Ben Affleck to live on $1.50 for five days

[Liberal_in_LA]

Ben Affleck is a Hollywood high-roller, but for five days the Oscar-winner has committed to living on a food budget that would be skimpy for a vending machine run.

As part of the "Live Below the Line" poverty awareness campaign, Affleck will feed himself on $1.50 per day for five consecutive days-the U.S. equivalent of living below the extreme poverty line.


"1.4 billion people live on less than $1.50/day. I'm joining Live Below the Line on behalf of Eastern Congo. Will you?" the "Argo" star tweeted on Monday.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/ben-affleck-live-1-50-day-anti-poverty-campaign-article-1.1325055

[Xipe Totec]

1. Ben Afflec could live for free if he wanted. Flash a smile, get a meal.

It's a noble gesture nonetheless.

Kudos.

[Duer 157099]

2. Agree. I'm glad he's doing it

but some of these wealthy famous people don't realize how much stuff they get for free because of their fame! The get comp'd left and right and probably think the cost of living is far less than it actually is for us mere mortals.

Always bugs me when I see them handing out freebies to the rich and famous.

[tblue]

4. I think he's gonna forego the free stuff during this experiment

The idea is to see what it's like to see firsthand what it's like to live off that small amount of money, not to see what he can get for free because he's Ben Affleck.

[Duer 157099]

6. I know. But I wonder where he will live? n/t

[stevenleser]

13. My first question too, then I realized this is his food budget only.

He can still live in his mansion, etc.

Still, a worthy act.

[Duer 157099]

17. Well, if I were to try to live on that for only 5 days

knowing that on the 6th and subsequent days I could eat whatever, I'd use all the money to buy some coffee and carrots, then live on carrots and carrot juice and coffee. If for only 5 days, that is.

Now try 30. Or 300. Or 3000.

[stevenleser]

18. I'd probably buy as much rice with the $1.50 as possible, cook & portion it into 10 portions

and eat two helpings a day.

Which isn't too far from what many of the poorest around the world do in terms of food.

[exboyfil]

23. Presupposes you have facilities to cook the rice

That is an issue for the homeless. Try cooking it on the street and get picked up for vagrancy etc. If you have a way to cook it, I would go with equal parts beans and rice (other option would be potatoes and milk). When I have a 3 day weekend I may try this as well. No way I could think if I limited myself to $1.50/day of food. - I would be lucky to just stay alive. I would cook the food in the background in whatever I can find on the street.

[stevenleser]

25. Right, an issue for the homeless here, but not necessarily the poor in the third world.

Glad Affleck is doing this.

[Xipe Totec]

29. Beans - protein is important.

And you can buy it cooked, in cans, for $0.68 per pound.

Anybody can live on 3 pounds of beans per day for 5 days.

[cliffordu]

39. Yeah, but not anyone in the same room

[Xipe Totec]

48. Beano, or refry the beans. Either works to preserve your social network nt

[valerief]

43. Yeah, and just think of all the BPA you get to ingest, too, from the can lining. nt

[Xipe Totec]

47. You can buy them dry. Cheaper. but you have to cook them.

When you are living on the streets, on a buck and a half per day, BPAs become a tertiary consideration.

[Mojorabbit]

67. It is almost Ramen noodle territory at a buck fifty a day. nt

[gateley]

31. Agree -- he seems more aware than most.

[zipplewrath]

10. Kevin Bacon

Most honest interview I ever heard from an actor. He was on "Wait wait don't tell me" and part of the interview is when he arranged for some special effects/make up so that he could go out in public anonomously.

SAGAL: We read - I wanted to ask you about this - that you once, maybe as an experiment or just because you were tired of it, you actually invested money in a disguise so you could go out and not be recognized.
M: I did, yeah. I had it made by a special-effects makeup artist.
SAGAL: And what was it, this disguise?
M: I can't say. I don't want to say what it was, because, you know, what if I want to use it again?
SAGAL: You might use it again.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
M: Right. I can tell you that it was pretty subtle but it was incredibly effective. I went out and experimented with it - went through a very, very big, popular, outdoor shopping mall in southern California. And honestly, it was awful.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Really? Because it must have been so weird for you to be wandering about and...
M: It was weird, and not in a good way.
SAGAL: Why? Why was it not...
M: Because people weren't nice to me.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Welcome to our world, Kevin Bacon.
(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)
M: There you go.
SAGAL: Really? Did you really have that reaction? Like why aren't I being allowed to cut to the front of this line? Why are they not giving me free appetizers? I don't understand this.
M: Exactly.
SAGAL: Really?
M: Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I mean, because you know, you hear from - and Barack Obama is one of many people to say this - oh, I really miss it. I can't just walk down the street anymore, I'm not anonymous anymore. And you're like...
M: Yeah. I mean, look, there is a part of me that misses that. But would I trade it for all the great things that I've had, you know, with this lucky, lucky life? No.


