More Kony Shit

[5thHorseman]

They didn't invade Afghanistan for oil.

Iraq, meh, oil and politics.

[LastPoet]

Also 100 US soldiers are already in there.

(spelling correction mine)

They are, but have orders not to engage the enemy.

[Autumnlicious]

They didn't invade Afghanistan for oil.

Iraq, meh, oil and politics.

I thought Afghanistan was the original objective. Iraq was just a convenient distraction for the neo-cons.

[LastPoet]

I'll just get my cardbox psi blades and start running around "En Taro Adun we must join our brethren in combat!"

[Tiberius]

Before this goes any further, I'm not saying that Kony 2012 couldn't possibly be some kind of government plot, or some kind of scam. I'm a skeptic as much as the next person, but as a skeptic, I must look at the evidence and the arguments being made by both sides. As with 9/11 conspiracies (and most conspiracies actually), the arguments against Kony 2012 might seem convincing on the surface, but once you dig a little deeper, or apply a bit of logic, they fall apart.

It's not that there aren't any arguments that would convince me that Kony 2012 isn't legitimate; it's that all the ones so far are pathetic and easily debunked.

[LastPoet]

I have been saying that for a long time Tiberius, but some people here want so much to appear 'skeptical' that they go fundy extreme skeptical mode.

Tell you this: I'll be the first guy to humble before the guy that provides evidence that this is a scam, I'll even make a public thread apologizing and surrendering to the one that does so. And I would even thank the guy that did so!

[Autumnlicious]

Tell you this: I'll be the first guy to humble before the guy that provides evidence that this is a scam, I'll even make a public thread apologizing and surrendering to the one that does so. And I would even thank the guy that did so!

Don't need to go that far.

If you're big enough to admit error and accept correction without being uncritical, you've already done your duty as an adult.

[LastPoet]

Tell you this: I'll be the first guy to humble before the guy that provides evidence that this is a scam, I'll even make a public thread apologizing and surrendering to the one that does so. And I would even thank the guy that did so!

Don't need to go that far.

If you're big enough to admit error and accept correction without being uncritical, you've already done your duty as an adult.

Nah, its not about being 'big', as pride is somethin that has been lost to me for a long time, I just want to know if I'm wrong, and if that's the case, accepting it would not make me less of a person. I guess that's just me being the batshit One I am

[Atheist Anarchist]

I dunno, the charity call themselves Invisible Children Inc. That's the sign of a business, and I don't trust businesses full stop, especially if they are posing as charities.

[Tempus]

I have several problems with the campaign. My biggest problem with it actually isn't specific to the campaign, but rather with the methods it's using (which it certainly isn't alone in using) to gain publicity. One of these methods is purposeful omission. The video isn't directly dishonest, but it is misleading in a number of ways. It omits important information like the Ugandan military's past abuses and the fact that their president of twenty-five years, Museveni, used child soldiers to gain power in the first place. There's an overhead shot in the video of children sleeping in a village centre for safety which implies this is still happening - it's not. It omitted why Kony rebelled in the first place and given that the video has his name in the title I think a least a little history on him is relevant - why did the LRA start rebelling? It also said that Kony is fighting for no reason but to further his own power, which isn't true; he's stated what he's fighting for at least one interview (whether or not he was lying - who knows). It doesn't mention that Sudan backed the LRA in the 90s as part of a proxy war against Uganda for supporting the SPLA. It omitted that since the Ugandan government granted amnesty to any LRA members that would return, many, including senior members, have done so. It omits that the last time the Ugandan military was in the DRC pursuing the LRA (one of the countries the LRA is apparently in now) they looted in it - the Ugandan military no longer has permission to cross borders. It also makes African nations in the region sound helpless and as if only American (of course) assistance can help. I didn't see a single central African politician on the list nor a call out to the central African youth. I'm not saying it's not possible for Americans (and the world at large) to assist, but there was a very blatant omission of any real African voice at in the video at all! Yet there was plenty of time for bonding with the American narrator. The 30min video left me confused - so much fucking time wasted with useless self indulgent shit that could've been left out in favour of actual information. But the video was never intended to properly inform people, only motivate them. Now there's millions of ignorant, but motivated people world wide! Let's all rejoice.

I strongly disagree with the tactics used in the video since they could equally be used for nefarious purposes. Many of the criticisms focus on saying stuff like Kony isn't in Uganda anymore, which is unfortunate since the video actually does mention this. Not all the critics are raving idiots with tinfoil hats. I think there are deeper problems with the campaign that are far more disturbing. There seems to be a notion that doing good, even if it's from a standpoint of complete ignorance is fine. I find this disturbing because from a standpoint of complete ignorance you're not qualified to make any decision at all. The majority of people in the developed world know nothing about central Africa, its history, the LRA or Kony. Making someone aware of a problem isn't enough. You actually need to educate them on the problem. I'm somewhat reminded of people who go around saying they'd prevent WW2 / the Holocaust by killing Hitler, apparently totally ignorant of the myriad of causes that lead to those events. While it's not overtly been stated that taking out Kony will magically solve everything, it sometimes seems as if people think that. What makes me exasperated about this is that if the roots of the problem are overlooked in favour of the weeds, the weeds it produces are going to keep coming back. That's getting rid of the weeds one-oh-one right there.

I have a video I'd really recommend watching, not that my recommendation is worth much yet. I'm not trying to act as if it's totally applicable to this situation, but it is relevant in some respects. It's definitely a cautionary tale on foreign aid. Even when your money is going into the right hands that isn't always enough, as you'll see. Don't misinterpret this as me suggesting that IC are therefore incompetent. Here's the video:
http://www.sirolli.com/DesktopModules/Ul...portalId=0

Lastly, I don't like the connections IC has. It seems to be inextricably tied to the Christian right. I don't really see anything wrong with IC itself in this regard so far, I'm not attempting a guilt by association manoeuvre here, but I think it's worth noting. Liberty University, where Jason Russell spoke last year was founded by Jerry Falwell and supports creationism. Large donations have been made by people and groups who are also heavily anti-gay:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2012...ian-right/
I don't think there's any evidence to suggest IC is stealth evangelism or that Jason Russell is a creationist, but I'm particularly curious to know the latter. This is relevant in my eyes, particularly since they're running education programs.

What I truly think is ironic is that people who support Kony 2012 often respond to criticism by saying something like "well it was supposed to raise awareness and create a dialogue, which it has". Then when you try to engage in that dialogue you get told that if you don't support it you should go elsewhere and not bother those who do. I'm not suggesting this is all supporters, but I've personally (ANECDOTE WARNING ) encountered this sort of mentality everywhere I've tried to discuss it. It's incredibly condescending when you're repeatedly told "if you don't like IC you don't have to support them" - yeah, I know that.

Anyhow, I do apologize for the essay. There's lots of counterpoints to my own points I've raised - I'm aware of this, but I think we can all agree my post is long e-fucking-nough. I'm on the tail end of another all-nighter, so if parts make no sense, well, that's why. I'm not saying Kony only has X number of soldiers, therefore he's not a problem. He'd still be a problem if he only had 50 soldiers. But I think this Kony / LRA tunnel vision is a mistake.

I'll end by leaving this video, which I somewhat agree with: