Video Shows Why "Thoughts & Prayers" Aren't Enough

After a tragedy, social media platforms from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram are often quickly flooded with people sending their "thoughts and prayers." Sure, it sounds nice — but as a video ad for a parody app called Thoughts & Prayers points out, a lot of the time all those well-wishes can seem fairly... hollow. After all, are we really sending thoughts and prayers — or are we just trying to seem like good and caring people? Thoughts and prayers, ultimately, don't do much to fix the issues that are causing and contributing to the tragedies in the first place.

Following the deadliest shooting in American history at the Pulse nightclub in June, many people criticized the politicians who posted that their "thoughts and prayers" were with the victims and their families — even though their votes had for years been with those opposing gun reform. Indeed, it's a pattern that surfaces every time something terrible happens in the world. But it's not only politicians whose social media posts can seem a little shallow. After all, if people really cared about tragedies, surely they would also want to help in other ways — real, tangible ones — beyond just social media posts?

Many do, of course. It's how real change is made. But while there are those who legitimately do donate to a cause or back legislation that could prevent future incidents or in other way lend actual support beyond "thoughts and prayers," there are also many people who... really don't. As the satirical Thoughts & Prayers app points out.

"Forget about cumbersome donations or boring policy changes," the tongue-in-cheek promotional video promises. Instead, just download the app that will automatically post social media posts with your "thoughts and prayers" after a tragedy so that you don't even have to think about the whole thing — but still get to seem like a caring person.

The Thoughts & Prayers app, which is not to be confused with the real Thoughts and Prayers app available in the app store, will even let you pay a monthly fee so that your thoughts and prayers get posted first.

Of course, even if you pay the extra premium, you're still on your own for tragedies that happen in developing nations and/or countries where most people aren't white. After all, the video asks, do you even know where places like Turkey even are? The disproportionate response to tragedies in Europe and America compared to tragedies elsewhere would suggest that no, many probably do not — and that really, really needs to change.

Image: Madeleine Kang/YouTube