Regarding the Kony video
(unpopular opinion alert)
I normally don’t get politcal on this here lj, because I’m political all day and sometimes need to unwind with fangirl shenanigans. Don’t we all? That being said, here’s some things that have been at the forefront of my mind today:
1) I think it says more about humanity than it does about the potential of social media if it takes popping up on the bloody facebook wall for us to notice and “care about” issues that have been communicated for decades, such as child armies in Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone or, indeed, Cambodia or Chechnya as we move “closer to home”. Off the top of my head.
Obviously, if Facebook and tumblr is what we need to do to communicate these issues nowadays, it is what we must do. But I feel ill at ease with a good chunk of my friends celebrating FB as a bringer of light when the information was always there, even before it came alongside Lady Gaga’s latest video.
2) That being said, I do not mean to diminish that attention can be a good thing, but it also tempts millions of people into being complacent about “doing their part” by hitting the share button.
3) The people behind the video do not have a donation seal. Donation seals are what tell you, in short: that your money goes to the cause you’re donating to and not, say, a beachside condo.(this is not me claiming this is what’s going on with Invisible Children) What the page related to the video has is a shitton of “action packs” and “bracelets”. Let’s call ‘em for what they are: merchandise.
In conclusion: might I direct you to Amnesty International or Child Soldiers International? Granted, their videos aren’t as flash, but they’ve been around for ages. Oh, and they have a donation seal.
What I’m saying is: Be critical. Be smart. Pay attention. Humanitarianism is not a meme.
I normally don’t get politcal on this here lj, because I’m political all day and sometimes need to unwind with fangirl shenanigans. Don’t we all? That being said, here’s some things that have been at the forefront of my mind today:
1) I think it says more about humanity than it does about the potential of social media if it takes popping up on the bloody facebook wall for us to notice and “care about” issues that have been communicated for decades, such as child armies in Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone or, indeed, Cambodia or Chechnya as we move “closer to home”. Off the top of my head.
Obviously, if Facebook and tumblr is what we need to do to communicate these issues nowadays, it is what we must do. But I feel ill at ease with a good chunk of my friends celebrating FB as a bringer of light when the information was always there, even before it came alongside Lady Gaga’s latest video.
2) That being said, I do not mean to diminish that attention can be a good thing, but it also tempts millions of people into being complacent about “doing their part” by hitting the share button.
3) The people behind the video do not have a donation seal. Donation seals are what tell you, in short: that your money goes to the cause you’re donating to and not, say, a beachside condo.(this is not me claiming this is what’s going on with Invisible Children) What the page related to the video has is a shitton of “action packs” and “bracelets”. Let’s call ‘em for what they are: merchandise.
In conclusion: might I direct you to Amnesty International or Child Soldiers International? Granted, their videos aren’t as flash, but they’ve been around for ages. Oh, and they have a donation seal.
What I’m saying is: Be critical. Be smart. Pay attention. Humanitarianism is not a meme.