Art and Human Rights (and Bono)

It seems artists, when discussing weighty issues, run the risk of seeming...well...out of their depth. And even if they are well-intentioned, or can affect genuine policy changes, they can be deflated quite effectively. Especially by a Scotsman.

The story below sailed through my inbox and made me actually laugh out loud:

Bono is playing a U2 concert in Glasgow, Scotland when he asks the audience for total quiet.

Then in the silence, he starts to slowly clap his hands, once every few seconds. Holding the audience in total silence, he says into the microphone, "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies."

A voice with a broad Scottish accent, from near the front of the crowd, pierces the silence..."Well, fucking stop doin' it then!"