I don’t believe that the meaning behind the ALS Ice-bucket challenge has penetrated the thick skull that is our generation. Many a time, perusing my Facebook feed, I cannot seem to find a post that is not a video of friends of friends pouring lukewarm water (with recently added ice) onto their perfectly arranged hair, after a witty, pre-written intro.

A particularly memorable recent video included a student (who will remain unnamed) who actually forgot what they were pouring water on themselves for. I believe the quote was, “For AIS…ASL…wait what was it again?”

This should make us sad. Personally, when reading or listening to the news and our generation is generalized as being uncaring, aloof, and self-centered, my mood plummets to frightening depths. There are exceptions everywhere. But I’m terribly afraid that the ALS Ice bucket challenge has not exposed our best qualities. Even after doing the challenge myself, it seems like I did it more for me than actual empathy for the cause. It has exposed the parts of all of us that care more about likes than actual integrity or a worthy cause.

According to the ALS website, you have two options after being challenged: refrain from the outpour of water and donate $100 to the ALS foundation, or pour water on your head, post on some social media outlet about it AND donate some amount of money to the ALS foundation. Whether $1 or $500, any amount is welcomed and necessary to fully complete the challenge. I can confidently say I have not seen more than a handful of LT students do the challenge right.

Apart from pure neglect of the challenge rules, the ice bucket challenge has had global consequences. According to the Guardian Newspaper, the challenge has exhausted the water of the Scottish Isle of Colonsay, as all drinking water budgeted for the month was poured down the drain. The water system thought that a water main had broken with the exponential filling of buckets.

Celebrities have also taken to the challenge and added their own spin. Matt Damon completed the challenge with toilet water because he logically believes that wasting drinkable water is horrifying when millions in developing countries don’t have any. Pamela Anderson rejected the challenge because of the unethical experimentation on rats by the ALS foundation. Homer Simpson completed the challenge. A sobbing two-year-old completed the challenge. One man from Milwaukee mistakenly believed that it was the boiling water challenge.

Please do not get me wrong. The ALS association has reported raising $88.5 million since July 29, more than half of it raised since Aug. 21 as the challenge reached a ridiculous peak. Research is being done and lives are being improved. But if everyone who has participated donated just $1, the ALS foundation would have raised $122,533,700. A big difference in the grand scheme of things.

Understandably, the association does not seem to mind that most water dumpers care more about the self-promotion of their bikini body than helping the nerve-degrading disease. Other haters have dubbed it “slacktivism,” signifying that the first goal is vanity, second is charity.