Last year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ran an ad campaign against the 1 billion who were hungry (now 925 million one year later, even with food price increases…). The numbers themselves are only estimates, and I find them not so believable. I do know, that there are A LOT of people that are food insecure, and this has happened not only on FAO’s watch but the world’s. I digress.

The ad campaign had huge billboard photos plastered on the side of the FAO building in Rome (and many other places) of a starving child or a man eating a rotten fish out of a dump site, claiming: “I’m mad as hell.”  If you are mad, you should sign a petition. 3.36 million have signed it, 0.3% of those who are hungry. Wow. This campaign of course is a take on the “I’m mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore!” classic line screamed by Peter Finch from the movie Network. Open the window and stick your head out the window! The hungry child in Africa will hear you and she will be happy that you signed a petition.

My buddy, Jeremy Cherfas, posted a great to the point video called “Tram” of the ridiculousness of this campaign. I walked by FAO the other day, and I am glad to see an ad campaign for mountainous peoples has replaced the “ads” of those suffering, which just made most feel, annoyed and indifferent.