Teju Cole, who just won a prestigious award for his novel “Open City“, offers a brief essay, in Twitter form, as a reaction to Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign:

Seven thoughts on the banality of sentimentality. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

1- From Sachs to Kristof to Invisible Children to TED, the fastest growth industry in the US is the White Savior Industrial Complex. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

2- The white savior supports brutal policies in the morning, founds charities in the afternoon, and receives awards in the evening. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

3- The banality of evil transmutes into the banality of sentimentality. The world is nothing but a problem to be solved by enthusiasm. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

4- This world exists simply to satisfy the needs—including, importantly, the sentimental needs—of white people and Oprah. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

5- The White Savior Industrial Complex is not about justice. It is about having a big emotional experience that validates privilege. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012

6- Feverish worry over that awful African warlord. But close to 1.5 million Iraqis died from an American war of choice. Worry about that. — Teju Cole (@tejucole) March 8, 2012