The "Ice Bucket Challenge" has garnered $13.3 million for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis awareness, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, but some say that participants aren't completing the challenge correctly and are only doing it because it's trendy, The Daily Banter reported.
The challenge is an offshoot of the Special Olympic's Passion Plunge, where participants run into a very cold body of water for charity. Since not everyone is that brave, other charities have evolved the practice into a system where a person is challenged to donate between $50 and $100 or pour a bucket of ice water over their head and only donate between $10 and $20. Former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates is battling the disease at the age of 29.
But ice bucket challengers have been going about it all wrong. Aside from #StrikeOutALS and #TeamFrates hashtags that accompany the videos, there is usually no mention of what the challenge is, why pouring ice on their heads is helping to stop ALS, or where people can go to learn more, The Daily Banter reported.
In popular videos of Boston Bruins Brad Marchand and professional golfer Michelle Wie completing the challenge, they both mention important details about the Ice Bucket Challenge and how to donate. Forcing people to Google #StrikeOutALS because they're confused and don't know what the charity supports is not effective marketing, The Daily Banter reported.
Jacob Davidson, whose father died from ALS, said the challenge has made him uneasy. The chance to jump on the latest trend was why the vast majority of people were dumping ice water on their heads, as he saw it. He said the challenge's structure is inherently offensive to those who have been touched by ALS, according to his op-ed in Time. He quotes how the ALS Association described the rules, which said challengers nominate others for the Ice Bucket Challenge, but if they don't want to do it, they can donate money to the cause instead.
"Want to help fight this disease? No? Well, then you better dump some cold water on your head. The challenge even seems to be suggesting that being cold, wet, and uncomfortable is preferable to fighting ALS," Davidson said in Time.
