Bono has not slammed capitalism. He is a partner in a $2B private equity firm. Yes, he is rich, and gets richer every day. Bono has slammed capitalism that has no conscience.
I don't see where Bono is asking "working class" people to foot the bill for his projects. Are you talking about the "working class" folks who shop at Gap and Armani who might buy the Red products? Because I don't see these people hurting for disposal income. Are you talking about his program for the world's richest countries to increase aid and forgive debt? Because I doubt that works out to a whole lot of money out of our pockets in the form of higher taxes.
When the Live Aid song came out, Morrissey heaped scorn on it, dropping the quip we've all heard a thousand times: "One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England". Later he also clarified himself, saying that it was outrageous that governments were asking their citizens to help with famine relief when it was obvious governments could solve these humanitarian crises very easily if they wanted to. He was correct.
Bono has taken Morrissey's position but instead of leaving it at dropping a funny line to the NME, he's gone to the highest officials in the U.S., England, and elsewhere to make his case. He's founded organizations. He's given a lot of time and energy to traveling the world promoting his causes, so much so that the other band members of U2 are often annoyed that touring and making records are #2 on his to-do list.
Why people are giving U2 so much grief about their tax shelter is stunning. All of us, if asked about how well our taxes are used by our governments, would instantly laugh and retort cynically that most of it was probably flushed down the toilet. I suppose Bono is supposed to say, "Here, tax me, I'd love to pay $500 for a socket wrench?" They're trying to save themselves money, which ANY of us would do if we could. Trying to do this would only be horrible if Bono and U2 didn't give money to charities, and no one seems to have any proof that they don't. In fact, they probably do give millions-- they make enough that they can give millions and still live like kings, you know. Anyway, for example the band gave proceeds from "One", their biggest single ever, to AIDS research. I'm sure they've helped other causes with cash too.
I'm not surprised about the anger about Bono, since he is obnoxious at times, their music has passed the sell-by date, and in general people just like to resent the famous and the rich. What bugs me is that his work on behalf of his pet charities is THE model of what such work must look like in this era. He went beyond all the white flag-waving and canned idealism of the 1980s and actually went out and got involved right at the top, meeting with everyone he could in the major Western governments. I'm almost relieved that Bono is so rich, because he is making an example of himself. He's letting people know that, yes, you can live and thrive in a capitalist country without feeling guilty, so long as you try and give to the less fortunate when and where you can.
Since the Sixties humanitarian compassion for other people has looked like hippies, anarchists, and bleeding heart liberals. The backlash to the Sixties, and to the charitable drives in the 80s like Band Aid and so on, was enormous. You won't find many people who aren't deeply cynical about charities, who believe they're being swindled, lied to, guilted into acting, or who just dismiss the whole affair as an illusion. Bono isn't telling anyone to get on a plane to Africa to hand out some HIV meds. He's not asking you to go and buy a special CD single. He's telling a society full of people who pay $5 at Starbucks every day to go ahead and be as freewheelingly selfish as they always are, just that if they HAPPEN to be in a store to spend their cash, maybe buy a Red product, or use a Red credit card, or if they HAPPEN to want to see some popular bands performing, maybe pay a little more for a ticket to a benefit concert. These are the only appeals he's making, and they are a good blend of the realistic and the idealistic.
Whatever money they make, it's chump change. The real work is done at the government level, and that is not passing around a hat to "working class" people.
This is what Bono can do. He's a rock star. He's not a culture critic or an academic or a "serious" artist. He's not a revolutionary. He's also understandably keen to profit from his music, just like every other artist out there, Morrissey included. To hate the man personally I can accept, but I'm amazed that people don't look at him and see an example of a real, working solution for solving important problems. I look at him and I don't see a saint by any means, but I do see someone whose real world efforts put most of rock and roll's ineffectual and outdated mantras about "love" and "social change" to shame.