Rich people asking not-so-rich people – for want of a better term – never has the greatest of optics for obvious reasons, but Dwayne Johnson did at least pledge to learn from his mistakes following the Maui debacle.
While it certainly came from a place of good intentions, an A-list actor and producer with an estimated net worth of $800 million uploading multiple social media videos asking regular people to put their hands into their own pockets and chip in didn’t exactly go down a storm, regardless of the $5 million of his own money that he pledged to get the ball rolling.
Fortunately, The Rock’s latest whip-round has gone down much better, and it’s only partly due to the fact he isn’t asking anyone to cough up the dough of their own volition. In addition, the put-upon workers of the service and hospitality industries will be feeling the benefit, all thanks to the 51 year-old’s vast resources and unending desire to remind everyone he also sells tequila.
Looking at the responses and reactions so far, it’s amazing how much better a celebrity revealing they’re donating to a good cause goes down when it isn’t slapped with the caveat that everybody else should be doing their part, too. Partnering up with Oprah was a bit of a disaster from a PR perspective, opening the doors to criticism the wildly popular action icon hasn’t faced all that often, but this is a lot more like it.
Ignore the fact that Teremana is tagged four times in the same post, and it’s coming straight from the heart.