First off, I'd like to apologize for flooding everyone with what will surely be their umpteenth viewing of Kony-related media today. If you've spent any time online in the last 24 hours, I can pretty much guarantee you've at least seen the name "Josephy Kony" or the "KONY 2012" movement starting to spread. There is a positive side to this, and that's the fact that an entire generation of people is now at least acutely aware of some pretty awful atrocities that are occurring halfway across the world. It is admirable and somewhat amazing that so many of my Facebook friends, classmates, etc. have taken the time to watch Invisible Children's video about Kony and his crimes against humanity. Before today, I don't know how many people could even point out Uganda on a map, much less speak intelligently about any kind of issues present there.
This being said, I think it's of vital importance to call a spade a spade when it comes to this type of social movement. We have become, as my girlfriend so aptly put it, a society of 11th hour activists. We ready, fire, aim when it comes to trendy causes that actually stretch back decades. So many people lately seem to take special pride in being part of the "underrepresented masses"--whether it is the various Occupy movements or the Invisible Children, everyone seems determined to join up to feel like their voice, or the voices of the less fortunate, are being heard. As Neil DeGrasse Tyson puts it, "That's really what you want in life...you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant, you want to feel like a participant in the goings on." There is nothing inherently bad or ignorant about this fact, it's part of the human experience.
But needing a level of connectivity doesn't excuse willful ignorance or uninformed thought. Let me preface this next section by making it absolutely clear that I believe what the members of Invisible Children Inc. are doing is incredibly noble, and what Joseph Kony and the LRA are doing is absolutely abhorrent. However, it disturbs me greatly that people my age can't help themselves when it comes to watered-down activism. Watching KONY 2012 is fantastic, it's a great first step. But where do we go from here? Shouting in protest about your tax bracket and unemployment is certainly within your rights. But does it put bread on your table?
The fact of the matter is, changing your Facebook profile picture is not going to directly remove a cruel warlord from power. Campaigns to create awareness generally do just that--make people aware. They do not change political structures, they do not force leaders to abdicate, and they don't pay your student loans for you. The other downside to all of this is that people watch a video like KONY 2012 and assume it tells the whole story. It neglects to mention the other organizations that are actually working to rebuild the infrastructure of Central Africa, so that the real Invisible Children have something to come home to. It neglects to mention that IC funnels money to the Ugandan government, and that is a major failing, because the government systems in other countries are not held accountable for every cent they take in. Intended or not, any social movement seeking to spread a message inherently creates its own propaganda.
I do not wish to denigrate those who have taken a vested interest in this or any other cause, particularly because some of our most inalienable human rights are at stake for people all over the world. Nor do I claim to be the most educated among my peers about Joseph Kony, Invisible Children, or anything related to this topic. All I really want is for my peers, this broad circle of 11th Hour Activists, to do more than repost, retweet, or re-anything. Take a moment, educate yourself a little more thoroughly, and then decide whether your cause is worth sharing with the world. To quote my Dad's favorite line from his favorite movie, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life". Quite frankly, neither is panicked, uninformed, and lazy.
