Although celebrities have been advocating for special causes practically since the Stone Age, I propose that this holiday tradition really became ingrained into our cultural psyche in 1984, with the release of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

In my mind, this song was the single worst thing to happen to Christmas since the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Band Aid, the brainchild of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, was a supergroup composed of some of the United Kingdom’s most famous musicians coming together to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Band Aid recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and it almost instantly shot to the top of the charts, raising millions of dollars for the hungry in Africa. So far, so good.

But it’s the song itself — not its stellar monetary achievements — that’s the real problem. Boy George exhorts the listener to “Throw (their) arms around the world at Christmas time.” How? By buying this single, of course. Why? Well, Sting and Bono have an explanation. The “world outside your window” (i.e., Africa) is one of “dread and fear.” There also is, of course, no water in Africa but that of tears (and they sting bitterly, no less). Additionally, the only Christmas bells that ring there are the “clanging chimes of doom.”

Do you feel guilty yet? The toe-tapping melody combined with Dickensian descriptions of living conditions is enough to make even the most sour Scrooge among us open his heart — and his checkbook — for the poor of Africa.

But alas, there’s more! The chorus — which includes Phil Collins, Queen and David Bowie — chimes in to remind us even more of how unfortunate it is to live in Africa. They offer profound meteorological insights such as, “There won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time” and inform us that in Africa, “nothing ever grows” (Ever? Ouch).

I hope up to this point I’ve made it clear that I’m attempting to be facetious. In all seriousness, not much real harm can come from spreading awareness to help the poor this time of year. But my major problem lies just with that — it’s just one time of year. Some time ago, Christmastime became the “season of giving,” leaving other seasons hanging out to dry as far as charity was concerned — except for maybe when those UNICEF kids come around at Halloween.

Band Aid convinced us that they were the solution to Africa’s ills. But they were, and continue to be, just that: a Band-Aid to the proverbial bullet wound that is global poverty. They persuaded us to “let (the poor in Africa) know it’s Christmas time again.” That’s great, but the greater implication here is that the poor of the world are getting a flood of help for about one month of the year, and ignored the rest of the time.

Admittedly, the Christmas season does a great deal to remind us of what’s important in our life: family, friends and faith. And I myself plead guilty to neglecting charitable giving and corporal works of mercy to the poor and underprivileged throughout the year, both at home and abroad. But if we truly want to “feed the world” as Band Aid sought to do, it has to be a year-round endeavor.

My grandmother used to say that “Christmas should be every day.” Not so that we can constantly get presents and gorge ourselves on food, but so that we can perpetually treat our neighbors with the mutual respect and selflessness that the Christmas season brings about.

Going by that logic, I don’t particularly care whether the poor “know it’s Christmas” or not. Not if it means hoarding our funds for 11 months of the year until we get the go-ahead from Bono to kick off a marathon season of charitable giving.

The poor, whether they be in Africa or down the street, should constantly occupy our thoughts and prayers, and they should consistently be the recipients of our generosity.

I say it’s high time we rip off the sticky tradition that is Band Aid once and for all. By being just as charitable throughout the year as we are around this time of year, we’ll truly be able to “feed the world” and “let them know it’s Christmas time again.”

And again. And again.

Dan Faas is the State News opinion writer. Reach him at faasdani@msu.edu.