Make Kony Famous?
 

Has anyone else heard about this? It's pretty inspirational if you ask me.



Almost 30 minutes long, but sooooo worth it. I couldn't stop watching it once it started - it just draws you in.

Thoughts and opinions on it?
I personally found it to be an amazing piece and definitely something that can grow. I'd definitely support this if I had the funds available to do so.

Yes, put a stop to this dude or whatever...fast. I am so tired of this being spammed on my Tumblr dashboard. Either stop the guy or pick a new fad because I honestly don't care.

If anyone here is planning on donating to Invisible Children, just make sure that you are educated and informed about their actions and how they are spending your money. This organization has actually been spreading a fair amount of false information, have very questionable spending habits for a supposed non-profit, and have potentially been the prime reason for ruining two major peace efforts in Uganda. It's important to remember that this video is a piece of propaganda - It's intended to pull at your heart strings and make you feel emotional towards this cause without fully informing you about what's going on.


Here are some links if you'd like to read up on the situation:

Invisible Children's Financial Statements
Reactions in Uganda
Military Movements in Central Africa

I fully believe this video is not for the sole purpose of making money, but to raise awareness using something that people use daily: the internet.

This video shows show powerful the internet is, how fast things can spread.

Then just make sure that you're actively questioning how awareness is actually aiding the cause. :yes:

Since this video is promoted by Invisible Children and outright asks for donations to the organization, this is doubtless going to raise a ton of money for them. It's also going to put their efforts into a greater spotlight and encourage participation in their plans. If you agree with how they are conducting themselves, then great. But there will be a huge number of people who jump on the bandwagon without educating themselves about Invisible Children's history or what they have actually done in Uganda.

Even if the organization itself doesn't gain any further momentum from this awareness campaign, the purpose is for the public to put pressure on the government in order to take action. From there, it's a question of what action is available to us at this moment. If Obama were to take up this cause, it would undoubtedly mean that the US would join a war in Africa. Again: if you agree with the plans that lobbyists are putting forth, then public support could be a very good thing. But capturing Kony does not mean that the LRA will be dismantled, nor does it mean that the militant problems in Uganda will come to a close. The US actually led a military effort in Uganda back in 2009 and it failed, leading rebels to slaughter hundreds of thousands in a mass murder retaliation.

All in all, I'm sure you can tell that I'm not a fan of this effort. I feel that they're simplifying the problem and leading to a lot of activists not educating themselves about the issues in Uganda. Invisible Children has has the potential to create global problems by setting a 2012 limit for action. So just make sure that you're reading up on the organization and the project so that you understand the impact of spreading awareness. There's plenty of information out there for everyone to make their own decisions about which way it is best to proceed. :yes:

I would just like to point this out. Read this before doing anything with Invisible Children/KONY. It's a nice, legit, well put together article on them, and warns you of exactly what's happening with this. IC has been doing this for years, and people should look elsewhere to support this.

We need to get this video everywhere we can, I'm going to get one of those kit's and get this message all over my city, anyone care to join me on the 20th of April in Cambridge, in the UK we will get Kony one way or another, we have the backing that we need, all we need to do now is to keep it noticed and keep this mission going!

I don't know why someone hasn't done anything like this to bright light to issues Africa is having to begin with. I agree that some thing has to be done but it's not just with Kony and his group of rebels. There's other groups that need to be stopped as well with fixing issues with the corruption in the government.

I do not support the charity but I do support bringing peace to people.

People have been trying to raise awareness of this issue, and it's a lot older than people realise.

The issue is, it's not as easy as just giving money, otherwise these problems would have been fixed a long time ago. Money aids actually help fuel, not eliminate these problems otherwise Africa would be in a hell of a lot better position now.

I think this is just a fad that will pass sooner or later. If anyone really gave a damn, something like this would have happened a long time ago.

Invisible Children has been around for years and only just recently has it made a huge appearance in the media.
Now, don't get me wrong, raising awareness for it is great and it's a good cause.
But if anyone was truly interested and dedicated to this cause, they would have been doing their part years ago.

Watching a 30 minute video and sharing it on facebook or tweeting about it doesn't make you a social activist.
You're just jumping on the bandwagon like those people who are suddenly the biggest fan of musicians that just died.

Just my 0.02

Such negativity on this issue..

The way I see this, is yes, it's a fad and I do believe it will soon be forgotten. While I myself feel I will keep seeing it (My campus has decided to form a group, even my political science teacher discussed the issue briefly tonight in class), that is what I feel they desire. They want people to keep seeing Kony's face, to realize that others in the world aren't in a nice protective bubble like myself and his son in the video. There's a lot of people who don't educate themselves with the news around them, or events that have been happening in the world. Perhaps this video will be a start to that, to show others they should pay some attention.
Money doesn't solve this issue, I haven't the slightest clue what will. I believe though, that by this video raising such awareness around the world, on this issue and perhaps many others in the future, that maybe someone can help immensely, because they became informed and looked farther into the issues around us.

As for "jumping on a bandwagon", many people are, that's to be expected from something like this. There will be those free riders who are just along for the ride, but then there might be others who can potentially help in some form. This video, which is raising awareness, if what I support.

Hmm.... IC themselves put out a response to all the people pointing out their bull. I'm still a little uneasy about this charity, but at least it clears up a LOT about WTF is going on here.

InvisibleChildren

I'm not sure how much of it, but the money donated goes to a lot of different things. Even if someone decided to purchase a car with the funds that they then turned into one of the painted up poster vans of Kony 2012. Vans need gas to go places etc. There's a lot of things that may look more suspicious than they really are. Lobbying/salaries/advertising etc is all part of this imo. I do believe that getting the word out there about Kony may help get him arrested at some point. I don't think setting a date will help, but then I don't have a lot of experience in the matter.

I personally haven't donated to the cause. I'm unsure if I will or not at this point. Yes, I agree his actions need to be stopped, but if you've been brain washing children for so long, clearly he's not the sole one in charge, so getting him may not stop the attacks. It may not get the children freed, what if they don't feel the need to go back to their old lives anymore? There's a lot that's up in the air about it for me at this point: no that doesn't mean I think he should just remain free to terrorize people, but that also doesn't mean that I think his capture will change anything for the Uganda/Northern Central African people over night.

Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film - Telegraph

Noticed this, thought I'd throw it out there.

I really do wonder how many of you guys can even point out Uganda on a map, let alone would go there if asked to help. BUT YEAH...

Thank you for that, I was just about to post that too. That is exactly what's wrong with this video, to the point. XD

Really though, I'm alarmed at how m any people didn't even know about any other charity that deals with the issues at hand, if people are worried about those issues in general. Like Doctors Without Borders or Warchild. Yes, there are problems in Africa. Will getting Kony solve any of them? Maybe quite a few years ago, but it won't do a thing now. As someone who's known at least a little about what's going on for quite a while... this whole thing really felt wrong. Like IC almost wants to start the same conflict all over again, while saying "but there is no conflict anymore."