By now, you have undoubtedly seen the above video. Since it was put online March 5th 2012, a mere three days ago, the clip has been watched almost 50 MILLION times on YouTube and Vimeo. That is astronomical. Browsing any sort of social networking site, you probably have also seen the slogan “KONY 2012” a fair bit. I was surprised today actually to see that one of my 8th grade German students had printed out a small “KONY 2012” poster and put it on the cover of his notebook… but something about the whole thing sort of bugs me.
If you’re unaware, the movement which was started by Invisible Children Inc. is an effort on the part of the organization to bring to justice Uganda’s Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who for decades has been kidnapping children and forcing them to become soldiers in his army, sometimes making them kill their own families in the process. While it is true that Uganda has been ripped apart, mostly due to the terror inflicted by the LRA, the area is now at peace after Kony and his army left the region; now taking refuge in the jungles of neighboring countries.
When I first saw the video last night, I became emotional and rushed to post it for all of Facebook to see that, “I am behind these efforts!” The more I thought about it though, the more I didn’t like the idea of what was happening. Don’t get me wrong; lord knows I am all about advocacy and supporting human rights issues, but the whole movement feels a little icky to me now.
During my freshman year of college I went to a small screening of Invisible Children’s first film, which was about three college students going to Africa and ending up in the middle of the Ugandan conflict. They became emotionally entwined in the stories of the people they met and ended up coming back to the US and forming an organization to help the children of Uganda whose families were torn apart and their homes destroyed. It was incredibly moving and I remember going back to my dorm and crying for hours that night.
This time around however, the camera work is flashy, compared to shaky and hand held; the voices are confident to the point of being pretentious, instead of heartfelt and concerned; and the movement is a multi-million dollar endeavor, instead of a grassroots effort funded by the pennies of students and the hearts of volunteers. But I am not here to criticize the organization as a whole, as I do think a lot of their efforts have had positive outcomes and have raised a lot of awareness about what is happening in Africa (even if the specific problem in Uganda seems to no longer be as dire as the organization likes to make it out to be.)
My criticism is more aimed at the participants of the KONY 2012 campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased as shit that people are finally starting to be “concerned” with international issues and are finally using their resources to stand up for what’s right, but what will happen in a year? A month? A week, even? Will you still be as fired up about the problem after the memory of what you saw is replaced with the latest gossip about Snooki’s pending spawn? Has this made you feel the need to get involved in other humanitarian issues? And for that matter, how involved are you really?
I have to say that social media, while being one of the best marketing tools to come out of the 21st century so far, will NOT stop the leader of a rebel army from killing innocent people. Just because EVERYONE on Facebook posted the KONY 2012 video and thousands and thousands of people are “attending” the Invisible Children’s Cover the Night event to plaster posters on city walls everywhere, does not mean anything will actually be accomplished. Most people will watch the video, get upset about it… probably write a status update concerning how terrible Kony is and that’s about it. Who actually bought the Cover the Night posters? Who actually plans to plaster them around their town? Who will follow this story for more than 6 months tops?
Remember that whole “Save Darfur” thing? That’s still going on. Even though Sudan is now split into Sudan and the new South Sudan, genocide and violence still consume the region. When stars like Ryan Gosling and George Clooney (yum&yum) get behind an issue, it usually ends up getting a lot of attention. But for how long? Until the problem is solved? What about the issues that don’t have backing star power? The world is full of huge numbers of humanitarian problems but the lack of awareness and/or concern from the general public can be depressing.
When was the last time you saw a news piece about the escalating genocidal acts in Syria, sex trafficking in India or the sickening human rights violations in North Korea and actually spared more than a second’s thought for it? For most people today, if something isn’t presented in glittering HD, it won’t be much of a blip on their radar; but those are often the issues that need the most attention.
So this is my request to you, dear reader: Be aware. Be concerned… But know the issues to be concerned about without having to be told by a hipster DILF and his oh-so-adorable son. Really fight for what you believe in. That doesn’t mean post a Facebook status (or a ranting blog post, for that matter) but be active. Write letters to your congressperson asking them to back legislation supporting your cause. Or hell, even donate money to worthy organizations (yes, I know we’re all broke but how about not going out one Friday night a month and sending that $15 to support something good instead?)
I’ll get off my soapbox now, but just ask you to be aware. It’s great to support something you believe in, but know that there are other things going on in the world that desperately need attention as well. Don’t be afraid to open your eyes to see them and open your hearts to help make them right.
