It's a fine idea, I suppose, but I can do much better than to simply raise awareness.
Not long ago, ladies on Facebook were announcing the color of their bra in an effort to "raise awareness" of breast cancer. Since 1) breast cancer is very well known and 2) since none of them even mentioned breast cancer, this silly movement had no effect on the problem. I am faced with someone "raising awareness" of an obvious fact every week but far fewer people actually do something to help.Instead of changing the way I dressed in order to "raise awareness" of poverty, I donated two pairs of shoes to a local charity so that someone in need can change they way they dress. Millions of barefooted people who feel sorry for the poor don't amount to much actual help, but millions of people donating used shoes is a big deal. (I don't buy many clothes, so the fact that I can donate two pairs of shoes means that almost everyone reading this should be able to do the same.)
The time for raising awareness about obvious problems is over - how would you like it if the doctor raised awareness of your broken leg without fixing it? - and the time has come to get busy.
7 comments:
Your assumption seems to be that raising awareness is not in itself taking action, which I can't agree with. Choosing to make a statement about something is doing something about it, even if it's not enough in your view. When all those people posted the color of their underwear on Facebook, the goal was to raise awareness of breast cancer on both an individual and institutional level. Can you guarantee that not one single person, after seeing that, said "hmm, that reminds me, maybe I should give myself a breast exam or get a mammogram?" Of course not. I fail to accept your premise that raising awareness of something is by itself ineffective at making changes. Sure, there's more you can do, but raising awareness plays a vital role in that and shouldn't be discounted just because some find it annoying.
Posting the word "yellow" without context does not help anyone - it does not even raise awareness.
Most of the people I know who complain about social problems have the ability to donate clothing or money to alleviate the situation but do not do it - it is that attitude that I decry.
Thank You!
Ugh, and this Friday our long planned event on campus is now in conflict with other students suddenly setting up cardboard boxes to sleep in at the same time as our outdoor event, which will mess with student's possible chances at meeting with potential employers who are planning to see their work that night.
But that's not really the big issue. I know a ton of really zealous people who have 'such big hearts' for these situations they hear about and send me a ton of facebook cause awareness application invites, and they probably do some mission work here and there and are great Jesus-loving people, but they rarely seem to do much about the causes they want to fill my facebook profile with. I guess according to your friend I should accept them all and maybe someone passing by would see them and consider doing something; but it would be much more easy for me to receive if the people trying to constantly make me aware also sent their message with an example of how they've done something for the cause they are so sympathetic for!
It is our Christian duty to solemnly display our solidarity with those less fortunate, and then afterward to have an ice cream social.
Someone tell those poor Somalis that we are having casserole to raise awareness that they DON'T have casseroles. I feel better already. The only thing that could make me feel better would be some carbon offsets.
Now you've got the right idea, Adam.
Adam, I completely agree. James 2:115-16 15(C)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "(D)Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
Raise awareness, fine, but to what end? DO SOMETHING about it! Give money if you can, used clothing, skip a few meals out and send that money to them.
I saw the KFC commercials where everytime you buy a bucket of chicken they are donating .50 of it to the Susan G Komen foundation. Here's a better idea, how bout instead of spending the $5 or whatever on the bucket of chicken just so KFC sends .50 to Breast Cancer research, how about sending the whole amount of money you would have spent on it to them? that's just a thought.
Don't just raise awareness. Do something. Justin, just making the statement isn't doing something. Sure someone else might hear and do something, but that isn't YOU taking action personally... Now, some of those raising awareness may also be giving or something, but not all. And I think Adam's point, if I can speak for him here, is that we need to stop cooling our conscience by simply raising awareness and feeling pity and not letting that awareness be our motivation.
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