Adam Braun, the founder of Pencils of Promise (a non profit organization that builds schools in the developing world) just perfectly summed up my thoughts on this situation on twitter...
"Sorry but my excitement for what is happening right now can't be contained in 140 characters, so be prepared for a rant. What is happening with @invisible right now is one of the greatest things in the history of organizations trying to create good. You may call them nonprofits but that's a bull#### term, we are FOR-PURPOSE organizations- We don't exist to not profit, to force ourselves and our staffs to live in poverty, we exist to achieve a purpose and to make the world we leave behind better than the world we inherited. Any criticism of IC is wrong, think big picture and realize the cultural impact they've had in 48 hours is what brands spend hundreds of millions of dollars emulating, they hire agencies and PR and focus on "the consumer" to sell more stuff and that same ingenuity is being applied to a true purpose through #Kony2012 and it's changed the game. For a brief moment in history, people are going outside of their comfort zone and their normal routine to INSIST that others watch this film. I've been emailed, messaged and tweeted at hundreds of times in times in the last 48 hours to "WATCH THIS FILM", because it stirred something emotional in others that made them demand justice and has actually made it desirable to focus your energy on making the world better. Can you imagine if each person spent their time and energy on pursuing purpose over profit, or even reached for their own intersection of "profitable purpose". Think of how alive you felt while watching the film, how riveted you were by 29 mins when everyone claims we only have a 2 min attention span...For the kids out there, seek a life that NEVER LET'S THAT FEELING GO...There's a new wave of people and organizations out there (@invisible @dosomething @charitywater @fallingwhistles@pencilsofpromis)...Passionate, capable and driven by purpose above all else.#Kony2012 is just the start of our potential as a global, connected community to address the world's biggest problems. In our lifetime we can solve education, disease, water and beyond.We're living in a special moment. Remember this. Inhale life, and exhale your fire." -Adam Braun
I've known about IC ever since the beginning of High School when our school's leadership program would raise money for this organization that was just starting up. Unlike most people who just found out about IC, and what they were doing, I've seen the documentary they put out 5 years ago. I've never forgotten nor will I ever forget the children and the graphics that I saw in that video.
But, regardless of what organization could have released a video like this, regardless of if it was about Joseph Kony or not, I think what happened yesterday goes to show how much young people like ourselves can spread the word about a global issue in an instant. The feeling that we all got when we watched the video and how fast we responded to it just goes to show how powerful our generation can really be. Regardless of the topic, look at how we can all be affected in a matter of a few minutes, a few hours. Our generation has so much power because of the use of the internet. I'm sure the majority of our parent's had no idea what was going on last night when we were all watching the Kony video, and I'm sure my own mother, or grandparents, still have no idea until they watch the news tonight.
What I think is really cool, is how quickly we can all agree to come together for a cause. I'm interested to see how many people actually show up to the Cover The Night events all over the world. To me, it's not about just plastering posters all over the city you live in, because people will already know what's about to happen, and they will have seen the images on the posters before. What I think will be fun, is how everyone who gathers together on April 20th 2012 will all be coming together for a common cause, and I would bet money on the fact that probably 99% of people who show up will be kids and young adults like ourselves. The idea of being able to bring together so many people to show their voice and support for a cause excites me beyond belief. To me, showing our voice and our ideas using this approach will be more effective then any kind of election I will ever vote in. You don't see this happening everyday. I think that if people stick to this and still care enough about sharing their voice when April 20th finally arrives, we can show the world that our generation isn't just a bunch of useless kids that sit behind a computer screen all day, but that we can use that to make the world a better place to live in.
So all you adults with your high paying jobs and whose kids probably watched the video last night and felt inspired for even just a moment, try to keep putting down the people who actually want to try and create awareness about global issues in the world. Go on, keep putting down your kids, their dreams and their ambitions, and their generation while you sit on your computers and criticize other people's efforts. You're no better.
And for all of you criticizing Invisible Children today, here's their response to your critiquing.
http://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-...critiques.html