As it so happens every morning, once my workload at my GA job was taken care of and I realized I still had three hours to kill, I sat down to read articles found on Fark.
For those not in the know, Fark is both internet slang for another four-letter "F" word and the address of a humorous community news aggregate, where users posts links to online articles with funny and irreverent headlines. Today, one of those links took me to a Slate article that discussed Hillary Clinton's Nevada primary victory over Bernie Sanders.
Which got me thinking, of all things, about Joseph Kony.
Back in 2012, when I was about halfway through my time at UCO for my undergraduate degree, Kony 2012 hit the NCYL (New College Youth Liberal) scene like a semi truck.
No, I didn't get that acronym from anywhere, I just made it up as I wrote it. Moving on.
For those who need a refresher, "Kony 2012" is a documentary that focused on the actions of wanted war criminal and terrorist Joseph Kony, the founder of the Ugandan rebel/terrorist group "Lord' Resistance Army," who has proclaimed himself, essentially, God, whose list of accused atrocities include the kidnapping of children as child soldiers and sex slaves. Produced by the San Diego-based "Invisible Children" charity, the film was highly praised for its ability to spur community activism, but was highly criticized for, among other things, being oversimplistic of complex issues, and that most of the funds raised through the film have gone to pay salaries rather than help people on the ground in sub-Saharan Africa.
Personally, I have to thank the film for leading to the breakdown of Invisible Children founder Jason Russell, which lead to the creation of one of my favorite South Park gags and songs of all time, "Jackin' It in San Diego."
I remember commenting to fellow staffers at UCO's student newspaper about how the #Kony2012 campaign amongst young people felt kind of like armchair activism, people speaking for what they believe and against what they view as injustice and atrocity in the world, without...you know...actually doing something about it.
Fast forward to 2016, and I can't look at my Facebook feed without seeing at least three posts, links, cartoons, memes, or other reference in support of Sanders, dehumanizing conservatives, mocking Trump, and so on. Clearly, people are paying attention and, whether I personally agree or not, making their opinions known.
Yet as I read that Slate article, talking about how voter turnout in the Nevada primary was lower than 2008, and how just about every article about the U.S. political process I've read in recent memory at least touches on how American voter turnout is among the lowest amongst global democracies, I can't help but think that this process, and the swell of support for Sanders in particular, is approaching armchair activism levels of Kony-esque proportions.
Yes, Sanders leads amongst Democrats under 40, but sitting at a keyboard and sharing images illustrating Sanders as the love child of Bert and Ernie, while funny, does precisely dick to actually get something done. It's a narrative I've heard most of my voting life, dating all the way back to high school when MTV and Puff Daddy (I don't know what his name is now, but Sean Combs will always be "Puff Daddy" to me) put out music videos about the importance of voting, yet very few people seem to be bothered to do it. People, particular of my generation and below, love to shout and make their voices heard, but comparatively few want to put in the work to do anything that would affect even part of their personal goals. It's like sitting in the middle of the road and complaining that you get hit by a semi truck when you refuse to move.
Democracy works when people put work in to it. If you support Sanders, vote for Sanders. If you support Clinton, vote for Clinton. If you support Cruz, then vote for Cruz.
If you support Trump, unfriend me, unfollow me, then vote for Trump, because chances are I think you're batshit.
Don't let personal pessimism and the false sense of accomplishment that social media activism provides keep you from taking real action to make your voice heard.
Now, I myself am rather sarcastic and pessimistic, and if my metrics are any indicator, the reach this post will get is rather miniscule, so I doubt we'll see a great swell of people at the voting booth thanks to anything I do here. Then again, I may be proven wrong. We may get the highest turnout for an election since AM radio was the stuff of science fiction, and my numbers will go through the roof.
If that happens...well...