What do Rebecca Black and Invisible Children have in common? Well you have it folks, it's official. Kony 2012 is the new cool thing. And what better hot new thing than one that people can feel good about, after all, we all feel a bit gooey inside after watching this well-produced and emotive video promoting social justice and the bringing down of an evil warlord don't we? For those who have been living under a rock for the past 2 days, or at least haven't been checking facebook (although curiously enough if you're reading this you have probably heard about Kony), the newest, hottest viral video going around is a short, bite-sized doco about the invisible children and the evil dictator Joseph Kony who has been wreaking havoc on Uganda. So far, at least 100 facebook friends of mine have re-posted the link to the video and are flogging the message and really getting it out there. While it would have to be agreed that anyone who watched this and didn't feel at least a twinge of pain and sympathy for those children is without a heart, I find it curious that people are becoming facebook activists overnight thanks to a clever PR plan and a nice video.
For the longest time, I always wondered why my fellow Australians (and friends from all places) seemed so apathetic. Was it because they are ignorant to the issues? After all, the mainstream media isn't exactly raving about injustices in Uganda. Or was it because people felt helpless, unable to do anything to provide answers, creating a helplessness - inaction - apathy cycle that paralysed them? It seems that now, thanks to the prolific spread of an easy to follow, feel good documentary that opened up to people the horrors that are occurring in Africa. Thanks to social media, people are jumping the bandwagon and learning more about the issues being faced and re-distributing that information. While education is the first step to eliminating ignorance and finding a solution to these problems, one has to wonder what happens next? Is posting a link really going to do anything for the situation, rather than show how kind, politically aware and committed someone is to the cause? At least everyone will know that the keen facebooker is an activist, and is down with the new social media networking craze. They can then donate 20c to buy a poster of Kony from the website in order to plaster walls and light posts. Or perhaps spend a night sleeping in street to show solidarity with the night commuters under the Kony regime. Then our little activists can really feel like they are making a difference. Err...
Is it just me or does anybody else see this as a shallow, self-obsessed marketing ploy created to make a big name for some fame-whore, uni students and make facebook, hipster activists feel good about themselves? Let's think, what is the video suggesting is done about this atrocity? Spend money to buy posters to further flog this campaign? So the money goes to Invisible Children Inc. in order to save Uganda and no doubt line the pockets of these enterprising, sensationalist, media sluts. Anybody who has ever read anything about what aid has done to Africa and what resulted from money being thrown at the continent will realise that the entire concept is a very dumb idea. What's more, some activists are proposing that people sleep in the streets for a night to show solidarity for the Ugandan children. What a great idea! Why not stage a giant sleepover for all of the self-indulgent hipsters who can all feel warm and fuzzy while they throw even more media attention at the issue. I wonder if the police would arrest and harass them as they did with the Occupy movements, or if the promise to return to their comfortable beds and be quiet until the next big thing comes along would keep the police happy. One would assume that it would take quite a clever and creative thinking group to create such a pretty video and generate such a campaign that has mobilised a generation and gone viral within days. Why then, did they not come up with any more substantive and useful solutions to such an issue, or even encourage any intelligent thought by the zombified masses?
Dissemination of information is absolutely crucial and I admit that awareness of such information is only a good thing. Kony is a monster and absolutely needs to be brought to justice, however, what is being done? While I am not encouraging nor promoting any kind of vigilante justice be carried out by facebook activists, are people simply expecting that the government will go in with guns and deal with the problem? Is that even a smart option? The next thing for people to do now that they have the information is not to re-post the link on facebook, shovel money into this Invisible Children Inc. of dubious intentions or usefulness nor forget about the problem after doing their thing and giving their facebook wall for the issue. Why doesn't Invisible Children promote or stimulate some kind of discussion and debate over what could be done? If people talk about the problem, maybe they will come up with some kind of a creative solution that won't screw the country of Uganda in the process (if you haven't already, I would recommend reading something, anything, about the impact that foreign aid has had on Africa). Get informed about the issue, a 27 minute documentary is not nearly enough information to understand the situation or the greater context. Write a letter or email to somebody who can do something about it (note: Bob Carr is the current foreign minister, he doesn't give a crap if you post something on your facebook wall about Kony, nor that you feel strongly about it, tell him what YOU, not a retarded Michael Moore wannabe, think about it).
As for the filmmakers, I hope they are snapped up by a big network who will pay them a lot of money. Their PR stunt and sensationalist reporting style will make them perfect for a Fox News or News Ltd. type corporation who could definitely use some clever spin and marketing. While I don't doubt that the doco is completely true, and that Kony is a horrible human being, I am cynical of the hypocrisy of activism flaunted as the next big thing. As for Rebecca Black and Invisible Children? Both are viral hits, bound to be forgotten as soon as they were popular. Unless people truly want to see a change and are willing to dedicate a little time and perhaps some brain to the issue, in which case anything is possible. Let's see something good come out of this!
Much edgy. Wow. Such unique. Interestingly the same kind of commentary/crap seems to have proliferated since early 2012, and boring and trite posts like this are made ALL THE TIME in 2015 and appear on all news blogs across the world. My self righteous raving is not new or special, and like everyone predicted Kony is so 2012.
Update: The guy who made the video/social media campaign had a mental breakdown after being overwhelmed by the fame and support that he found that he was arrested for wanking in public in San Diego or something. That certainly gave me a good chuckle. And continues to do so to this day.
Some good points well made.
ReplyDelete"I find it curious that people are becoming facebook activists overnight" I find this really fascinating. The comments people(including my friends) are putting on the links, or tweeting in to news shows or whatever, as though they are some kind of expert, with their whole basis of knowledge being that they have watched the video or read their friends comments.
Your comments about the occupy movements are spot on. I was thinking about this earlier (sort of), and I imagined that on the "sleep-over night" it will probably end up being council organised, with police assistance etc. kind of like a music festival or community event or whatever.
As for the video makers itself, very irresponsible way of handling the issues, and obviously the donations. Also lacking obvious goals, other than US led intervention I suppose, although that's obviously not likely. And the patronising* rhetoric(*i know there's a better word, but after 20 minutes of brain-racking and google searches, i can't find it. it starts with patri, and is about looking after them because they can't look after themselves, any help? sort of like condescending)
I was watching the project earlier (if you've been away too long, it's a newstainment show on channel 10, for the young folk). Anyways, the token blonde brought up the moral issues of using the little blonde boy to forward their cause, imagine how traumatic it could be for him etc. to his credit, the "comedian" pointed out that it was a documentary about children being abducted and turned into soldiers. haha, we won't even delve into that one.
For anyone reading I should point out that i'm in no way an expert(nor claiming to be) and had not heard of this campaign before yesterday. I do however study related issues and am well aware of human rights abuses, social justice issues etc
ReplyDeletethe difference between rebecca black and koni? well rebecca black can release a sex tape to get back i the spotlight for a while. also, i find that callous indifference is the best way to deal with problems. anything more and you create dependence.
ReplyDelete*paternalistic, it came to me in the middle of the night
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