At last, actual NEWS

***monologue inside my head***
deep breath... don't write slanderous comments on the internet that can be read by anybody... preserve your professional identity... don't call the people who you may see again some day stupid, bandwagon jumping, intellectually stunted, atrocities of humanity. They will likely take unkindly to these remarks. Instead, use general language and positive words... deep breath... now go.
***monologue ends***

The social media campaign du jour is the popular Kony2012. Of course, unless you live under a rock (in which case, power to you) you already know this. You have felt the social pressure to repost, retweet, and profess your support for the 30 minute video that has swept our nation. If you are like the handful of incredibly intelligent, wonderful people I have the honour of calling my best friends, you heard about the campaign, hit up the google, read between the lines, thoughtfully questioned the information, and created your own independent opinion on the issue. You then texted your friends to share, re-evaluate, and discuss like an adult. For you handful- I love you. Never change.

Now, for the rest of you that don't fit in my hand (and therefore are not part of my loving handful) I will use my available hand to smack you collectively on the side of your head... which like any good blogger means a few verbal lashings coupled with a point in the right direction.

I would like to highlight 2 key points that for some reason our society has forgot to teach you. Side note- shame on society.

1) Awareness does not equal Action. It can be a precursor for action, but it unto itself is not action. In fact, the bloggers of "Stuff White People Like" may have said it best and therefore I will point you in their direction. Awareness- Stuff White People Like
If you are moved by the story, you have an obligation to society to action it.
Options- find a charity to donate to (but for gosh sakes people, research the bloody charity first... READ THEIR BUDGET BREAKDOWN. More on this later.) OR support a government or government official who is in the position to make real change. Romeo Dallaire is an interesting Canadian making a real difference on this issue. And he has been well before Kony2012 captivated the country. Read up on him. Support him.

2) A good cause does not a good company make. All should approach investing in a cause with the same level of cautiousness that you would an investment in a company. Imagine a company that provides necessary and life-dependent resources to hospitals, emergency response personnel, schools, universities, and military projects. The company provides these services and resources unbiasedly allowing open access to their products at a well-regulated market price. Do you want to support this company? Well, yes. Who would say no to supporting a company that helps children, the needy, and all who ask for help? Buy stocks now, right? This description fits almost perfectly to oil companies. All the Exxons, BPs, Totals, and Shells of the world. Still want to support them? Right.
The same hesitations, judgments, and considerations that prevent you from openly supporting big oil should also be applied to whether you support a charity. Do the ends justify the means? When the ends are related to a hot topic such as child soldiers, the examination of the means should be no less stringent, fact-driven, and consciously made than any other decision you make as a functioning adult. Don't let your support of a cause dilute you into thinking you should support the charity. Keep the cause and the charity separate and make decisions to support companies with the same level of stringency that goes into making investments. Look at the budget breakdown of "non-profits". How much money goes towards actually helping your cause versus overhead? National organizations such as the American Institute of Philanthropy have benchmarks that they hold charities to. Research your favourite organization on their website Charity Watch. A simple search of the google will help you make your decision to help a smart investment.

All this rambling to say that if the Kony2012 campaign struck a chord with you and you are motivated to help, please do. Social media is not social action unto itself. Awareness must be coupled by agency. And not all actions or charities are created equal. Make the best decision for you.

Finally- let us all celebrate that news that the conviction of Thomas Lubanga "firmly establishes the use of children in war as an international crime." If you support Kony2012 then you should be elated to learn that the international community is acting on this issue, real decisions are being made, and villainous hate-mongering humans are being brought to justice. Share this news. Share this link.

Congolese War Lord Convicted of War Crimes- New York Times