Not Only Kony

Since 1986. Joseph Kony has been reigning for 26 years. We've allowed this to go on for 26 years. This is what baffles me the most about America. Whenever the news makes a big deal about something, we all of a sudden feel the need to help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to help millions of children who have been abudcted, raped, killed, and forced to kill their parents. However, why is media bringing this to our attention now? How many lives could have been saved at this point and time?



I don't like the media's endorsement of instant gratification. We are fed the news in choppy pieces, often leaving gaps of information out. The earthquake in Haiti for example. We were there to support them the first couple of months they needed immediate help. But after the second month, all of the awareness stopped. I'm pretty sure Haiti wasn't renewed within a two-month time period. But the media failed to show us that. That exemption leads us to believe that everything is, in other words, "peachy keen" in Haiti. Since then, they've been struggling with establishing a new President, are dealing with cholera (which has killed over 7,000 to date), and many other threatening issues that are hindering their revival.



Japan went through the same process as well, maybe even shorter. Everyone helped Japan for a span of a few months and that was it. Nothing. There were no updates as to how these people are doing. There are no follow up videos months down the line to see what still needs to be done. Japan could still be in shambles and we'd be completely oblivious. The point of the matter is that the media feeds us this "happily ever after" ideal when the truth is everything is not completely fixed.

It is not our fault that the media leaves out these chunks of information. But do realize that when a big issue comes at hand, it is more than face value.



So by all means, stop Joseph Kony. Keep in mind that this is an enormous task and that we're going to need more than just a kit to help these children. It is, however, a step in the right direction. But let us remember that a scene so gruesome and inhumane shouldn't be something that disappears within a few months. This is and has been happening all over the world. Keep yourself educated. Delve deeper than what you see on the news.