Most honest friggin' answer I've ever heard. Right up there with "money doesn't buy happiness, but it can rent it for a good long time". Or "it makes being miserable much easier to bear".

[busterbrown]

22. I like Ben..Great Progressive however...

when one knows that this is a 5 day venture, it becomes a lot easier and we all know this..
It’s when there is no hope that it becomes brutal..

[joeybee12]

40. Come live with me and he'd get booth room and board!

[Worried senior]

3. At least he's trying to do something

but it's true, he'll never know the whole story and where will he live while doing this.

It's said that those that got, get.

[Cha]

5. He'll lose weight. Bless his heart for awareness.

Full Disclosure.. I really like Ben Affleck.

[Wait Wut]

7. This is great, but...

...there are so many variables that I hope people understand.

Ben is more than likely pretty damned healthy and in good shape mentally. People that have been living at/below the poverty line have been subjected to poor diet and nutrition for years. It affects not only your physical well-being, but how you think, how you feel emotionally, everything.

After this 5 days, Ben will probably be light-headed, a little cranky, hungry and may have dropped a pound or two. That's just a start.

Still, his actions will bring poverty to the table again. I wish that we could address 'food deserts' along with poverty, more often. The assholes that point at an overweight 'welfare queen' don't realize that even in the heart of the city, healthy, affordable food that can be stretched on an insanely tight budget is nearly nonexistent. When you have $5, a bag of cookies will fill you up and last longer than $5 worth of overpriced, rotten bananas from a convenience store.

[freshwest]

12. Well said.

[GreenPartyVoter]

32. He also won't have a true sense of desperation like someone who knows

he'll be back to living in comfort in just a few days.

But it's still nice that he is making an effort to bring attention to the situation.

[bike man]

8. A publicity stunt. Anyone who does this as a stunt knows they can exit the game

at any time.

If he lasts the entire 5 days, there will be multiple guest shots on the various talk shows. "Look at me!"

The people who are actually living this way do not have that luxury.

Yes, I am cynical.

[Javaman]

14. While I understand what you are saying, think of it this way...

most of America's poor are basically ignored and have virtually no voice to respresent them.

Affleck could be that voice. He at least gets it. And him doing this and then talking about it, could finally put this issue front and center.

Another voice for the cause, especially a high profile voice, is a good thing.

[stevenleser]

16. Exactly. Awareness raising by an A-list celeb is a big deal. nt

[Recursion]

46. Yeah, the world is worse off for his doing this.

[Occulus]

62. That's just what they said.

A direct quote.

(Shame on you.)

[bike man]

64. The world is neither worse nor better for this publicity gimmick. Watch the talk

shows, there will be a few sentences on the grave plight of the poor/homeless/downtrodden, and then the topic will shift to whatever the latest cinematic endeavor is.

When we like the celebrity, it is a wonderful deed he/she is doing. When we don't like the celebrity, it is a photo-op with sound bites.

And that is the reality of it.

On edit: Just read all the responses. There are a lot of skeptics. Imagine that!

[Jamaal510]

9. This is what I want to see somebody like Limbaugh or Hannity do,

but sadly, we'll never see either of them try to walk in the shoes of lower-income Americans. They'll just continue calling poor people lazy and feigning ignorance about why most of us don't vote for them.
Kudos to Affleck for living on such a limited budget.

[stevenleser]

15. I disagree with just about everything Hannity says. But I recently found out he tips food servers

100%. I'm still trying to factor that into the other things he says/does.

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

36. Wow! For as much as I disagree with him on the issues as well...

That is very amaible of him.

[hfojvt]

11. I don't see how I could

$1.5 would probably barely cover my daily electric bill, even in the spring. And $1.5 a day for food... Well, for one thing I could live for five days on spending nothing, simply by living on the food that is already in my house. Then the cost of housing - my house costs more than $1.5 per day, probably close to $2.50 per day. And clothing as well. I will not buy any clothes in the next five days, but I already own thousands of dollars worth.

