if you have had an opportunity to get to know me in the slightest, you would know that i am a people pleaser. for as long as i can remember i have never wanted to hurt anyone or have them feel uncomfortable or unintelligent. due to this tendency to accept and please, i have kept my voice silent (or kept my "news feed" clear). any time there is an election, a debate, a story of a dead celebrity, a "like my status and i'll tell you x and y!", or any other trend, i keep myself quiet. for the longest time i convinced myself that the reason i shouldn't debate political/religious issues, especially via facebook/internet, was because i was uninformed. i like to think of it as ignorance is bliss. but, honestly, i wasn't and am not currently ignorant on current events. but i don't find it necessary to always be the first to comment with my opinion. i'm not saying this to show how "humble" i am (wouldn't gloating be the antithesis of humility?) i'm saying this because i felt that my opinion, based on 19 years of learned behavior (morals, religion, culture, etc), may not apply to the person who posted theirs.
with that being said (here it comes; what you anticipated), the entire Kony 2012 campaign response has made me feel a different urge. instead of scrolling past that part of my news feed of a typical facebook trend, i read as many as were posted. and for the first time in my life, i want to use my voice...blog.. my words. they can be taken with a grain of salt. no one is forced to read anything on the internet. every time someone is opinionated and leaves a comment, they clearly read, watched, and spent time on what they're posting. they were never forced to participate. if you've read this far, i'd say you're either interested and willing to hear me out, or.. well.. i can't wait to hear your comments.
as many have made overwhelmingly clear, Kony has been an issue for well over 20 years. i don't need to go into detail, after today i don't know many that aren't sure what has been happening. however, up until today, i was one of those who didn't know. i had no idea who Kony was, what he was doing, the amounts that have suffered, etc. my heart hurt for those people; not like that emotion alone could benefit them. i can never imagine having to live in a constant state of fear; in a way that alters you for evil as means for survival. by the end of the video, i couldn't remember who the filmmaker was, where he was from, and honestly the name of the organization. i knew about a group of people who are hurting and suffering. and wasn't that the point? isn't the point of this campaign to raise awareness? no one should ever have to live in such a state of hell.
if you're still reading, here is why i began writing this in the first place.
whether or not the Invisible Children Organization is right, they did something to raise awareness. in 1 DAY they got to over 2,000,000. as someone who knew nothing of the issue 24 hours ago, i'd say they did a pretty damn good job getting your attention. the entire 11 year long organization began with a man making a documentary; a filmmaker. there is a huge issue on the military support and the finances and all things "KONY 2012". but now people know the reason this all started. all i can tell from any opposing party is that they still know that what is going on is awful and they want to see it end, but they may not agree with the campaign and its sparkle. THEN HELP. like i said, it started with a filmmaker. I am a photographer; don't expect me to know the first thing about an issue. but i can take pictures and i can get them seen. we are a visual people. we enjoy more graphics than text; and it gets our attention. This campaign is becoming viral in more ways than one; everyone is kicking and screaming their opinions on how wrong it is and where its flaws lie. step back, please? what do " The Invisible Children Non-Profit" and all its critics have in common? THEY ALL THINK KONY IS WRONG. so why are we making comeback videos against the IC on what they are doing wrong instead of coming together as a people and tweaking its flaws? easier said than done, i understand. but the video raised awareness, now lets find a way to solve a problem.
it's funny to me.. how being right is so important in human nature; how finishing on top matters, even if it's just a comment on facebook.
but the truth is, those children are suffering; they would rather die than live. and from the means of torture they have been forced to use upon those they love, i don't think a merciful death is even something to hope for. in the end, i don't think it matters to them if we have facebook fights, wore red bracelets, or even wrote a blog. they want to feel safe; something so many of us take for granted.
the awareness is there; now how can we use this to benefit those people? we all know how to find flaws but how do we encourage and change for the better?
i may be writing this specifically due to an issue raised, but i'm writing this with the heart of someone who is tired of division; exhausted from people arguing the details that keep us from the problem at hand.
take a stand to speak positively. criticize to be helpful, not to win.
love. accept. encourage. respect.
we will never grow as a group, a society, a country, or a world if we are divided by pride and honor.
united we stand and divided we fall. makes sense.
KJC
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