More Kony Shit

[Shell B]

I'm not taking advice from a dude that is wearing a scarf that I own. If his taste in fashion is as bad as mine, he has no right to speak about conspiracies. I would rather listen to the hair alien guy.

[Cinjin]

When it comes to good causes in the name of basic human rights, whether actual or perceived, I prefer to see it played out before making a judgement call on it's intentions.

I don't much care to hear people whining about polar bears either, but you know what ... they're not hurting anyone, so whatever.

[Napoléon]

I'm not taking advice from a dude that is wearing a scarf that I own.

Rather than countering any of his points you make an attack on the guy's fashion sense??

[Tiberius]

I'm pretty sure the meant she was joking.

[Shell B]

I give up.

[Napoléon]

I'm pretty sure the meant she was joking.

Oh in that case, my bad.

[theVOID]

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.

I'll go right out and say it. Anyone who thinks the Kony 2012 campaign is some kind of government plot is a moron.

Is it a scam? Highly unlikely.

Is it well meaning yet ultimately a complete waste of time and money that is going to achieve absolutely nothing aside from the defacement of properties around the world? Hell Yes.

[LukeMC]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/world/...ref=uganda

The African Union announced Friday that it would launch a new regional military operation against the Lord’s Resistance Army... The announcement came a few weeks after a YouTube video from an American advocacy organization went viral on the Internet and brought unprecedented attention to Mr. Kony... The announcement also came a few days after a bipartisan group in Congress introduced a resolution condemning Mr. Kony and supporting a regional military effort from the four most victimized nations

"Nothing will come of this Kony 2012 bullshit."

[Tiberius]

WIN.

[LukeMC]

To add further to my last post, let me just clarify a few points about the campaign. It may be true that a large number of people have hopped onto the Kony bandwagon without investigating any deeper than the Kony 2012 video, but their superficiality is no worse than those who dismissed the video outright without investigating further themselves. The reason I find the objections of the unconverted to be particularly irritating is because they reflect the same armchair whimsy displayed by creationists when they say "evolution can't be true because then there wouldn't be any monkeys left." If said creationist were to venture as far as a textbook, they would find in abundance the answers to their critiques. In the case of Kony, people offer arguments such as "he's not even in Uganda any more", "he's not as strong as he used to be" and "liking videos won't make politicians act" as if the people at Invisible Children were unaware of these facts. Most of these arguments have been dealt with on their website, data has been published and further video and text documents outline what their funds actually achieve on the ground. This includes radio networks, early warning systems, information on how to defect from the LRA and also rehabilitation projects for the areas affected. All you have to do to find out what the claimants are actually claiming is to invest a little extra time in investigating the content behind their movement. Go to their website and see for yourself before you set up a strawman to debunk.

All that being said, it is good that people have their doubts and voice them. It forces the supporters to check their own stories against the facts. I feel that the facts lean towards the optimists in this unique case. Thanks to all of those "pointless likes", so many people saw the video that a large enough action base was established and change is already under way. I cannot begin to anticipate the outcome- it may not be a success. I suggest that those of us still doubting the cause should exercise the same humility and not proclaim with conceit that it will all be a certain waste of time and money. Awareness may yet inspire greater action. These early signs are looking promising.