Remember the (Red) Campaign?

Remember when we thought making all things red was going to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS? Ahhh....the days of yore. Seems like all the hype of the (Red) Campaign--Bono's little buying-based social service program--has cost more than it's paid off. The collective marketing outlay by Gap, Apple and Motorola for the Red campaign has been enormous, with some estimates as high as $100 million. ... So you'd expect the money raised to be, well, big, right? Maybe $50 million, or even $100 million. Try again: The tally raised worldwide is $18 million. Wow. And I really thought that my new tank top would stop disease, poverty and violence. So much for consumption saving the world. Hey I know! Why don't we all BUY LESS CRAP!