit of the thing that blows me away. I am so glad this organization exists. There are actually humans in the world who act like humans; wealthy people who recognize their privilege and use it to do good.
It goes beyond the money to me. It's the sensitivity, the caring, the sense of community, the taking care of our own mentality. A sense of belonging.
If corporations adopted even a little of that approach, they would achieve more, and actually foster loyalty in their employees.
But of course that would cost them money and force them to look upon us as humans, rather than "human resources." Don't hold your breath baby, because they are happy to watch you choke.
By the way the tournament went into overtime. Actually it went into a chip off. The winner is the guy who gets closest to the pin.
Alice Cooper got the final shot, he blew it and his team lost.
Just thought you should know.