May 1, 2008

Please Ignore This Post And Do Something To Help Burma, Seriously

Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been under military rule since 1962. The dictatorial government has imprisoned political activists, and imposed forced labor upon its citizens. They made international headlines late last year when they violently suppressed a peaceful protest by a group of Buddhist monks. Enough is enough, and some people in the global community are finally taking a stand:

Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Page and Judd Apatow are among stars who have joined the "Burma: It Can't Wait" effort, a 30-day call to action launched by the Human Rights Action Center and the U.S. Campaign for Burma. They want to draw attention to imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. During May, a different celebrity online video will be released daily to raise awareness. Visit burmaitcantwait.org and fanista.com for details.

Ehhhhhh. Sorry, Burma. It was the best we could do. Good for Ellen Page and Judd Apatow for speaking out against horrible atrocities, but shame on Prince and Madonna and George Clooney and [insert other megastars]. This reminds me of how when i was in junior high school, if you were getting really good grades you got to go to a Stay In School Pep Rally with Isiah Thomas. But even then I was pretty sure that the kids who were already getting good grades didn't NEED a Stay In School Pep Rally. It was Wes, the kid in my Language Arts class who told the teacher she could go fuck herself and then went outside to smoke menthols behind the dumpsters who could have been turned around (no he couldn't) by the loving support of Isiah Thomas. This is an apt metaphor because EVERYONE who loves Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, and Ellen Page is already DEEPLY INVOLVED in the Burmese crisis, obvs.