Kyle Morris
Professor Sow
English 99
22nd May 2018
A Forgotten Mind: The #Kill22 Movement
Sheer Force
A click of a button is all that is needed- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat- to get information to hundreds or even thousands of people in a second. It is no wonder then that online activism is becoming more and more of a tool to promote one’s cause. We have all seen the hashtags on social media asking for change to come forth, such as Michelle Obama holding a sign that says “#Bringbackourgirls”, The sheer force of social media is a dangerous tool in the hands of anyone.
Veteran Suicide
Another one of these #movements is the #Kill22 Movement. The movement started when the VA (Veterans Affairs) came out with staggering numbers according…show more content… With a simple hashtag people who never otherwise would have been seen and heard about are now at the forefront of people’s minds. Celebrities like: Chris Pratt, Anna Farris, the Rock, and John Krasinski are a few that have brought awareness by taking up the challenge to do 22 pushups a day. (See figure 1,2) While this has mainly been an online movement with very little traction making its way offline. Social change would come in the form of veterans getting the help that they so desperately need. In a article titled “ An ounce of engagement: The key to reducing military suicide.” Julie K. Hersch interviews the founder of Honor, Courage and Commitment. (HCC) -which also started the #22kill movement- Andy Nguyen. Hersch states “ Andy knows that preservation of mental health must start long before any glimpse of mental illness occurs. An ounce of engagement as soon as someone leaves the service can pound out the possibility of suicide.” This is the Social change that Andy Nguyen longs for in his non-profits and his in the #22kill movement. Social change may not have been bi-product of this movement. Andy Nguyen couldn’t be happier with the results that came for social media and the powerful tool that it proved to be to bring awareness on such a large scale in such a short period of time.
Figure:1 Click video for sound
Video
LikeComment
3,492,562 views
• therock#22PushUpChallenge…show more content… “Chris Pratt on Instagram: ‘Thanks @Canadianoutlaw for the #22pushupchallenge Everyday 22 Veterans Take Their Own Lives. Please Know There Are People out There...".” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/BJB-gD4DV3H/?utm_source=ig_embed.
Forsling, Carl. “The 22 Pushups Challenge Isn't Actually Helping Anyone.” Task & Purpose, Task & Purpose, 24 Aug. 2016, taskandpurpose.com/pushups-dont-solve-veteran-suicide-crisis/.
Gladwell, Malcolm. “Small Change.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell.
Harlow, Summer. “Social Media and Social Movements: Facebook and an Online Guatemalan Justice Movement That Moved Offline.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444811410408.
Keeping, Juliana. “The #22kill Challenge Sweeps Social Media to Highlight Veteran Suicide.” NewsOK.com, NewsOK, 7 Apr. 2016,
