偽善？ ― slacktivism

昨日に続き、難病の認知度を高めるために著名人が氷水をかぶっているという件に関するニュースです。


If you've been on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram in the last week, you've probably seen it: countless videos of people dumping ice on themselves to help raise awareness of ALS. It's done a tremendous job at getting people to talk about a truly debilitating disease -- but that's mostly all it's done -- get people to talk.

Let me explain.

Slacktivism is a relatively new term with only negative connotations being associated with it as of recently. The whole thinking is that instead of actually donating money, you're attributing your time and a social post in place of that donation. Basically, instead of donating $10 to Charity XYZ, slacktivism would have you create a Facebook Post about how much you care about Charity XYZ- generating immediate and heightened awareness but lacking any actual donations and long term impact.
(Ben Kosinski. #IceBucketChallenge: Why You're Not Really Helping. Huffington Post. August 7, 2014.)


"slacktivism"という単語を取り上げたいと思います。

この単語は、"slack"（怠け者）と"activism"（行動）を組み合わせた一種のかばん語です。

怠けと活動は相反するように思われますが・・・。

別のソースによると、"slacktivism"はごく最近の造語、特にインターネットやSNSの発達を背景としているようです。


In this digital age, people power is strong and far-reaching, tackling everything from international political issues to local economic ones, environmental concerns to social injustices.

And we don’t even have to venture out into the mayhem of a political protest to do it: all it takes to lend our support is the click of a button.

But does this click-and-share formula achieve anything? Does the armchair activist, or ‘slacktivist’, make any kind of change at all?
(Critics say slacktivists can’t change the world but supporters say it’s a good start. Daily Telegraph. August 17, 2014.)


別名、"clicktivism"（"click"と"activism"の結合）とも呼ばれ、要はネット全盛の時代である今日において、政治的な大義を主張するのにもクリックひとつでよくなった、という皮肉が込められているのです。

つまり、怠け者でもできる活動、偽善、ということになりましょうか。