“We would prefer to remain anonymous,” says Jane Summer*, president of the We’dRatherNotSay Club at USC. “To be honest, we just don’t want anyone to know that we ever pledged support in the first place.”
The We’dRatherNotSay Club is only one of many on campus that have chosen to withdraw their excitement and support from the Invisible Children’s KONY 2012 campaign since the 30 minute video’s premiere.
Upon the initial release of the viral video that outlined Invisible Children’s cause, many a college student took notice. In the days that followed, Invisible Children was slammed with accusations about its legitimacy and credibility, many of which came from unquestionably reliable internet bloggers and youtube responses from laptop-owning experts.
Will Kurr, a sophomore, changed his mind about supporting the organization. “As soon as I read that Invisible Children was shady and that I should always do my own research before buying into something, I believed it 100%. No more Invisible Children for me.”
As the debate raged on over the internet, IC suffered another embarrassing blow when filmmaker Jason Russell was taken into custody in San Diego after a very public meltdown, running through his neighborhood naked and yelling incoherently. “After something like that, I don’t know how I feel about my support anymore,” says Valerie Dew. “That guy is the ONLY person who works for Invisible Children!”
Through all of these setbacks, the We’dRatherNotSay Club stuck to their guns and remained supportive. That is, until the latest nail in the coffin.
According to the most recent report, individuals associated with Invisible Children “do not physically laugh out loud when typing LOL in chats, comments, texts, or emails. At best, they smile to express amusement.”
That was the last straw for We’dRatherNotSay. “I can’t believe they would be so deceitful. It forces you to wonder, what else are they lying about?” cries Jane. “They probably aren’t actually crying when they use the :’( emoticon to talk about Africa’s problems.”
In a time where information is more accessible than ever, it’s important to consider what really makes something worth supporting or condemning.
Or at least, that’s what I read somewhere.
*Name has not been changed.
