Month: March 2012

While reading this article (which you should all read) I couldn’t help but think about the hypocrisy behind the Kony movement. Especially when I got to thinking about the treatment of African Americans and other (visible) minorities on our own continent. “it was only two weeks ago when almost every white person I knew was tweeting about stopping a brutal African warlord from killing more innocent children.  And they even took thirty minutes out of their busy schedules to watch a movie about dude.  They bought t-shirts.  Some bracelets. Even tweeted at Rihanna to take a stance.  But, a 17 year old American kid is followed and then ultimately killed by a neighborhood vigilante who happens to be carrying a semi-automatic weapon and my white friends are quiet.  Eerily quiet. Not even a trending topic for the young man.” It is sometimes so easy for us to sweep these issues under the rug and pretend that racism no longer exists, but it is as real and pervasive as ever and the denial that surrounds it only works to further hinder widespread progress from being made. This doesn’t mean we should only care about ourselves and our own country, but  this is something that needs to serve as a solemn reminder of just how very alive racism is. Perhaps in addition to spreading news of Joseph Kony in hopes of saving Africa, individuals should also strive to acknowledge and challenge the racism and discrimination that is undoubtedly very much alive in their own communities.

“So, I fight for Trayvon Martin.  I fight for Amadou Diallo.  I fight for Rodney King.  I fight for every young black man who looks “suspicious” to someone who thinks they have the right to take away their freedom to walk through their own neighborhood.  I fight against my own stereotypes and my own suspicions. I fight for people whose ancestors built this country, literally, and who are still treated like second class citizens.  Being quiet is not an option, for we have been too quiet for too long.”

Since Joseph Kony took over the internet a few days ago, I have stumbled upon a number of blogs and websites that have given me a lot to think about in terms of Invisible Children and the organizers of the Kony 2012 movement. I do not want to make it seem as if I am a supporter of child soldiers. Because I absolutely am not. This is a very serious and important issue that needs international attention. This much I agree with. However, there a variety of things represented in this project that are a bit problematic. Firstly, the term ‘Invisible Children’ … what does this mean? Invisible to whom? Do these children only become legitimate, “visible,” once they are acknowledged by Westerners? This I have a problem with. The situation insinuated by this name suggests a western-centric power dynamic that does not sit well with me. This entire video is perpetuating the notion of the Western saviour which to a certain extent is hard to escape, but the way that it is represented, both in the film and in the rhetoric surrounding this project, makes me a bit uneasy.

I don’t want to suggest that this cause is illegitimate because it is not. However it is important that we educate ourselves on the issue, outside of what the video and Kony 2012 suggest. Kony 2012 is only one way of approaching a huge web of related issues. Kony is only one man. This has been going on for years and it is not just one person who is responsible. While it is undoubtedly significant that we do all we can to remove Kony and bring some justice to the children and  families that have been directly affected by the atrocities he has orchestrated, Kony and his actions are only the tip of the ice burg. There are atrocities being committed every minute of every day around the world, and the majority of us in the Western world live our lives in complete denial that it is even happening. We are citizens of the world. Our accountability is not only to members of our own nation, or own race, or those who share the same beliefs of us. It is to everyone. Every single individual with whom we share our Earth.

Below are some sites that offer interesting opinions. You don’t have to agree with all of it, or any of it for that matter. But there are so many other factors involved and people ought to educate themselves more before throwing themselves on a bandwagon supporting something they are not fully knowledgeable about. I find it so hypocritical that people think they can excuse years of apathy and inaction just by sharing a video on YouTube. If you really want to help make a difference, you need to involve yourself more than that. You may have to, god forbid, leave your house and your computer and do something. In the meantime, I suppose viral spread of the video is better than nothing. But activism is and must be much more than that.

Terrible things are happening, in Africa and all around the world. But before you blindly join the Kony 2012 movement, educate yourself on other circumstances that surround this cause. And don’t stop asking questions.

http://innovateafrica.tumblr.com/post/18897981642/you-dont-have-my-vote

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/07/stop-kony-yes-but-dont-stop-asking-questions/

http://tumblr.thedailywh.at/post/18909727859/on-kony-2012-i-honestly-wanted-to-stay-as-far

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

Check it out!

I’m going to see the Lorax this week (see trailer here) and I am really looking forward to it. I think the ability for the film industry to produce a movie that is appealing and accessible to today’s youth while also addressing significant environmental and social issues is incredibly admirable. The movie, based on Dr. Suess’ children’s book with the same title, addresses the ways in which contemporary industrialized society continuously neglects the environment. I am very excited to see this ‘cautionary tale.’ We all need to play an active participatory role in taking care of the environment. It is so easy to forget little things that collectively make a huge difference. That one extra moment that it takes to toss a can into the recycling rather than into the garbage. Or buying a reusable bag to go grocery shopping with. Or a tumbler for coffee or a glass water bottle. Everyone, no matter their age, should heed the Lorax’s warning: if we do not collectively take responsibility for our environment and be careful to resist being further sucked in by commercialism at expense of nature, we will slowly but surely destroy our beautiful world.