P4A!
I apologize for the absence. It seems maintaining this blog is a little like christmas shopping: I make plans and get all excited about it but when I have the chance to actually put them into action, I tend to go "I'll do it later."
But just like my christmas shopping, I'll get to it eventually.
Since I'm so late, however, what I'm going to talk about is a little bit of old news (and it's internet old news, so that means about 2 days).
The YouTube Project for Awesome was held last Friday and Saturday and as a small member of the YouTube community, I thought I'd talk about it.
So the YouTube P4A ("Project for Awesome" initialism) is this annual event where tons of YouTube users get together and make videos about charities. Then, everyone gets together and favorites/likes/comments on/links to these videos, simulating "virality". So for one or two days, YouTube is about helping people instead of watching skateboarding squirrels.
The P4A project was started in 2007 by John and Hank Green (the vlogbrothers) during their "Brotherhood 2.0" project and it has since been promoted by other big name YouTubers (doesn't look right in type does it?) such as Charlie McDonnell, Craig Benzine, Alex Day, Michael Aranda, etc. etc. This year YouTube hosted a live show and actively featured P4A videos on their site. They also held an awesome raffle which raised over $100,000 for various charities. All I gotta say is: 0_o woah. That also does not include the $10,000 that the vlogbrothers are going to donate to partners in health, or the $10,000 another group (whose username escapes me) is going to donate to food banks.
Some of the videos this year where really REALLY good, so I thought I'd share my two favorites with you:
First is Rhett and Link's video "Mosquitos Suck" which is supporting Malaria No More:
I find this pretty hilarious. It is one of the more lighthearted videos and as someone whose isn't particularly passionate about malaria, I feel more inclined to donate after seeing this.
The next video is far from lighthearted. It is for the "Not For Sale" charity and is about human trafficking:
I feel very strongly about Human trafficking. Until a few years ago, I honestly believed that slavery was over. Child labor controlled. But then I saw a video about human trafficking and my entire perception of the world changed. The problems that had seemed solved where now still their, plaguing us. It was like I had been sitting in a comfy chair by the fire and suddenly noticed the freezing child in the corner and was unable to know what to do.
I think the reason this issue struck a cord with me was the realization that world hunger, contaminated water, disease, etc. are all simple in their solutions. People who are hungry can stop being hungry by having food. Diseases are stopped by being cured. Water is filtered. The solutions are obvious and, even if they aren't lasting, effective.
But a child who has been forced to kill their family will never stop being the child that killed their family. The girl who got pregnant 6 times by men she never knew the names of will always be that girl who was a whore. The kid who worked day and night in a factory with no breaks will always be that kid you doesn't have three of his fingers. They numb themselves, lose faith, and forget about happiness. They will always be these children. Always broken. Always soiled. Never a real child again. Once it happens, it is never fixed. Once the mistake is made, it can't be taken back.
And it's not easy to solve. Governments and industries will support this. Cheep labor, no bothersome rights. Children are like clay in their caretaker's hands, easily molded in a way that is impossible with adults, who have already been hardened by the world. Who is going to stop this, when the people who should are in favour of it? It's a battle that is going to be long and hard and will require things that people can't really give, like decency, honesty, and ethics.
It's like that line from Mr. Smith Goes To Washington "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for." Well, god damnit, this is my lost cause and I'm going to fight tooth and nail for it! What's yours?
But just like my christmas shopping, I'll get to it eventually.
Since I'm so late, however, what I'm going to talk about is a little bit of old news (and it's internet old news, so that means about 2 days).
The YouTube Project for Awesome was held last Friday and Saturday and as a small member of the YouTube community, I thought I'd talk about it.
So the YouTube P4A ("Project for Awesome" initialism) is this annual event where tons of YouTube users get together and make videos about charities. Then, everyone gets together and favorites/likes/comments on/links to these videos, simulating "virality". So for one or two days, YouTube is about helping people instead of watching skateboarding squirrels.
The P4A project was started in 2007 by John and Hank Green (the vlogbrothers) during their "Brotherhood 2.0" project and it has since been promoted by other big name YouTubers (doesn't look right in type does it?) such as Charlie McDonnell, Craig Benzine, Alex Day, Michael Aranda, etc. etc. This year YouTube hosted a live show and actively featured P4A videos on their site. They also held an awesome raffle which raised over $100,000 for various charities. All I gotta say is: 0_o woah. That also does not include the $10,000 that the vlogbrothers are going to donate to partners in health, or the $10,000 another group (whose username escapes me) is going to donate to food banks.
Some of the videos this year where really REALLY good, so I thought I'd share my two favorites with you:
First is Rhett and Link's video "Mosquitos Suck" which is supporting Malaria No More:
Click to viewI find this pretty hilarious. It is one of the more lighthearted videos and as someone whose isn't particularly passionate about malaria, I feel more inclined to donate after seeing this.
The next video is far from lighthearted. It is for the "Not For Sale" charity and is about human trafficking:
I feel very strongly about Human trafficking. Until a few years ago, I honestly believed that slavery was over. Child labor controlled. But then I saw a video about human trafficking and my entire perception of the world changed. The problems that had seemed solved where now still their, plaguing us. It was like I had been sitting in a comfy chair by the fire and suddenly noticed the freezing child in the corner and was unable to know what to do.
I think the reason this issue struck a cord with me was the realization that world hunger, contaminated water, disease, etc. are all simple in their solutions. People who are hungry can stop being hungry by having food. Diseases are stopped by being cured. Water is filtered. The solutions are obvious and, even if they aren't lasting, effective.
But a child who has been forced to kill their family will never stop being the child that killed their family. The girl who got pregnant 6 times by men she never knew the names of will always be that girl who was a whore. The kid who worked day and night in a factory with no breaks will always be that kid you doesn't have three of his fingers. They numb themselves, lose faith, and forget about happiness. They will always be these children. Always broken. Always soiled. Never a real child again. Once it happens, it is never fixed. Once the mistake is made, it can't be taken back.
And it's not easy to solve. Governments and industries will support this. Cheep labor, no bothersome rights. Children are like clay in their caretaker's hands, easily molded in a way that is impossible with adults, who have already been hardened by the world. Who is going to stop this, when the people who should are in favour of it? It's a battle that is going to be long and hard and will require things that people can't really give, like decency, honesty, and ethics.
It's like that line from Mr. Smith Goes To Washington "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for." Well, god damnit, this is my lost cause and I'm going to fight tooth and nail for it! What's yours?