I try to
stay away from these types of topics because this blog is more about my life
with my kids and hubs, then it is anything else. But this video has me
heated.
Not because I disagree with it
though. Understand, I fully support what these guys are doing in spreading the
word about Kony and doing what they can to help the world recognize him as
the mongrel he truly is. But all this video sharing via FB, has
brought on criticisms. This for example:
"Until you
yourself are ready and willing to put your own boots on the ground in a hostile
country, or actively work to support those that do, I really don't care to hear
more on the subject of Kony2012. "
Now,
don't get me wrong. I thoroughly believe that if you're going to verbally
support a cause, you should be willing to put some effort into it. It's all too
easy for me to sit in my heated, middle class, suburbia and click on a few
tabs showing my support and then calling myself a humanitarian fighting
for social justice. Please, lets be realistic. But this video was produced and
posted in order to create buzz. It's sole purpose is to spread the word and
make this guy a household name. So by simply clicking, I'm not making
my support out to be any more than it is. I'm sharing a video because I agree
that this guy must be stopped. The videos producers were smart enough to
know that the fastest way to get attention on a topic is by making it
viral.
People
are complaining that before we go stepping over our boundaries
and assist a country that we have very little political relationship
to begin with, we should be focusing on the atrocities that take place in
our own country.
And to them I say: You're damn
right we should!"
But
we're not. I'm not. I mean, sure, if the opportunity arises for me to step in
and make a difference with a cause that is working towards making our
neighborhoods safer, or our school system better, or our government less corrupt,
then sign me up! But like I said, these guys are smart. They picked a subject
that they are passionate about. They picked a crime that is
un-ignorable by not only governments and the UN, but by anyone who hears about
it. They took that passion, combined it with the severity and urgency of the
need for intervention and they applied it in the best, most effective way
possible.
And to them I say: More power to
you!
This
country would be a different place if more people like them created
noise over domestic problems. What if every documentary producer stopped
traveling overseas and stayed here to create films on our own issues! Holy
Smokes! This country would be amazing. There'd be so much of that passion
against things like domestic abuse, sex trade, home meth labs, bullying in
schools, should I go on? There would be some amazing laws put into effect
and legislation's created to combat all the things that get swept under the rug
and briefly mentioned on the 10 o'clock news. We'd be more peaceful, more
healthy, better educated, and happier, right? I mean isn't that's the point of
arresting Kony? To help Uganda repair what he and his organization of
thugs have broken? To work at healing those effected, and working to restore
Uganda to a nation that can be proud of itself?
Yea,
that would be amazing if this same type of passion and effort were put towards
our problems. If somebody said "I have a dream to inspire American youth
in the fight against drugs, or crappy education, or bullying in schools."
It's too bad that guy hasn't come along yet, at least not to the same level as
the Kony 2012 group.
I
don't want to really get into the deployment issue. Frankly my
ignorance would offend people. I'll simply say this: I come from a family of
devout veterans and I know plenty of people with loved ones deployed.
Those men and women signed up to fight. Does it suck for their families?
Abso-fing-lutely. But wars are going to be waged, soldiers deployed, military
budgets stretched thin. Lets make sure that when we send our soldiers somewhere,
it's for a battle that we support, that we believe in, that we want fought and conquered as
quickly and effectively as possible. (Did I offend you? Crap! See, I warned you)
My
point? Instead of criticizing this movement and the "viral
laziness" of people who think they're supporting it, why not give it some
credit. Recognize the effort and the lengths that this group of young men have
gone to in the past 10 years to get their passion to a point where they could
create a video so effective that after 3 days online it has 40 million views!
Furthermore, don't just share the link. Get involved with the movement,
participate in Cover the Night. Bring Kony up at
dinner with your parents, coffee with your girlfriend, and at your next book club
meeting. Then start thinking of ways you can inspire people to have this
kind of concern about a social injustice you're passionate about.
Because I'll say it again, if more people had this kind of drive for stopping
the crimes of our own community, this would be a ridiculously better place, and you'd
have less to complain about.
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