What Red Nose Day Is All About
Contrary to the popular misconception, Red Nose Day 2017, which took place on May 25, has nothing to do with your nose. While the idea of wearing a bright red ball on your nose might seem like fun and silly, the reason the day came into existence is far closer to brutal reality.
Red Nose Day is a campaign that attempts to fight child poverty which is rising alarming throughout the world.
The British charity Comic Relief started Red Nose Day in England in 1985, when they had the idea of attracting more people to support the cause by doing something memorable yet fun. People were invited to put on red foam noses, which eventually became the symbol representing the day and the cause behind it.
Laughter is often called the “best medicine” when it comes to keeping one’s heart healthy. Hence, Red Nose Day uses laughter as a powerful tool to get people together to promote the awareness of an issue as serious as child poverty.
"The red nose doesn't drag you into the dark side of the poor, showing you children with swollen bellies. That's not fun," David Bishai, a professor of economics and public health at Johns Hopkins University mentioned. "The [campaigners] say: We understand there's terrible suffering in the world and we're doing something about it."
Read: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Alum Patrick Dempsey To Star In Red Nose Day ‘Love Actually’
Even though the fundraising campaign has been taking place in the United Kingdom every two years since its inception, the event crossed over to the United States just three years ago, NPR reported.
Since the Red Nose Day is fairly new in U.S., a survey conducted by Comic Relief USA in 2016 found 60 percent of the 1,000 Americans surveyed had no clue about the significance of the day.
They were also unaware of the fact that by simply buying a $1 red foam nose from drugstores like Walgreens or Duane they could donate 50 cents towards helping children who are barely surviving in poverty-stricken areas. Some of the American-based charities the proceeds are donated to include Feeding America, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Save the Children and Gavi, and the Vaccine Alliance.
This year, a short sequel to the film “Love Actually,” called “Red Nose Day Actually” was aired Thursday, as part of NBC’s Red Nose Day Special fundraiser, which began at 10 p.m. EDT, Entertainment Weekly reported. On that occasion, writer-director of “Love Actually”, Richard Curtis, who is also the co-founder of the Comic Relief charity, assembled many of the original cast members of film.
Celebrities like Kristen Bell, Jack Black, Bono, Kobe Bryant, Sophia Bush, Ellen DeGeneres, Celine Dion, Zac Efron, Bill Gates and many more have supported the Red Nose Day in the past, PR Newswire reported.
To impress upon the fact that Red Nose Day actually represents more than people walking around wearing a big red plastic nose that made them look like a reindeer, actor Ryan Gosling stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday with a big red nose, while giving the paparazzi a steely look, Mail Online reported.
The “La La Land” actor remained unfazed by the photographers clicking away at his clownish look and did not flash a smile as he got into his car, choosing to remind people despite the props used being jolly, the reason behind the look and the actual cause was not.
Many other celebrities also took to Twitter to post selfies wearing the emblem of the red nose, to spread the important message behind the day.
Children and schools also put up powerful posts and videos in support of the noble cause represented by Red Nose Day.
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