Who's Afraid of the Big Bad ... Gates Foundation?

Jen Graves posted about this on the Slog on Tuesday and we've got a bit of a beef with everyone's beef about it. When the Gates Foundation's new headquarters open across from Seattle Center in 2010, visitors will be able to visit a 15,000 square foot interpretive center dedicated to educating patrons about the work of the Foundation. We're with Jen on this one: we're pretty intrigued by the idea of a museum dedicated to highlighting and encouraging philanthropy. So what's with all of the snotty comments, Seattleites?

Yes, if you strip off the specifics, you could call this center a big expensive promotional tool for the retirement gig of one of the world's most famous CEO billionaires. And we know how much Seattleites love to hate on "the man" (barring instances when he pays our bills).

But we're not that self-righteous. We're not about to deny the fact that the Gates Foundation does A LOT of good work, here and around the world. In fact, last time we checked, a whole hell of a lot more than bitching about them does.

Plus, after that Harvard commencement address, we're pretty smitten with Gates and are happy to give his Foundation the benefit of the doubt. To us, this center seems like a natural (and brilliant) step in addressing one of the major impediments to action that Gates spoke of. People don't act because they can't figure out how! TMI as barrier to action!

Ralph Appelbaum, who will design the center (and also designed the Holocaust Museum in D.C.), says "There's a natural philanthropy in American society. We admire it. We respect those who do it. But often we don't think we have a role in it. We think the most we can do is to respond immediately through some charitable act. But in fact, there are lessons to be learned about developing a much more strategic, familial type of philanthropy, no matter what your economic group is."

So the center will break down giant social issues into digestible portions and give visitors the tools to think critically about how they, as individuals, can address them. It will be, as Appelbaum says, an exploration of "how an American family really became engaged with complex and serious issues and found their own way to contribute ... Much of the experience is making the case for action."

We love action! We love the idea of giving people the tools to make thoughtful and relevant contributions to combating the world's most pervasive social issues. So why all the frowns, Seattle? What are we missing?

Photo courtesy of BBC News; halos courtesy of us.