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0 pointszalew13y ago0 comments

Slacktivism is in fashion because it's just too easy, and it encourages even more of this behavior. One campaign justifies another one, although none of them accomplished anything significant. People justify it like you did, and they feel they are doing something. Are they? Better be honest with ourselves that we can't do crap, but it's a hard truth to endure.

Let's assume for a moment that one campaign to free someone in such situation would be successful. One person. From hundreds/thousands in one country. Probably tens of thousands throughout all oppresive countries. What would be the result? I'll tell you: the interwebs would proclaim it's own great success, that's a small leap but a giant step, blah blah. And happily in their chairs keep clicking, feeling like a hero while per every petition there is a thousand people keep being locked up and tortured and/or killed... Instead of exploring new ideas to act and engaging in more 'on the ground' action to help opressed people (probably the least but something practical you can do from home is keeping Tor running[1]), the web keeps signing up petitions. Taking part in such slacker campaigns is IMO a lose-lose situation, sorry.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwMr8Xl7JMQ&feature=relm...

btw Tor worked with Avaaz on collecting donations for communication devices, yet: 1) it was a Tor initiative. 2) https://secure.avaaz.org/en/egypt_blackout/ "$25,197 raised so far. Help us get to $100,000". From the frontpage "14,921,795 members worldwide" with a minimum ammount of $15 it gives only about 1700 members who wanted to pay anything (and I can only guess that this number is much lower and there were bigger donations from single entities).

0 comments

BjornW13y ago

Thanks for sharing your opinion, I've been saying the same things as you've said, except it won't help one bit.

Personally I've decided it's better to strive towards helping out with both new methods like your suggested Tor nodes and 'old methods' like petitions, than doing nothing at all. Only the latter will definitely preserve a status-quo and change nothing. Not for 1 person nor a thousand.

ommunist13y ago

Slacktivism is a business. I personally regret that one particular good engineer was put to jail. But again, it is the war going down there. And it is not Syria, but the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia are responsible for this disorder n bloodshed. Believe me, if you see the war is near, grab your G.O.O.D. bags, family and run if only you are not on duty of protection of your country. This guy could be detained for whatever reason, its a war. Stop the war, he'll come free if he is still alive.

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