3 ms·

Obviously yes, if the alternative is no campaign and no funding at all. A chance reasonably larger than zero is better than a chance very close to zero.

nostromo 10y ago
I think that OP raises a fair point, regardless of the downvotes. Susan Komen, the Ice Bucket Challenge, and Movember raise a ton of money that could be used for more common and deadly diseases. http://andrewgelman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hyU8ohq.jpg http://andrewgelman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hyU8ohq.j... Yes, I'm happy that there has been an advance for ALS, but if you take a step back, it does appear that there may be a misattribution of limited research dollars.
- cableshaft 10y ago
  The money could have been donated to more common diseases, but probably wouldn't have. Humans are mostly motivated by emotion. The Ice Bucket Challenge captured the imagination of a ton of people and got them motivated to donate. If other common diseases need more money, they should find similar ways to pull at human's heartstrings (obviously they do as well, just not with such a public feelgood novel viral stunt like this).
- pcl 10y ago
  I moved that image around to sort by mortality in both columns. Somehow it makes more sense to me this way. https://www.dropbox.com/s/rya23mkfihb4ma3/hyU8ohq-reordered.jpg https://www.dropbox.com/s/rya23mkfihb4ma3/hyU8ohq-reordered....
- finnh 10y ago
  Except that the Ice Bucket Challenge did not misappropriate research dollars. They created new research dollars out of thin air. There is not much reason to believe that the people who donated in response to the Ice Bucket Challenge would have otherwise donated those same dollars to some other, more common disease. As usual, Surowiecki does a great job: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/als-and-the-ice-bucket-challenge http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/als-and-the-ice...
- J_Darnley 10y ago
  Heart disease could be cured by spending less money. Less money on food that is. Diabetes too (type 2 at least).
learc83 10y ago
The question was should we leave funding to internet campaigns, not will we. I can't imagine the OP is arguing that the ALS association shouldn't take the money or that people shouldn't donate. The OP is arguing that they shouldn't have to rely on these kinds of campaigns to solve large problems like this because we should increase public research funding.

nostromo 10y ago

I think that OP raises a fair point, regardless of the downvotes. Susan Komen, the Ice Bucket Challenge, and Movember raise a ton of money that could be used for more common and deadly diseases. http://andrewgelman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hyU8ohq.jpg http://andrewgelman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hyU8ohq.j... Yes, I'm happy that there has been an advance for ALS, but if you take a step back, it does appear that there may be a misattribution of limited research dollars.

cableshaft 10y ago
The money could have been donated to more common diseases, but probably wouldn't have. Humans are mostly motivated by emotion. The Ice Bucket Challenge captured the imagination of a ton of people and got them motivated to donate. If other common diseases need more money, they should find similar ways to pull at human's heartstrings (obviously they do as well, just not with such a public feelgood novel viral stunt like this).
pcl 10y ago
I moved that image around to sort by mortality in both columns. Somehow it makes more sense to me this way. https://www.dropbox.com/s/rya23mkfihb4ma3/hyU8ohq-reordered.jpg https://www.dropbox.com/s/rya23mkfihb4ma3/hyU8ohq-reordered....
finnh 10y ago
Except that the Ice Bucket Challenge did not misappropriate research dollars. They created new research dollars out of thin air. There is not much reason to believe that the people who donated in response to the Ice Bucket Challenge would have otherwise donated those same dollars to some other, more common disease. As usual, Surowiecki does a great job: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/als-and-the-ice-bucket-challenge http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/als-and-the-ice...
J_Darnley 10y ago
Heart disease could be cured by spending less money. Less money on food that is. Diabetes too (type 2 at least).

learc83 10y ago

The question was should we leave funding to internet campaigns, not will we. I can't imagine the OP is arguing that the ALS association shouldn't take the money or that people shouldn't donate. The OP is arguing that they shouldn't have to rely on these kinds of campaigns to solve large problems like this because we should increase public research funding.