You’ve seen it. You’ve heard about it. You’ve probably read about it. It’s been all over Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, and in both electronic and paper media. Kony 2012 gets its name from Ugandan war criminal, Joseph Kony, who is famous for being the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Kony 2012, a film aimed at gathering awareness for the capture of Kony in 2012, has rapidly become viral since the beginning of March. As of March 19, 2012, the film had garnered over 100 million views worldwide. Now, what you are about to read has nothing to do with whether the film’s creator, Invisible Children founder, Jason Russell, is credible, but more about how and why people choose to help raise awareness for different causes around the world.
Since I was young, I have always wondered why the masses chose to help an issue only when it becomes well known in popular culture. Why not dig deeper into the countless charities and nonprofit organizations around and help bring awareness to an issue at the very root of its problem? Waiting for the word to spread, and posting something on Facebook about Kony or AIDS awareness does not make someone a social activist. Many people are blinded from the fact that helping out means doing research about a problem, and diving deep into the process of making a difference. With at least some experience in the field of raising awareness for an issue that means a lot to me, I have come to a conclusion that many people feel the need to spread awareness for something popular because they are either far too lazy to do their own research, or even worse, want to feel good about themselves.
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In high school, I earned the honor of being both the President of the Environmental Club and Vice President of the National Honor Society. Upholding two higher up positions in two different clubs did not come easy. At the beginning of every year, it was my job to gather new members for both clubs. Each time, I reported back to my cabinet about the mixed responses I got from different people I had approached. Some were enthusiastic about being able to help, but some had the nerve to tell me, “It’s about time someone came to me about raising awareness for the environment. I have been waiting.” What irked me was not the fact that the person was rather rude and exuded immense bigotry. What struck me hardest was that this person waited around for someone to approach them about an issue so that he or she would not have to do the research. When it comes to raising awareness, laziness simply just does not cut it. Die hard social activists do not sit around and wait for a petition or a rally to fall out of the sky. Research plays a big role in helping to put a stop to the world’s problems. If many of us claim to be social activists, then why are we waiting for our meals to be served to us with a silver spoon?
Those who oppose my argument may tell me that raising awareness, with or without doing personal research, may not be as helpful as organizing an awareness event or rally, but it helps a cause regardless. However, the awareness is not so much the problem. It is about whether people decide to take initiative instead of sitting around for someone else’s hard work and research to inspire them to take action. The solution to this problem, though it may take much time to implement, is to teach the public that there are many smaller organizations out there that specialize in raising awareness for causes that are not so mainstream, like Kony 2012, Save Darfur, and many others. Although it is a great help to get the word out there about an issue, it would definitely help even more if people did their own research, created an organization of their own, and took initiative instead of waiting around for something to happen.
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In addition to those who wait around for miracles to happen, there are also those out there who help out an issue only to feel good about themselves. As a long time believer in environmental preservation, and as President of my former high school’s Environmental Club, I have come across many people who halfheartedly did work for the club and were absent from most general club meetings. As a firm believer in not doing something just to get something else in return, I believe that many people volunteer because they want something to put on their resumes, or they just simply want to feel like they have done their part to serve the community. Feeling good is not something that people should worry about when it comes to giving back. After all, what really matters in the end is whether or not awareness has been raised for a particular cause.
Going through life while only giving the bare minimum is a motto that I am sure most people do not live by. So, why do we treat the world’s charities and non-profits with barely there effort and minimal action? Waiting around and not being proactive is almost as bad as not doing anything at all. Those who want to become involved need to know that there is much more that goes into helping a cause than just posting something on Facebook or donating a couple dollars when an issue becomes mainstream. Who knows? Maybe an organization that you want to support, like one raising awareness for the prevention of stray possums, is out there. Research is the first step to anything. Getting out there and actually giving more than just the bare minimum also goes hand-in-hand with taking initiative. With a little more realization about our society’s problems and how we can take action to solve these problems together, the world should experience a much speedier recovery.