I'm sure we are all aware of the movement that took the college world by storm, KONY 2012. It seems the activism that it spurred has come and gone. It also appears that since the organization's creator, Jason Russell, had his public meltdown that people have forgotten about the charity and instead focused on the fallout.
You're only remembered for the last memorable thing you did, I suppose.
It's a sad fact really. Sure, on the surface it seems funny that a man who successfully got a large portion of a generation to rally around a cause ended up crumbling and getting arrested for none-other than masterbating in public. But is that all we're going to talk about from here on out? Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes.
That seems to be the way we work. Joe Paterno is being remembered for the scandal not his accomplishments, for example. It's almost as if, as a society, we enjoy watching heroes fall. We like to point out that they are only as human as we are and then negate their accomplishments.
Don't get me wrong, I'm neither supporting or objecting to Russell's charity... simply pointing out what seems to be a universal truth.
I'm merely suggesting that perhaps we need to stop defining people such as Jason Russell by their latest action and instead look at them as the person they are and the things they've accomplished as a whole. As a society we need to stop sensationalizing mistakes to sell papers and magazines and instead focus on the real issues at hand.
The issue at hand here is not that Russell apparently had a mental breakdown, it's that he brought attention to an issue that is deserving of attention.
Our attention is misdirected. When will we stop wasting our energy on time cutting people down to size?
I hate the fact that making one mistake in the world today can completely overpower all of the good you have done in your life prior to it. Society will tear you apart if you slip up. We are unrelenting in our criticisms of genuinely good people who made a mistake or two, and we cast a shadow over them and their accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I actually think about this a lot and go back and forth with myself on the issue. When JoePa passed away a lot of people had mixed feelings about him because he did so much good in his life, but he also made one very large mistake (in some people's opinions). So the question is what should you remember? In my opinion it's the good. Maybe the bad is bad enough to want to hate the person, but you should never forget the impact they had on the world, like Joe with the university or Russel with his KONY movement. I think society just likes a scandel and it's actually really sad it can overshadow the accomplishments of a person.
ReplyDeleteI will agree with you to say that heroes should be remembered for their accomplishments and not their downfalls. However, I will have to question whether Jason Russell is a true hero. The issue he made the mass public aware of is great, but is he truly a hero? I do not think so. He made awareness of Kony and his actions that over 25 years have been known. Kony is not even in Uganda anymore. Yes what he is doing to children by creating child soldiers to rebel anyone that opposes them is quite morally wrong, but even the people of Uganda agree that there should be less attention focused on them because he is not much of a threat anymore in Northern Uganda. Invisible Children on the other hand, are not a god send either. Only 30% of the profits they make go towards charitable actions such as helping to making schools in Uganda, etc. I do not think Jason Russell can be compared to the likes of Joe Paterno.
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