Kony 2012. For those of you who don't know what's going on, you can catch up first by watching this YouTube video, and then by visiting this website. But I'm not going to sit and talk about the issue. No, tonight, my topic of choice is about what people are doing to get involved.
This video is making the rounds, ladies and gents, along with a variety of other videos and pictures via social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And these posts are starting to inspire a lot of talk- and a lot of heated rantings and ravings. What this website, Invisible Children, is doing, is a good thing. A great thing. And their big goal seems to be raising awareness regarding Joseph Kony and letting people know that there's a problem out there that needs to be solved. But what happens when raising awareness becomes a goal in and of itself, rather than the means to find a final solution?
The world is full of fucked up situations and good causes, but raising awareness for a cause is absolutely pointless when awareness becomes the first, and last, step. People feel this sense of accomplishment because they shared a YouTube video, or a cool looking picture that "raises awareness" for this situation, but once that link is shared, that's where their involvement in the cause comes to an end. Most people don't know any more than what they've seen in the video or in this pictures or posts because, aside from "Oh wow, that shit's bad" they really don't care to delve more into it and even learn. You want to raise awareness? Great, but make sure that awareness leads to a step that gives you a rightfully deserved sense of accomplishment. I'm not bagging on the movement, and I'm not bagging on everybody who shares these videos and pictures, but don't get all excited just because some video is making the rounds. That's not activism. If you took the time to do legit research on the matter for yourself, that's fine. That's great, it's never a bad idea to get educated on wrongs in the world that need righting, but if all you did was visit this one site, see this one video, and hear a few rants on Facebook statuses about it, you're not accomplishing anything, and you're not lending any real progress to the movement. You can't just sit by and think "raising awareness" is enough. Because then the next person will believe the same. And the one after that. And this video will keep making the rounds while most of the people who see it just share it and than move on with their lives. That's as much activism as watching a Discovery special on global warming and shouting "You tell 'em, Al!" at the TV. People say it's about the children. Well, it isn't. It should be, but it's more about people seeing a video, feeling guilty, and thinking that sharing it on Facebook is enough. If that's legitimately all you can do, if you truly believe there's nothing more you can lend to this movement, than congratulations. There's nothing more meaningful in the world than knowing you've done all you can to make the world right for somebody. But if you think, even in passing, that there's more you can be doing for this than sharing a video and you just don't want to take the time or spend the money or do the work, then don't pretend you're an activist because you passed on a YouTube video so the people in your Spin class can see it and feel guilty, too.
Every little bit helps, but don't let yourself swell with pride when you've only done the bare minimum.
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