TO THE EDITOR:
Like many other students, my Facebook news feed has recently become filled with individuals changing their profile pictures to that of a red block with a pink equal sign to show their support of marriage equality in relation to the cases in front of the Supreme Court.
However, as I look at all these notifications, I notice something.
All of the profile pictures that said “I stand with Landen” or relate to sexual assault have almost completely disappeared, and people are talking about it a great deal less than a few weeks ago when the issue was fresh.
There is a culture of fads when it comes to social activism. Simply changing a profile picture or posting a status has become an easy way to get involved and show support for an issue.
While it is great to show your support for an issue, it is important to not just support an issue when it is the “in” thing to do, and to not just support it online on social media. While I am not belittling the importance of showing your support for an issue, it is important to realize having an impact and changing things does not just come about by someone saying “I support this.” It also comes about by action.
Support survivors of sexual assault, help people with eating disorders, fight for marriage equality, but make sure you’re doing it with more than just a picture on Facebook for a week.
Carter McCormick ’15
Exercise and sport science
Public policy
