REFLECTIONS

The EIF (Entertainment Industry Foundation) has just annouced the “I Participate” initiative.  This is an effort by the Foundation to promote volunteerism in America by showing characters on many national TV shows volunteering for this and that.

President Obama is noted for also promoting volunteerism.  And the report in the Chicago Tribune, EIF officials say they were “inspired by” Obama to create this initiative.  (Actually in the CT article, they credit both Obama and McCain speaking out about this during the campaign.)

However, while the EIF press release does not mention Obama as an inspiration, a leaked internal memo does … and more than just as an inspiration.  The memo begins:

President Obama has called for a new era of responsibility.

This is not just inspiration — this sounds like a directive that the EIF is responding to.

More chilling is the final paragraph of this internal memo:

With the help of the men and women of the entertainment industry, they hope to make service a part of who we are as Americans and to show what we can achieve when we all pull together.

Now there is nothing wrong with promoing volunteerism per se.  It is certainly a laudable goal. Promoting it can be seen as a Good Thing ™. However, this evidence of the entertainment industry taking directives … if not from the Big O himself, at least from somebody (who is this “they” of which they speak?).  Moreover not bothering to mention the origin of this initiative in their official press release of the initiative begins to ring faint alarm bells.

Are you listening?

(credit where credit is due: I found the leaked memo discussed here at Breitbart.)