Many people use Facebook to send virtual gifts on Farmville or Mafia Wars, but this week Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sent part of his fortune – $100 million of it, to be exact – as a gift to the school system in Newark, N.J.
As charitable as this gesture may be, many believe it’s no coincidence that the donation was announced on the Oprah Winfrey Show the same day the The Social Network , a film based on Facebook’s rise, debuted at the New York Film Festival.
The film, which hits nationwide theaters Friday, has gained a reputation for displaying Zuckerberg as, for lack of a better word, a jerk.
In the movie, the Harvard genius stole the website idea from three of his academic colleagues after they asked for some help with the programming aspect of their website design, and then he later betrays his roommate and co-founder in order to rise to the top.
Zuckerberg’s portrayal in the film is overall unflattering and details his “dog eat dog” mentality, leaving no survivors – even his friend and roommate – behind.
The film is based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires, which relays the creation of the popular website.
Zuckerberg himself, however, refused to assist writer Aaron Sorkin in the research for the film, which allowed for some slight creative discretion and character embellishment.
The stir created by The Social Network has changed Zuckerberg’s image from an anonymous billionaire to a vindictive genius, a reputation many believe he’s trying to combat with the hefty donation to the Newark school system.
Critics are referring to his donation as a sham and a public relations stunt, but who really cares?
We think the more important issue here is that Zuckerberg is going to benefit a school district with about 40,000 students that has long been suffering with dilapidated schools and declining test scores
Sure, it’s hard to consider this donation genuine after Zuckerberg’s stingingly harsh depiction in the film, but at least he’s making an effort to fight his newfound reputation, which is more than we can say for most celebrities.
Let’s take Lindsay Lohan for example. Her name flooded the headlines this week after she returned to jail for the third time after failing a court-ordered drug test, yet we haven’t seen her volunteering at an animal shelter or serving food to the homeless.
Damage control isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially in Zuckerberg’s case, when it’s benefiting thousands of children.
What’s done is done, and the past can’t be changed; making the huge donation won’t alter the fact that Zuckerberg cheated his friends out of a fortune, and, in all honesty, he’ll probably still be viewed as a heartless jerk in the court of public opinion.
Regardless, what he’s doing for those children and the opportunities he’s providing them is really astounding.
Zuckerberg realizes the importance of education in a child’s life and he wishes to remedy the recent blows the nation’s school system has taken.
“Why education? Because every child deserves a good education, and right now, that’s not happening,” Zuckerberg said Friday on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
We’re proud of the philanthropic steps Zuckerberg has taken to fix his negative image – whether or not his actions were genuine are still up for debate – but as long as the kids are benefiting, we really can’t complain.