The people who actually live on $1.5 a day, do not have these advantages. They have to buy everything with their $1.5 a day. They don't generally have warm homes, nor take hot showers, nor have closets full of clothes and shoes. My internet and phone cost more than $1.5 a day, and I don't even have a cell phone.

[RebelOne]

24. Yes, same here.

I could live for a few months on the food that is in my cabinets, refrigerator and freezer. I am collecting social security and have learned to live frugally. I have not bought clothing in the past few years because I have three closets of clothes and shoes. I am not working any longer, so I do not need anything other than but my jeans and T-shirts. If necessary, I could survive on $1.50 a day, but I think I would be eating a lot of macaroni and cheese.

Fortunately, I live in a mobile home that I own and my car, though it is getting fairly old, is paid. My expenses are low, and I do not have any credit cards. Since I am no longer working, I only fill up my gas tank every 2 months.

[hughee99]

49. It's only a week, so I suspect he's not planning on skipping any bill payments,

mortgage payments, or anything like that. If he goes the week without using any of the amenities those bills pay for (electricity, cable, heat/ac, shelter, etc...) that would be something, but I suspect his goal is simply to feed himself on $1.50 a day, which is still very difficult (as long as your not using "I'm Ben Affleck", "I'll get you next week" or having one of his entourage pick up the tab). He gets points for awareness, but donating to the homeless (which he probably also does) would have much more of an impact.

[riderinthestorm]

19. A publicity stunt. I like the idea of the publicity, don't get me wrong

But Ben Affleck won't 'really" be living on a $1.50/day food budget.

His kitchen is already stocked with expensive spices that he will use to season his beans and rice. Seasoning is an expensive luxury.

He has a refrigerator to store his food so it doesn't spoil like it would in the Congo.

He has a stove with an instant "fire" to cook his food.

etc etc.

Anyway, I do think stunts like this are important because they raise awareness that food issues exist but I hope he tells the rest of the story about food insecurity...



( I do love Ben Affleck though!)

[xchrom]

20. Excellent! Nt

[closeupready]

21. Good for him, at least for raising awareness. If I had to do it,

I probably could - but again, I have built-in advantages that homeless people do not, like facilities and equipment to prepare things, like eggs, for example, or a bag of noodles.

For those 5 days, eggs would be a staple, as would bread, bananas, tea and butter. So, tea for breakfast, banana for lunch, egg sandwich for dinner, tea throughout the day to suppress hunger.

[graham4anything]

26. Hugh Jackman did this already for same charity.

[graham4anything]

27. One thing- NYC tap water is the best in the world and it is free. That helps.

I like what Bob Graham in Florida did, not as a stunt, over the course of his whole political life.

He worked an actual day shift in maybe a hundred jobs to see what each job was like.

[gateley]

30. That's a great idea -- I wish we would REQUIRE that as part of holding the office.

[Jamastiene]

56. Yes, it is a great idea.

We would certainly end up with better written legislation if they understood exactly what it was like on the other end of that legislation.

[gateley]

28. Wow -- good for him!!

[hunter]

33. I read the title and thought "thirty cents a day."

That would require some supplemental dumpster diving.

[CarrieLynne]

34. ramen...every day...been there....

[klook]

35. I've had to make these choices on a short-term basis.

For example, having just enough to buy one thing from the vending machine at work -- and that's lunch -- when payday is three days away and the credit card is maxed out.

That's not as bad as the desperate situation of the person who is living on $1.50 a day, day in and day out, for weeks, months, years on end. (And their kids.) But I do have some sense of what they're going through. The constant weight of worry (especially for parents), the fatigue of malnourishment, and the abject fear of a car breakdown, a medical emergency, or some other unexpected expense -- it's an oppressive grind.

I applaud Ben Affleck for bringing attention to this issue. Many comfortable Americans have no idea what real poverty is like.

[NightWatcher]

37. But he knows he's going home on Day 6 to his mansion

Live poor with no hope of getting out, then lets talk. At least do a month or a few weeks. I could snack on crackers and water for 5 days.

The lack of hope is what kills, not the beans and rice.

