Ice Bucket Craziness Changes Charity Forever

The ALS ice bucket challenge is bigger than Kickstarter. It’s bigger than Jesus plus Kanye plus baby North West multiplied by the sum of Brangelina and Warren Buffet. I mean, did you watch former Leader of the Free World and amateur painter George W. Bush’s video? This shit has gotten real:

The ALS Association received $8.6 million in donations Tuesday as proceeds from the ice bucket challenge continued to pour in at record rates. The association has begun posting daily tallies from the fundraiser on its website, stating on Wednesday that since July 29 it had raised $31.5 million. That’s an $8.6 million jump over the previous day’s tally, and more than 16 times the amount it had received over the same period last year.

“Increased awareness and unprecedented financial support will enable us to think outside the box,” the ALS Association said in a statement. Celebrities, athletes and politicians ranging from the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl to former President George W. Bush have taken the challenge, pouring buckets of ice water over their heads to raise ALS awareness.

So yeah, some people have raised objections about priorities and stuff, including the thoughtful Jia Tolentino, but they’re missing one key point. When you’re burnt out from a summer of Gaza, Ferguson, ISIS, ebola epidemics, and Taylor Swift, it can feel restorative to dump a bucket of ice on your head and/or watch someone else do it. For a good cause, of course.

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