Smugness is a small price to pay for awareness

By Emalee L Smith | Thu, 8 Mar 2012

The KONY 2012 vide has gone viral, and it seems there are two basic reactions to it: watch, repost and forget; or, watch and make hateful comments about the dangers of slactivism. Katie Baker, of the Jezebel blog, writes that the arrogance and ego-driven "indieness" of the video detracts from any good the message itself might do. Baker complains about the vessel, and then quotes sources that disparage the methods of Invisible Children, the non-profit that produced the video. She arrives at her main point in the conclusion: readers should educate themselves about any cause before they devote time, resources or empathy to it. 

Baker's frustration is justified; the video is decidedly over-produced and clearly organized to register a ten on almost anyone's charm scale. However, as she points out, what better way to reach large numbers than maximizing overall appeal? Is there something wrong with that tactic, especially when employed for a good cause? And more importantly, if the video does inspire just a handfull of people to make appreciable change toward peace, it will be worth it. After all, the world will not heal itself all at once, but one single consciousness at a time.