"Let's change the world, bro." My Thoughts On The Role of T-Shirt Activism.
NOTE: This is an old draft of a blog on an old news topic, but a relevant issue. And I wrote it, darn it!
As many of you have seen or read about, the Invisible Children KONY2012 campaign has caused quite a stir recently over the strategies and tactics of organizations that espouse "t-shirt activism." From Invisible Children, to Not For Sale, an organization that boasts that you can "fight slavery with custom apparel," something is obvious: t-shirt activism is the way to go.
I think it says something very sad about American culture when the only way that we can become persuaded to get involved with a cause or issue is if we are offered a shiny gift in return. For the low, low price of $25 we can purchase a hip t-shirt AND feel good about ourselves for the day.
While there is nothing wrong with using creative expression to attract attention, there are inherant contradictions about using the capitalism of a mass social media and product-driven campaign to solve grassroots problems in grassroots communities abroad.
Don't get me wrong, t-shirts definitely have their place. As many of you have seen from my last two posts, I helped lead a feminist t-shirt campaign for Feminist Pride Day at my university. However, the goals of our campaigns were clear (get college kids to openly talk about feminism on campus) and the campaign was also communicated directly via the t-shirt medium. We wanted to get people to talk about feminism, and thus, having people wear and take pictures with the word "FEMINIST," was a logical step. We were not, however, advertising that we were trying to end the oppression of all women via a t-shirt or a bracelet that you could buy for $10. Notably, we raised money so that the t-shirts would be given out for free, so that any and all individuals could participate without any financial barriers. Additionally, the t-shirts were bare-bones and literally only said "THIS IS WHAT A _______ FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE." We gave people the opportunity to write in things like "male," "nerdy," "lesbian," "straight," and many other adjectives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7DO73Ese25Y
This video isn't fancy, it doesn't have a great soundtrack, and it wasn't made by a documentary filmmaker, but she has some legit things to say.
Quote from this young woman, who is Ugandan: "I am just promoting the education one should do before they believe everything they see. The Kony 2012 Video is not the only information you should rely on. Research. I am all for the cause, just not the video that was made."
The people who are really in need on the ground need shelter, health care, vaccines and condoms more than they need posters and t-shirts. Flashy international ddvocacy means little without concrete action.
From my Women in International Development Prof, Eliz Sanasarian: "We had all these grand ideas coming from the U.S. about advocacy for women in Kenya....but when we went to Nairobi we realized that these women aren't interested in feminist activism, they were interested in how to protect their families and provide basic necessities like food and shelter. They didn't care about ideology, they just wanted food and clean water.
On Facebook, a friend of mine echoed a similar thought: "Could you imagine what $30 from each of the 20 million kids that have viewed the Kony 2012 video could do when it comes to AIDS education and planned parenthood? It's mind-boggling!
Think about that for a second. Think about how much food you could buy for a child in a developing country with $30 USD. With $30 USD, a relief organization could feed a child in Africa for about 2 weeks, give or take a few meals. That is why the only international activist t-shirt I've ever actually used my own money to purchase was for exactly this very tangible cause: feeding young children. The t-shirt that I just linked to was created by Sevenly, and the money went to the organization Relief International.* The money from the purchase was directly earmarked for funding the therapeutic feeding centers in Darfur. http://www.notforsalestore.org/2011/08/t-shirt-activism-fight-slavery-with-custom-apparel/
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136673/mareike-schomerus-tim-allen-and-koen-vlassenroot/obama-takes-on-the-lra?page=show
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136673/mareike-schomerus-tim-allen-and-koen-vlassenroot/obama-takes-on-the-lra?page=show
*Full disclosure: I intern for Relief International, but we were not required to personally participate in that campaign, it was entirely my personal choice. Before my internship, I also donated to Relief International's fundraising efforts following the 2010 disaster in Japan.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the views of USC, the USC Women's Student Assembly, or Relief International.