[valerief]

44. He's bringing the problem some press. I think that's his goal.

[NightWatcher]

55. He and his celeb friends should see who could go the longest on $1.50

I'd prob watch that show. Celebrity Ramen Challenge!!!

[valerief]

65. Great idea, but it would never make it to mainstream TV. The ruling class

doesn't want attention brought to the suffering of Americans.

[datasuspect]

69. and cut some checks too.

[longship]

38. Eggs are still cheap, too.

I could live off eggs and rice, easily. Beans, too.

I'd miss meat, though, especially an occasional bacon sandwich. Yum!

[cliffordu]

41. I lived on eggs and rice in school

Brown rice and ketchup when I wanted to get freaky

[Spitfire of ATJ]

42. Must see movie for this OP....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017114308

[Bucky]

45. I'm sure his cupboard and fridge will still have food in them.

Or he can call on a friend and mooch over at their place. I'm really not all that worried about him making it through the next few days.

[EC]

50. He'd do better taking that 7.50

and buying a loaf of bread and making a stew with cheap cuts and potatoes. He'd have to eat the same thing every meal though.

[Kokonoe]

51. OH COME ON

HES RICH,

Thanx anyway.







but thank you forever!

[Hulk]

52. When I get 15 lbs overweight, I'll try that.

Try a month...maybe three months. Then, it's not a game. I am so unimpressed with actors and politicians and other celebrities when they pull this stunt. Hell, I can live on an apple a day for a few days....well, maybe not, but you get the idea.
Just a stunt..nothing more. Why not have the repuKKKes do this one before they cut the food stamp program? That might serve some purpose. This is just nothing but a cheap stunt, in my humble opinion; and I'm not amused.

[Marr]

53. How? You can't even buy a can of beans for $1.50 where I live.

Even if I drank from public fountains and spent every other penny on... well, beans... or a can of tuna... I'd only be getting about 300 calories/day.

[Mosby]

63. you can buy those noodles in a cup for 3/1.00

And 6 for a buck on sale. About 300 calories per cup. All you need to make them is hot water. I eat one for breakfast almost every day, I dump out the water after "cooking" and add a little hot sauce. Cuts down on the salt and keeps them "al dente".

[Warpy]

54. $7.50 for 5 days?

If you know what you're doing, beans, rice, onion, celery and carrots. You can now buy celery a rib at a time and carrots one at a time and trust me, I've done that.

If you're dumb, then it's Top Ramen. It'll keep your guts from hurting but it won't keep you healthy.

[Liberal_in_LA]

59. bag of brown rice, a can of soup - rice/soup casserole for 5 days? a jar of peanut butter 4 protein

[Warpy]

60. Canned soup is too expensive

and doesn't provide the complete protein that beans+rice will.

Again, you can live a long time and stay pretty healthy on beans and rice, especially if you sprout some of the beans for your Vitamin C.

I've done this for years at a time and stayed healthy. I know how to be poor.

[Safetykitten]

57. So who is doing one on behalf of the US? Someone in France? Gerard Depardieu perhaps?

[SoCalDem]

58. Nice gesture, but

knowing when the "experiment" will end, and knowing it WILL end, makes the experiment less "valuable".

I no longer believe that "awareness" is the issue.. The issue is societal callousness, and no amount of celebrity-dieting will change that

[yawnmaster]

61. OMG!! 5 days??? will he survive it??

5 days is a joke...30 days would make a better point.

[datasuspect]

70. 30 days . . .

in county jail.

then he would have my support.

[valerief]

66. Morgan Spurlock ate only at McDonald's every day for a month and got sick.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me

Of course, he probably wouldn't have if he only had $1.50 to spend. But then he might not survive the month.

[datasuspect]

68. rich people don't pay for shit anyway

they get free stuff all the time. the marketing value of having your product of service associated with an A lister name is like a tree that grows c-notes.

this is insulting to all those people who have no choice.

benny boy needs to stick with making movies.

[duffyduff]

71. This is pointless

In poor countries the cost of living is much lower, too.

[flvegan]

72. Hey, look...DU is DU.

Point missed by so many. Well played, folks.

I can't understand what part of AWARENESS CAMPAIGN some of you can't get.

[Inkfreak]

73. Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms yo!!

But this is just a stunt. I'll wager it closely resembles fad diets Hollywood celebs do.. Eating light for a few days hardly mimics the plight of the poor. But what the hell, I love his movies.