These topics are pretty big these days. Kony 2012, and The
Hunger Games. I think I have been avoiding blogging about them because I think
they are both just really big topics to address. But the avoiding is over.
Disclaimer: these are my thoughts and feelings; by no means do I think I know
everything or that I have any answers.
With that being said here are my thoughts on Kony 2012. Wow.
What a huge campaign. What a great example of how powerful social media can be.
As a Public Relations major I have been impressed and really interested in how
they have handled everything. As a person who has been to Africa a few times, I
have a passion for Africa, and this hit my heart pretty hard. I know people
from Uganda and it was not the first time I had heard of The Invisible Children
Organization. I was shocked by how many people reposted the video and how many
conversations I had about it in the week following the videos explosion. The
thing that scared me the most was the bandwagon effect. It seemed to me that
within a matter of minutes people were watching the video and reposting it or
sharing it with friends. My guess is that these people did little to no
research on the topic itself. As a person in college, and as a Christian, I
think it is my role to be a smart consumer of the media that I intake and the
media that I put out or repost. There was no way that I was going to repost
that video right after watching it. My heart was hurting. I was confused. I didn’t
fully understand the topic and I knew I needed to read more if I was going to
support the movement or not. So, my challenge to you blog friends is to form
your own opinion. Be cautious when you decide to support something like this.
Do your research. Don’t repost it because all your friends are, don’t repost it
because it will make you look like a better Christian; do not repost it because
you want to “fix” Africa. Be able to have an informed decision and not just say
“what a cool video.”
Here are some articles that I have read to become more informed
on the topic. Read these, or don’t, feel free to read others. It’s not hard to
find them.
Micah 6:8
Now, The Hunger Games.
I went and saw The Hunger Games on opening weekend. I went
in feeling very skeptical. I knew the plot had children killing children and I
was confused as to how that could be entertaining. I saw it in Bluffton, Ohio
for $3 dollars in a theatre with one screen. Cute. Haha but that is besides the
point. I loved the movie. I was hooked. There were two things that really stood
out to me that took the “cool movie” to a much deeper level.
Here are the pretty ladies that I saw it with!
1.
The distribution of wealth.
My friend turned to me and said “it
is so weird how its suppose to be a futuristic movie and some of the people are
futuristic looking but the people in district 12 look so old fashioned.” To
that I responded with “Yea, that’s how our world is today.”The distribution of
the wealth today is unreal. The
percentage of people that have the money and power is crazy small. Just like
the capital city in The Hunger Games. I eat like a queen in my college
cafeteria while kids across the ocean and heck down the street are hoping that someone
will toss a loaf of bread their way. This is real life. It’s how it is right
now. Just like in The Hunger Games, yet, I don’t think people see it that way because
they don’t want to. It sucks. Sometimes holding a mirror up to your life makes
you want to close your eyes.
2.
Entertainment in our society.
One of the other things in the
movie that slapped me in the face was the parallel to what we find out
entertainment in. You might say “Paige, we are not entertained by watching kids
kill other kids” which is true… to a degree. But what are we entertained by? As
time goes on the things that are shown on TV and in movies gets more and more
disgusting. We, and myself, included are entertained by reality TV. In all
reality these shows have ruined lives or drastically changed them…and it is for
our entertainment. We watch movies where people brutally kill each other. It
might disturb us but to a degree we are entertained. It’s sick. I think it is
getting worse. Again, it’s the whole mirror thing. The Hunger Games shows a
drastic example….and it is something that I don’t think we want to face or except.
After seeing the movie I had an
awesome opportunity to meet with one of my professors and discuss it. Oh the
perks of a small school. It was a great conversation and I encourage you to
find others that want to talk about it with you. Of course, I am always willing
and would love it.
Those are my thoughts. Again, they are mine. I understand
that. My goal is not to offend anyone or get anyone upset but I want to
encourage you and spur you on to think more about both of these topics. I know
that they might not be right but I hope that they make you think. I hope that they
challenge you to think deeper about both of these headline topics.
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