For those who don't know what I'm talking about, there was a global grass-roots movement to raise awareness of child abuse on facebook; to participate you were asked to change your profile picture to a cartoon character you loved from your childhood for a few days.  An overwhelming number of my friends participated (as did I) and understood what it was all about.  For those who didn't immediately grasp the significance, it was a chance to remember happy childhood times and to have some fun with friends.

Then there were others.  Those who felt the need to attack.  Not sure why they felt this need, but they did.  Apparently this was an inappropriate way to raise awareness of child abuse, and those who participated were clearly ignorant of the realities of child abuse.  Really?  I'm afraid I don't understand how cartoon = ignorance; but I do understand how happy childhoods are relevant to the issue of child abuse.  To claim that everyone who participated is unaware of the horrors of child abuse is disingenuous in the extreme.  It's insulting and damaging to the very fundamental benefit this increase in awareness generates.

Nothing happens without awareness.  Let me repeat that: NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT AWARENESS!!  As an awareness-raising campaign, this was a resounding success.  Instead of attacking and belittling it, why not build on the foundation it created?  Will this one moment in history eradicate child abuse?  Of course not, and it's the depths of foolishness to denigrate it because it doesn't.  It's a step, a single step, towards dealing with the problem.  Instead of abusing people for taking that step, praise them!  Any light in the darkness combats the shadows; why go around trying to extinguish that light?

Destruction is easy.  Sitting on a lofty moral high ground looking down their noses at the rest of us is more about their own need to feel superior than it is about truly caring about the issue.  I wonder how many of these nay-sayers actually put their money where their keyboard is and donated actual cash (or time, or talent, or simply make a stab at increasing awareness... oh, wait, that's what they're condemning, isn't it?  NVM)?  Or were they content to just tear down the efforts of others then sit back feeling superior?

This IS an important issue, and an overwhelming number of people from around the world showed that they believe this over this past weekend by taking the time to demonstrate it to the world.  This movement is something to CELEBRATE!  This is the best of humanity.

For those interested in taking the next step (and for those who disparaged the ones who took it), here are some good places to start:

Little Warriors - a national charitable organization, based in Canada, focusing on the education and prevention of child sexual abuse.

Prevent Child Abuse America - is the oldest organization in the United States whose sole mission is to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children.

NSPCC - to end cruelty to children in the UK.

To those who participated, good on ya!  To those who did nothing but demolition, you should be ashamed, especially if you didn't tie that demolition into something constructive.