Recently a question was raised about the message the RLSH is presenting to the public. It appears lately that the positive inspirational message that was initially intended by the RLSH has gone missing. Well, what follows is my response to that.
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| Knight Owl lending aid to the needy. |
The reason the message the RLSH are sending to the public has changed is because in general the RLSH movement has veered dramatically from "The Path"
Take a look back at the heroes who got this whole thing rolling. They were community activists and people who focused on actually helping others. They did handouts, went out and spoke to groups and children and actually focused on spreading a positive message. They STOOD for something.
Think about that for a second... They STOOD for something... What does the average RLSH stand for today?
Crime fighting? Martial arts training? Weapons and armor and Kick-Ass and beating up the bad guys. That's what the news sees. That's what half of that documentary showed. The charity of the RLSH is constantly being overshadowed by the dark anti-hero doing bait patrols or gearing up to head out and fight crime.
What happened to encouraging the public to fight apathy by doing something? Are they getting that message by seeing Phoenix Jones getting beat by a woman brandishing a stiletto heel? What happened to the focus on the homeless handouts, speaking at schools, animal rescues, painting over graffiti, picking up litter? Oh I know it's still being done, but is the public seeing that? Most charitable heroes have taken to doing it out of costume. The pride of being an RLSH seems to have dwindled quite a bit.
What about simply presenting yourself as a positive role model? How many of you over the last year have heard "I don't care what anyone thinks of me" from any number of RLSHs? I've personally heard it from several. What kind of message does that send the public? That's the freakin' epitome of apathy right there which, call me crazy, I thought was the mortal enemy of all RLSH out there. What gives?
Take a look back at the heroes who got this whole thing rolling. They were community activists and people who focused on actually helping others. They did handouts, went out and spoke to groups and children and actually focused on spreading a positive message. They STOOD for something.
Think about that for a second... They STOOD for something... What does the average RLSH stand for today?
Crime fighting? Martial arts training? Weapons and armor and Kick-Ass and beating up the bad guys. That's what the news sees. That's what half of that documentary showed. The charity of the RLSH is constantly being overshadowed by the dark anti-hero doing bait patrols or gearing up to head out and fight crime.
What happened to encouraging the public to fight apathy by doing something? Are they getting that message by seeing Phoenix Jones getting beat by a woman brandishing a stiletto heel? What happened to the focus on the homeless handouts, speaking at schools, animal rescues, painting over graffiti, picking up litter? Oh I know it's still being done, but is the public seeing that? Most charitable heroes have taken to doing it out of costume. The pride of being an RLSH seems to have dwindled quite a bit.
What about simply presenting yourself as a positive role model? How many of you over the last year have heard "I don't care what anyone thinks of me" from any number of RLSHs? I've personally heard it from several. What kind of message does that send the public? That's the freakin' epitome of apathy right there which, call me crazy, I thought was the mortal enemy of all RLSH out there. What gives?
Currently the public is seeing almost no positive inspirational message from the RLSH community. That's because the RLSH community in large currently has no real positive inspirational message to give, and those who do (and there are a few out there, and I salute you all) are being overshadowed by this jaded, apathetic, anti-social malaise that's descended upon this community like some hope-sucking nuclear fallout.
So what does all this mean? Am I just jumping on an opportunity to be antagonistic? Not at all. This is a rallying call for the community to re-evaluate its focus, to remember what's really important out there, to take stock in what the RLSH community can actually do out there that can actually make a difference and most importantly, to get back on the right path.
This is the challenge, heroes. Are you up to it?
So what does all this mean? Am I just jumping on an opportunity to be antagonistic? Not at all. This is a rallying call for the community to re-evaluate its focus, to remember what's really important out there, to take stock in what the RLSH community can actually do out there that can actually make a difference and most importantly, to get back on the right path.
This is the challenge, heroes. Are you up to it?
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