Its now the "in thing" to post this all over your fb page/twitter. Show people you care and support the fight and all that shit. Then again-good and bad publicity-perhaps an increase of good will come of this. Lets face it, every few years a white person raises the fight for what's going on in africa.
But the problem is, despite the caring and support that goes around, nothing comes out of it.. Look at the Occupy Movement for example.. Generally speaking, nothing really came out of that event.. And in regards to caring and supporting, it really seems like people are just doing this to be cool (as with any viral social issue), down playing the years-long efforts of the people who are actually fighting this issue. That's my grip against social media..
Rwandan Genocide 1994, all the governments knew but didn't give a shat.. the regular person didn't know so if the internet can potentially stop genocides and topple corrupt governments then more power to it. I'd rather see a video like this have a billion views and maybe save a few lives then the billion video views Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga has.
The consensus is that supporting this is the thing to do. Its the fucking bandwagon syndrome. The optimist in me would like to think that as much as this is a fad, some good will comes of it. Fuck, some bad will come off it as well. Going all prophet on you here, perhaps inspiration 50 years down the road. But there won't be an immediate change. We'll soon go back to our normal lives and wait for the next big thing. It does raise awareness in its own way, but the question is what are the actions that follow (good or bad) Its a cycle. From the Congo to Darfur. Then it will die off and the next big thing will come about.
Ok if you put it that way, fine. Anything is better than Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga. But when it comes down to forcing the hand of a government to take action, society seems to think the government is bad. Yes, there may be cases where the government does actions we do not agree with, but the purpose of the government is to manage and regulate issues concerning the nation. Having said that, what if the government is currently committed to resolving an issue that affects the nation directly? By forcing the government to address Uganda, you're telling the government that the priority should be placed on Uganda, instead of matters concerning the nation that the majority of society is not aware of. You're telling the government to reallocate resources to an issue that maybe of less importance compared to other issues concerning the country. Furthermore, if society deems social global issues like Rwanda and Uganda so important, why is it that after a few weeks, people forget about it, and move on with their lives as if nothing happened, just like Occupy Movement? Why is it that, due to ONE viral video, people put more importance on Uganda than Rwanda, or any other thousands of issues currently going on that's equal or WORSE than Uganda? edit: Hahaha yes, this clearly says it all. Seems like it's embroiled in human nature..
What knoc n ang said! I know there are stupids out there who will probably forget it in like 2 days but I think that there will be people who would want to help (and take action)... like say a millionaire who can donate money to get them some new tech stuff to find that guy? I could be a little too optimistic tho?
Well citizens in the 1% (the rich) may already be aiding in other charitable events. Furthermore, this is a more dangerous issue for them to aid. Anyways, we're optimistically speculating, but unfortunately, that's not really a viable solution.
donate money to who? this is an issue that money alone can't solve. And yes everyone is only aware of things like this based on trend but its not like the people who knew in advanced did anything right? Just like pipa/sopa fiasco, i knew like months in advanced but did not even speak about it or take any action against it until we got support of big internet corporations like google etc. I've heard of the spending thing its one reason i dont think they are gonna affect anybody. Well maybe kony sees video chop off a few children's head and mail them out to make a point. The government can't really interfere without the risk of a war. And just look at the Mexican Drug Cartel issue south of the Californian border we are practically neighbors and can't do shit they probably kill innocents and children regularly where's their video? Well i guess those videos and images of people chainsawing other guys in front of their friends and stories of getting the children to kill their parents are enough.
^ donate money to the ugandese government? I know it's wayyy more complicated but if they can send people to kill other bad guys like gadhafi then they can kill this kony guy too right? if only they WANTED to (unfortunately there is no oil in uganda).... but now that the vid has raised so much awareness (all over the world) which might lead to pressure on the gov to do something, could there just be a possibility that any gov would take action? come on, where is the US world police when u need em.... well nas, maybe u shld shoot a vid abt the mexican drugwar? change is u right?
lol i'd probably shit my pants shooting the vid. Anyways the ugandan gov probably corrupt or don't wanna get involved also to let this guy do what he does for soo long, they probably be better off using that money to feed their people then for resources in hunting one guy down who would get replaced by 10 others.
If only life was like that... Give money to a non-corrupted government, ask our government (who have more important shit to do) to go kill some bad guys pew pew. It's pretty amazing how media managed to instill this notion of the Cinderella Syndrome into people. If only life was so easy. Also, this money you guys speak of, this is how businesses make so much money. They make money off of people who blindly "donate money to governments" and charity organizations, because donors don't care to research more about the damn topic. Shit if life was as simple as giving money away and write a status post on social networks to fix shit, there wouldn't be any problems on this Earth. Unreal.
^ i am not saying liking a post (which i didnt) is the way to change the world, but if at least more people know and if that can possibly help change shit then i dont see whats so bad.... *shrug* also, i think all ppl who r ranting should take action n do something abt it themselves... u obviously are wise enough to rant, do something with it.... u gotta figure out a way to take action urself
You don't think I've done anything? I have been a member of charitable organizations aimed at helping children in third world countries in similar situations, which includes child slavery, child prostitution, child abductions and child soldiers in third world countries. I have done public speeches for years, to promote awareness. What aggravates me is that this temporary social media phase causes people to suddenly pay attention to it for a few days, and forget it afterwards. It downplays the efforts of those who actually spent years aiding. So I wouldn't be the one to talk about "doing something with it".
^ well in that case, good on ya....! ur probably one out of not too many who at least try n dont just talk... i am still not as negative abt this whole kony thing as u... i believe some good will come out of it....
And therein lies the problem. People think they're doing good deeds with this social media hype, when in fact all they're doing is encourage the motherfucker. See this link. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html People think their deeds are positive, without considering the repercussions of their actions. That's exactly what I mean by one-dimensional thinking. The situation is much more complex than it seems, and thinking in a fairy-tale manner only serves to aggravate the problem.
As an aside, I can perfectly understand the sentiment that many here (and elsewhere) have that this is just another cause celebre du jour, as opposed to something that compels society to learn and act long term towards a goal of changing (whatever) the status quo. Be that as it may; statistically speaking though, there will always be an isolated few who will be so touched by such messages that it becomes a life defining event, whatever their raison d'etre. In that sense that a bright light of ostracism is shown on bad things, historically, it generally works to the moral good insofar as our humanity is concerned, by sparking lone individuals to step up and try to make a difference. In that regard, it can only be a good thing, IMHO.
Don't get me wrong, I actually agreed with the bulk of what you said, though with the following caveat; that it really doesn't accomplish much overall, but there will be some number who become so affected that they go do a lot with the tiny seed thus planted. This is of course, set within the boundaries of the overall consideration that I had previously outline; ie. this event being almost nothing in the face of previous human history. This isn't to deny that people are genuinely suffering (in the Ugandan milieu), but to cause one to stand in horrific awe at the degree of despair and appreciate the depth of pain that mankind on the whole, has gone through already. Man is indeed, his own worst enemy.
