Internet Activism

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Hey, watch this video. It’s pretty good, focuses on an important topic, and is something that made me cry.

Granted, I can get nitpicky about the film. I feel like I still couldn’t tell you enough about who Joseph Kony or what’s specifically going on in Uganda, but I’m nonetheless convinced that it’s awful and that this movement is a righteous one. Also, do we really need a cute white kid to hypothetically put in harm’s way to illustrate the point that the situation in Uganda is inhumane?… Maybe we do, it is an effective technique.

The main reason I recommend the video, however, is that I want to see this succeed. As much as the video is about using the most influential nations’ sway to arrest Kony, its thesis actually seems to be about activism in the new millennium. It’s about how the general population, made to feel unimportant by societal design, has the ability to make demands when its voices unite. I have no doubt that we can stop Kony through this crowdsourcing, just as I have no doubt we can use this same approach to tackle other injustices.

Make no mistake, this is why we’re beginning to see bills like SOPA and PIPA surface. Social and new media is changing the game, and those with power want to squash what is a clear and present danger to their elite standing. It’s not that they mind these tactics being used to oppose Kony - by now it should be obvious that they don’t give a damn what the outcome is in regards to him - but best believe that they know they’ll be the target of similar activism down the line. They see the writing on the wall, and they want to eliminate that threat before we even have a chance to realize just how threatening we can be.

The internet itself is a populous movement. The internet has the ability to educate and liberate us. Let’s start here by ending the terror in Uganda, and then let’s keep the ball rolling.

UPDATE: Be wary of the specific charity advertised in this film. See further explanation here.