lol sofia is the main character in sofia the first, a cartoon on disney jr.
you'll see soon enough, my friend. embrace sofia. it's one of the better cartoons out there, promise!
Plus, Tim Gunn as Bailiwick!
Uh, it's Baileywick and I'm way too excited to share my name with him haha! Did you see the episode where he said 'we can make it work' ? I almost DIED! Well played Disney. Well played.
Your comments reminded me of something I read recently that I would love to hear more thoughts on.
Do you think with social media we've tuned out real suffering, and as a result real helping? It's easy to just 'share' a picture like that, talk about how sad it is, and then go on with our day? It's almost as though people are replacing doing something with sharing about something. I wonder if with how much exposure we get to things now it's just as easy to change your profile picture, use a creative hashtag, share a photo and feel as though you did something.
The picture is so sad but I think they're well done and bring awareness to a catastrophic event. Did y'all hear about the dad selling pens whose photo went viral and over $100k was raised for him? We are so quick to throw money at a problem but what is the real solution?
Uh, it's Baileywick and I'm way too excited to share my name with him haha! Did you see the episode where he said 'we can make it work' ? I almost DIED! Well played Disney. Well played.
Hahaha I just noticed...I typed Baileywick and it autocorrected!
Your comments reminded me of something I read recently that I would love to hear more thoughts on.
Do you think with social media we've tuned out real suffering, and as a result real helping? It's easy to just 'share' a picture like that, talk about how sad it is, and then go on with our day? It's almost as though people are replacing doing something with sharing about something. I wonder if with how much exposure we get to things now it's just as easy to change your profile picture, use a creative hashtag, share a photo and feel as though you did something.
The picture is so sad but I think they're well done and bring awareness to a catastrophic event. Did y'all hear about the dad selling pens whose photo went viral and over $100k was raised for him? We are so quick to throw money at a problem but what is the real solution?
I started answering this on my phone but it got long and hard to type eon there...so I switched to my computer. All of that to say, bear with me, my thoughts might be long, lol.
I think photos/articles/etc...any media that highlights the suffering of people in need is necessary. I think different people need to be moved into different levels of action. For some, just thinking about the realities that people face is a step in the right direction...maybe there aren't the type of person who would normally follow international news, or who haven't typically taken an interest in social justice issues. For them, just clicking a link and learning about something new is important, or sparking a debate about it, it can all lead to new ideas. Others may already know about what is happening but may not know how to help. Financial donations aren't going to solve the actual problems that lead to crisis but they can help deal with the immediate needs that are a result of the crisis. Others still will see an issue raised, and, maybe because of how many issues they have seen before, begin to think more deeply about how their actions play a role...who they vote for, don't vote for, where they shop, how they spend their money, their time, etc...as they consider those things, their belief systems will change. Others still will be called to action and will take an active role in social justice movements. I don't think it is just about throwing money at a problem - for some people that IS how they react, but not for all.
I think there is another reason why it is important that the world be saturated with images of the what happens in other places, to other people. The reality is that 80% of the world's resources are consumed by 20% of the population. The Western world is incredibly well off in comparison to the rest of the world. Yes, there is poverty here, violence here, racism here...there are problems here, of that there is no doubt. But it doesn't negate what is happening elsewhere in the world, AND, even more importantly, the role we have played, however unknowingly, in those realities.
I truly believe that there are powerful forces at work (I don't mean the devil, lol), actively trying to do two things: a) make us not focus on those things and b) keep us living in fear.
To the first point: They don't want us to focus on the atrocities elsewhere because they benefit from them. Plain and simple...war and conflict, it is a money maker. Keeping the poorest in the world poor makes the richest in the world richer. Being able to rape and pillage the world for resources in order to maintain the low costs of goods, that's good for the bottom line.
To the second point: Fear controls people. While we don't always acknowledge how good we have it, we can always been convinced of how much worse it could be...the culture of fear is not new...it is also entrenched in a culture of hate...fear and hate the British - they tax you and don't let you have a say in your gov't...fear and hate black people, if you let them be free/vote/go to school with your children/marry your children your own culture/beliefs/traditions will be at risk of being sullied and ruined...fear and hate the communists, they are a threat to freedom and capitalism, fear and hate muslims (heck, anyone in a turban)...they all want to kill you. That fear, it is used to control people into believing that all actions taken are justifiable in order to protect what we already have...it's about protecting those in power, it's about diverting attention away from the consequences of those actions, the human consequences, to social consequences...people who live in fear are willing to sacrifice others to save themselves.
I think pictures of suffering can help us refocus on the realities instead of ignoring them and instead of succumbing to the fears we have been sold...
I don't profess to have a solution to solving any of these problems. I think the problems that exist within and between countries are incredibly complex. But I also think it is important to discuss them. To discuss our role in them. In my case, it is about how my country has made it more difficult for refugees to a) come here and b) stay here. I play a role in that because I can vote. I can vote for a gov't that shares my values. And if that photo caused more Canadians to call into question our policy with regards to refugees, I think it was worthwhile. And that is only one example of how I think it can lead to change.
I will confess that that dead baby all over my news feed did make me uncomfortable, but it also reminded me that I should donate some money to a refugee agency on the ground. I think that boiling down the suffering of many into such a powerful image and releasing it broadly is effective. It hits you in the heart in a way that numbers and vague descriptions don't. These people are being treated so terribly by so many nations it should be appalling.