Friday, December 3, 2010

being counted

i changed my fb profile from a facepic to a cartoon from my childhood, in response to an online campaign on violence against children. as more people got into it, my fb friends list became so cute and colorful. and it prompted nice exchanges, recalling cherished childhood memories.


then i started reading negative reactions. i interpret them to mean that this campaign is a superficial action to a deep, disturbing issue. na-guilty naman ako. a profile pic change will not prevent another child from being abused.

wearing my marketing hat, i now reason that the online campaign serves its purpose of raising awareness for the issue of violence against children.

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from ur childhood & invite ur friends to do the same. Until monday (Dec.6) there should be no human faces on facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is for violence against children.

the issue exists, i know, but it doesnt enter my consciousness. until now. so in that respect, the campaign achieves its goal. but just like so many marketing campaigns, it is incomplete. being an advocacy for change, the campaign should end with some action point. once i change my profile pic, what could i do next? file a petition to a congressman? memorize a "bantay bata" helpline? give funds? just like the trevor project. being aware of the issue directed one to an online help center.

having said that, people who participated, who "stood up to be counted" should not be faulted. it is the campaign's shortcoming. not ours. and if i am having fun in the process of being made aware of the issue, should i feel guilty? i dont think i should. even if i do not make steps to know the issue on deeper level, that is not my character flaw. the campaign fell short of inducing me to do such.

and as fellow fab puts it...

Yung mga pumupuna sa mga naglalagay ng cartoon profile pic, relax lang kayo. Wala namang masama. Kanya-kanya ang intensiyon, yung iba for fun, yung iba to show support. Di naman siguro required lahat ay katulad ninyong nakikibaka. Kung gusto ng mga taong umaksiyon, good. Kung ayaw, hayaan ninyo lang. Walang basagan ng trip.

Dude, walang basagan ng trip... at ng eggs!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

4 comments:

Ming Meows said...

tama nga naman. i joined the trend coz i think it's cool and not because of child violence chovaroo. may batas na for child violence. kulang na lang implementation.

engel said...

i say amen.

MkSurf8 said...

ay para anti child chuvaness chenes pala yon? choz!

Videoke King said...

It's sad to see that some people joined the cause just because it's "cool". Posting a cartoon picture may not seem to help at all, but when millions share the same thought, say a prayer for children who were abused, and hope that such violence ends, then it can make a big difference. Noetic Science, if you're a believer, shows that the power of thought can do the impossible.