As you scroll through Instagram and Twitter, you’ll always find a picture or video that will make you laugh at the complete accuracy of how it relates to your life. So you’ll send it to your friends, or repost it, and then they’ll continue passing it along and before you know it, it becomes viral. Remember Kermit the Frog sippin’ on his tea? The girl with her hand out, looking confused?
They’re funny, huh? Here’s another one!
Recognize this meme? It became public three years ago when a man spotted the picture on Facebook; finding it amusing, he posted the picture on Reddit and voila, it spread like wildfire. The meme has been used as a target for jokes based off the poverty in Africa. But this boy and his family are probably completely unaware of how cruel people have been. Therefore, BBC Trending went on a search to find them and the woman in the photo. The woman has been found; her name is Heena Prenav, and she was a medical student who participated in an aid project in Uganda, where the photo was taken. When asked on her encounter with the boy, she revealed meeting him at a market where his mother worked. She described him as being a lively two-three year old child; their encounter was photographed by a fellow student, she stated she was completely unaware of the way the photo had been used until a friend had shown her sometime after the photo went viral.
She proclaimed the usage of the photo has been nothing short of disrespectful. But it’s just a joke, so why does it matter? Because no human being should be treated with lesser respect or viewed as less of an equal due to their circumstances. These memes are not just a joke, they ridicule those around the world, and those in your own community who are victims to lack of resources; just because you can’t see them, does not mean they do not exist. They do, and they are some of the most beautiful and insightful human beings you could have the pleasure of meeting. What will happen when the boy and his family realize their struggles have been made fun of by the global community? How would you feel?
Before you hit repost, remember the impact it can make. By sharing these types of photos, you join a group of people who don’t move us forward, but drag us behind.