I tried to ignore it but it got to me eventually. Over 40 of my friends have shared it, people are Tweeting about it (even Justin Bieber), and everywhere I turn on the internet, it's right there. So I read up on what's going on and got a clearer picture of the situation.
Basically, there's this man called Joseph Kony who is leading a rebel group called Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. His group has been rampaging through Uganda and it's neighbouring countries, pillaging villages, raping women, and abducting children. I'm putting it very plainly here. If you watch the video, I'm sure you'd get a clearer picture of the horrors him and his group are doing.
So the group which released and produced the video, Invisible Children is hoping to raise money to fund the local army to fight back against the LRA. Again, I didn't watch the video, but that's what I got. Now, the issue that arises here is whether Invisible Children is firstly, credible, and secondly, going about things the right way.
It seems like Invisible Children is using the money in less than acceptable ways (their financial records are online, if you're so incline to check). Moreover, the line of action they advocate, using force against force...isn't really right. They fight us...so we fight back? Sounds like the crusades. Also, there's the whole issue of cultural and religious imperialism, which I'm not going to go into.
This, in turn, spawned a host of retaliation messages, pointing out the flaws with the video, "exposing" invisible children, and making fun of faux-tavists. I say fuck this people, you guys are just as bad, riding on another bandwagon, thinking you're all cool and shit.
Here are my thoughts.
Raising Awareness.
I think that awareness is a very important thing. More often than not, we're living in our own sheltered, cloistered world, without knowing that there's a bigger world out there. There are many horrible things happening as we speak. Not everyone is going to sleep soundly tonight. The video succeeds in opening some people's eyes on the harsh truths of the world. Through this, may they appreciate their circumstances more, thank their lucky stars, and make the most out of the opportunities they have.
However, we need to recognize that awareness can only take you so far. What you actually do is more important.
Know what you're doing.
The video had a message, and a call to action. I've learned in business school that sometimes, packaging is enough to get people to do something. We have to understand that when we donate, or when we participate in campaigns, there are always bigger implications beyond what the video will lead us to believe. We have to consider whether it will help...because if it won't, then why bother? Do your own research first.
Moreover, there's also a large limits of what we can actually do. Make sure you have a good understanding of the situation first before actually trying to be all-activisty about it.
Be good to thy neighbour first.
What people fail to recognize is that there's good to waiting to be done EVERYWHERE. Forget Uganda. Let's think about Singapore. Let's think about our home, our peers. Be kind to everyone. Impact their lives in whatever positive way you can. I know that what's going on over there is so much worse, but there's this saying about how charity begins at home. I might be misinterpreting it, but...it should begin at home, because that's where you have the most influence.
If you're an asshole, posting a video isn't going to help you redeem yourself. Be a nice person.
Now here's a picture of an orange cat to make you smile.
I'M OUT.
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