When I heard about Jason Russell’s breakdown, I was heartbroken. I knew that this would only once again bring attention away from what we should be focused on—the tragedy in Africa; and turn it towards scrutiny against the man behind the brilliant documentary.
Through TMZ you can view the Kony 2012 creator pacing the sidewalks of a very busy street, naked and ranting. I hated watching it. For one, I hate to see someone publicly humiliate themselves like that, no matter who you are. Secondly, for someone to be so broken down…someone who cared so deeply about a cause that he put his entire life on the line—that alone is so disappointing.
I can’t speak to whether his claims are true; he was exhausted, stressed from all the public criticism. I think after putting your heart and soul into something and in return getting any negative feedback—well, it could be damaging for sure. But does it really matter? Does it matter if he was drunk? Heck, I’d probably be drunk too! Does it matter if he was high? Not really.
What matters is that children in Africa are being murdered and raped because a man is still on the loose that should be captured and killed. It matters that Americans have the ability to make a difference by simply paying attention –if nothing else, and making others aware of what’s going on. Knowledge is power, and America has more power than most other countries. What matters is caring about something other than putting down another human being simply because he’s following his passion and supporting a cause—while many other Americans are too selfish and ignorant to even consider doing the same. It’s not that I’m not proud of my country; it’s just sometimes the people’s actions in it disgust me.
Jason, we don’t care about your breakdown. We all have skeletons in our closets; we all have had those very publicly embarrassing moments in one way or another. Keep up the good work; many people are still supporting you and the cause! ~ Trina