The Siren Song of Violence

I should have a mirror in front of me as I write this—I am a needed audience for these thoughts, which occurred as I wrote Monday’s Kony post.

Humanity is a brutal species, and we have known strife and warfare since Cain slew Abel. As society ‘advanced’ we began to develop philosophical reservations with our bloodlust, yet at an equal pace we found increasingly sophisticated rationalizations for it, and ways to enjoy the adrenaline rush of battle and conflict with less blood, or at least less on our own personal hands.

In this ‘development,’ something even more sinister emerged—violence became a spectator sport. ‘Bloodgames’ like the gladiators, public executions, jousting tourneys and many early sports allowed people in times of relative peace and ease to pretend they were part of great battles…and still be secure in their own beds that night.

Thoughts on Kony

It’s hard to be on social media and miss the buzz on the KONY2012 campaign. In all honesty, I have not watched the video. The LRA’s reputation precedes it. In October, President Obama announced that he was sending 100 soldiers to Africa as advisors, specifically to target the LRA. His announcement made a little noise in the newsmedia and then disappeared. It is a little odd therefore that less than five months later, this massive campaign ignites the social media. I see it as quite a testament to the ephemerality of news and both the awareness and memory of many who seem to spend more time on social media than the news media.

Joseph Kony has done horrible things. What makes his atrocities even worse is he claims to do it in the name of God (amid a strange mix of occult tribal faiths). I would dearly love to see him stop, preferably repent, or failing that, be removed from the scene permanently.

Yet, when I first heard of the KONY 2012 campaign, I had reservations. I guess the main reason was that I’ve been on the web long enough to be suspicious of any online movement or sensationalism. Thus, I didn’t rush to watch it or support it. Sure enough, as more information came out about the Invisible Children organization, there was reason to be cautious.