On being a Slacktivist!

When I ask myself what good I did last year, I do proudly say, “Much more than I ever did in the past.” So have I turned a new leaf and taken to philanthropy or social service last year? No, nothing of that sort. Why then, this proud reflection of the year gone by?

I have helped people in distress! How? By forwarding emails that would pay 2 cents for every email forwarded to the little girl who is battling for her life in an ICU in some obscure hospital, with baffling complications, which only some brilliant specialist surgeon can handle. The surgery costs a huge sum though. But no sweat. I need not reach for those purse-strings yet. I need to just forward this email to my 300+ contacts who will so generously forward it again to their kith and kin. I would still contribute to this good cause. I am proud to have done my bit for her. I feel good.

What else? I have shared important information that could help my friends in distress. Like how to deal with a heart attack if you are alone or how not to get trapped by thieves at the ATM and how to bring in the local police by simply typing your password backwards. I do care for my friends and relatives and isn’t that a great social cause?

More. I had been deeply moved by the events that rolled out on our television screens on 26/11. My Mumbai had been attacked! I couldn’t take that, could I? I signed the online petition that urged the Government to proactively take on the scourge of terrorism that was eating into our national fabric. What more could I do?

Are you laughing at me? I just hope you are! Because all my responses described above can be collectively called “slacktivism” -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacktivism – a combination of “slacker” and “activism”.  You don’t need to dirty your hands or spend more time than to lift your finger only to click on your mouse to either sign that petition that you so ardently support or to forward that email that could save someone’s life. Everyone is doing it – all for a good cause!

If you think online petitions work, read about their shortcomings here: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.asp. If you think that the forwards do pay those 2 cents per forwarded mail, please be informed that these are hoax emails with nobody tracking them and no money being offered. Also often, almost always, nobody is in distress either. Thankfully! So what good have I done last year? Except the feel-good sigh that one heaved of having acted on things close to our heart?

The world is going through a bad phase. Corporates, globally, are cutting down on their expenses. One hopes that they don’t cut down on their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) spends this year. One also hopes that we citizens too do not cut back on our social responsibility, which means a whole lot to those who aren’t asking for too much – only their survival and their basic needs in life. That project to build a home for the homeless, that school for the tribal children, physically or mentally disabled children or for the street children of a megacity would surly get held up for lack of funds, while we click away to glory. Back the genuine cause of your choice to the hilt – with some real help – your money, your time and your attention. This is the time when they need it most!

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A management professional, Gopinath is a hobbyist writer since his college days. Humour, language, creativity are the main subjects of his interest. His “artickles” blog provides information, insights into current events with a humorous twist. Visit him at http://whatnonsanz.blogspot.com/.