Riding on the Brandwagon

I couldn’t have said it better myself: branding humanity. That is what has been keeping me up this past week. I’ve been trying to sum all of my thoughts in a statement and, lo and behold, the guest speaker did it for me. It’s what annoys me about social networking and makes me antsy about “supporting” a cause in the digital format. There are certainly benefits to being able to support a cause in the digital age. It’s certainly easier to voice your opinion to a far broader audience. Web videos can be played again and again, links can be copied and pasted, emails forwarded etc. However, just because the visibility of a cause is increased doesn’t mean that the social problem is being addressed any better.

It’s disconcerting, to say the least, that some people view my generation as apathetic. I don’t think that this is an accurate description whatsoever. I do think, however, that my generation is pathetic and just doesn’t know it. It’s so much easier to “support” a cause when there’s no accountability for any physical or future support. While the web has generated many more avenues to gain support and create awareness, it has also created this world in which apathy comes disguised in a click of a button, a t-shirt, a bracelet. What do these things really say anyway? It’s not that we don’t care – we just don’t care enough. We want to find the cure to cancer, but we don’t volunteer, we want the hungry to eat, but we don’t want to feed them. Isn’t this a more accurate description of what’s happening in our society?

There’s more social interaction, but face to face interaction is weakening. We live in an age where we don’t have to know our neighbors or even co-workers to be successful. Technology has allowed us to network with millions of people while simultaneously allowing is to be selective about whom we have contact with. We insist on being connected on this massive scale, and yet, we refuse to commit out of fear of being restrained. The result is that of compromise. I think we’re settling because we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s ok to settle when in reality, I believe we need to commit one way or the other in order to make progress. So, in short, I it’s not our decisions but our indecisions that make us appear to be apathetic.

Below are some links to some sites that address breast cancer in different ways. It’s October!!!!!

http://apps.facebook.com/pinkribbon/?re=636209318
https://breathingroomfoundation.org/Home_Page.php
http://www.komenphiladelphia.org/http://www.savethetatas.com/

http://www.savethetatas.com/