A reaction to "armchair activism"

I just read an article about armchair activism in the University of the Philippines Diliman's weekly newspaper, the Philippine Collegian. It was written by Apol Mario Mabini. In this blog entry, I want to highlight some advantages and disadvantages of this so-called form of activism in my point of view. I could be wrong, or right. It's totally up to the reader. I just want to de-stress myself. XD

One of the advantages of armchair activism is that the rant or information conveyed by the writer is available to the whole world and is not limited only to his/her country's citizens. Face it. Not all of the happenings in the Philippines are broadcasted abroad. With armchair activism, even foreigners will be able to react and share sentiments with the writer.

Another advantage is that the writer can choose to be anonymous to his readers. Somehow, it would be easier to "hide" from his "targets" or those people who are described in that article or entry. Also, the amount of violence can be reduced. As mentioned in the newspaper article, most of these rallies have ended with serious injuries and forced disappearances.

The writer also does not necessarily need to form a group to voice out his/her opinions. All he/she has to have is access to Internet. Plus, it doesn't take as much time as going out to Mendiola or EDSA and shouting your protests out loud. It saves energy and enables the writer to do more things.

However, it also has its disadvantages. Because the article is posted in the Internet, there is a chance that it might not be taken seriously (as could be the possibility with this post). Additionally, as also said in the newspaper article, not everyone has access to the Internet. Although a large percentage of Filipinos do, it is not enough to just reach the middle- and high-class families. Everyone has to be involved.

So there. I end my post (because I can't think of anything else to say). Anyhow, I may say whatever I want to say but it is still up to you, the reader, to choose for yourself. :D