I have nothing against armchair activists. The internet made us all into armchair activists… and armchair anarchists, armchair communists, armchair humanitarians. You know what they say: “Suddenly everyone’s a critic.” This is punditry 2.0 and we’re here to tell you what’s what no matter how poorly-written, ill-informed, and biased these opinions are. Frankly, fuck statistics. You can’t judge people through statistics.
I seem to be going off on a tangent here so let’s get back to my initial point: armchair activists are people too. We all walk before we are able to run, and internet charities are the first step to a life of anti-war rallies, police batons, tear gas, and protesting against the “1%”. Does it do anything? Fuck no! It rarely helps. The years of governments being toppled by revolutions are long gone. Today, rallies are an excuse to convene and act concerned. We have been too complacent. We have sat in our armchairs for far too long, and now is the time to stand up lest we avoid boils all over asses.
Case in point, the whole Kony 2012 campaign. While it’s a noble cause that reeks eerily of white guilt, it must be said that Joseph Kony is nothing but a side-effect, a single tumor in a cancer-ridden system. If you want to end the recruitment of child-soldiers, then the war must be stopped. And of course, trade sanctions won’t do shit except create more disenfranchised children, and disenfranchised children are perfect targets for militias like The Lord’s Resistance Army. It is a vicious cycle. Instead of bombing the Middle East for oil, I suggest the world leaders to focus their resources and energy to stopping the war in Africa instead of mining for oil in the pretense of hunting invisible boogeymen who may or may not be dead.
I’m not saying blow up Africa. I’m saying that it’s the UN’s job to facilitate and broker a truce between all the parties at fault.
Now, fuck off and do your job. Don’t let rich white kids do it for you.
