Ice Bucket Challenge to support ALS research: Activism or slacktivism?冰桶挑戰,支持ALS的研究:激進或slacktivism?

By Chi-hao James Lo, The China Post
August 20, 2014, 12:01 am TWN

If the Internet is an important aspect of your life, then you are no stranger to the latest social media trend: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Whether it be YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, videos of people pouring a bucket full of ice-cold water over their heads and then calling out and tagging their friends to do the same has since spread all over the Net like wildfire. The fad has gained even more popularity as a result of some very public participation of politicians and celebrities.

The reason for the self-inflicted torture has been widely announced to be in the name of charity. Like its name suggests, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge calls for public donations to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) foundations. However, after a deeper look, one can argue whether the craze is in the name of activism or in the name of slacktivism.

The argument stems from the various forms of the challenge. Some have said that the challenge calls for participants to pour ice water over themselves in lieu of donating US$100 to charity, while some have said that by partaking in the challenge you pledge to donate US$10 instead of US$100. Either way, the most important question is actually whether such a trend truly brings awareness and aid to ALS patients in the name of activism, or none at all, giving only popularity or publicity to participants in the name of slacktivism.

No matter the intention, the answer seems obvious. The term ALS is not even touched upon by the majority of challenge participants, let alone the names of potential charity foundations. And let's face it, the trend has gained so much popularity because we as humans enjoy watching our friends and loved ones perform acts of voluntary ridiculousness. Seeing such acts conducted by the rich and famous is of course even more appealing, ultimately leading to a video one wants to watch rather than a charity one wants to be a part of. Reportedly, local ALS charities have said that they have yet to receive any donations, even after having their name addressed.

Even when ALS is addressed in challenges by those who truly understand the meaning behind the fad, does it not overshadow the importance of other diseases that require our attention and donations? Asserting too much attention on one subject has always proven to do more harm than good, much like the Internet sensation that was “Kony 2012,” in which humanitarian organization “Invisible Children” called for the general public to help stop African warlord Joseph Kony from creating more child soldiers through pledges and donations. After gaining worldwide popularity and attention, Kony remains at large in Africa while the organization raked in millions of dollars worldwide.

On a more medical note, the challenge has also been warned by medical experts to cause potential bodily harm. Doctors in Taiwan have reported that challenge participants might be prone to strokes without a proper warm-up or the necessary preparations for the body to experience a drastic temperature drop. Post-challenge precautions are just as important to save the body from going into hyperthermia.

Let's be honest, what sort of awareness does one receive or preach by dumping a bucket of ice over one's head? Brain freeze perhaps?

冰桶挑戰,支持ALS的研究:激進或slacktivism?

由智豪詹姆斯·羅,在中國郵政
2014年8月20日,上午12:01 TWN

如果互聯網是你的生活的一個重要方面,那麼你並不陌生,最新的社交媒體趨勢:ALS的冰桶挑戰。無論是YouTube和Facebook或Twitter,人們澆滿是冰冷的水桶在他們頭上的影片,然後呼叫和標記他們的朋友做同樣已蔓延全國各地如火如荼的淨額。這股熱潮已經獲得了更為普及一些非常公開的政治家和名人參與的結果。

究其原因,自找折磨已被廣泛公佈是在慈善的名義。就像它的名字所暗示的,ALS的冰桶挑戰公眾捐款,以肌萎縮性脊髓側索硬化症(ALS)的基礎要求。然而,深入了解後,我們可以說這股熱潮是否在激進的名稱,或在slacktivism的名字。

該參數源於各種形式的挑戰。有人說,挑戰要求參與者代替捐贈100美元給慈善機構的倒冰水了自己,而有些人說,在單打獨鬥的挑戰,你承諾捐贈10美元,而不是美國的100美元。無論哪種方式,最重要的問題實際上是這樣一個趨勢,是否真正帶來了知名度和援助ALS患者的維權行動,或無的名稱可言,參與者只給人氣還是宣傳slacktivism的名字。

無論是有意,答案似乎是顯而易見的。術語ALS是不是即使在受到廣大的挑戰參與者感動,更何況潛在的慈善基金會的名字。讓我們面對現實吧,這種趨勢已經獲得了這麼多的人氣,因為我們人類喜歡看我們的朋友和親人進行自願的荒謬行為。看到了富人和名人進行的這種行為當然是​​更有吸引力的,最終導致視頻人願意看,而不是一個慈善人願意成為其中的一部分。據了解,當地的ALS慈善機構都表示,他們還沒有收到任何捐款,甚至有自己的名字稱呼的。

即使ALS是由那些誰真正了解時尚背後的意義論及的挑戰,它不能掩蓋的,需要我們的關注和捐款等疾病的重要性?主張過多的注意力放在一個主題一直被證明這樣做弊大於利,就像互聯網的感覺,這是“科尼2012”,其中的人道主義組織“看不見的孩子”呼籲廣大市民,以幫助阻止非洲軍閥約瑟夫·科尼的通過認捐和捐款創造更多的兒童兵。受到全世界的知名度和關注後,科尼仍然在逃非洲,而該組織在數百萬美元全球範圍內傾斜。

在更多的醫療筆記,面臨的挑戰也已經警告了醫學專家造成潛在的身體傷害。在台灣的醫生報告說,挑戰參加者可能傾向於招沒有適​​當的熱身和必要準備身體體驗溫度急劇下​​降。攻擊後的注意事項是對身體進入高溫保存同樣重要。

說實話,沒有一個接收或傾倒冰水桶在一個人的頭上宣揚什麼樣的認識?腦凍吧?

arrow
arrow
    全站熱搜

    evita6804 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()