It seems that just about everyone is talking about the Kony 2012 video that's received more than 70 million views since it was posted last week. It's part of a campaign by the non-profit group Invisible Children to bring awareness to the evil deeds of rebel leader Joseph Kony who's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been terrorizing Ugandans and people in Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan since the 1980s. "Kony stands accused of overseeing the systematic kidnapping of countless African children," goes the film's narration, "brainwashing the boys into fighting for him, turning the girls into sex slaves and killing those who don't comply."
The video, which features the group's co-founder Jason Russell trying to find ways to explain Kony's atrocities in an age-appropriate way to his very young son, is compelling and moving. It ends with a three point call to action: 1. "Sign the Pledge to Show Your Support;" 2. "Get the Bracelet and the Action Kit" (for $30); and 3. "Sign Up to Donate a Few Dollars a Month."
The group is appealing to young people and, from what I can see on Facebook and Twitter, it seems to have garnered quite a bit of support from youth. In some ways I'm pleased. It's great to see young people engaging with issues beyond their immediate lives and thinking about the plight of other youth thousands of miles away. But, as has been pointed out in numerous articles and videos, the group has many critics. As the Washington Post reported, some experts argue that the crimes of the LRA "have been exaggerated and the attention they are receiving is disproportionate," while others say that Kony and his group are indeed despicable international criminals but that there are many more effective campaigns to stop him, including some that have been working on the ground for many years. Others argue that the video and the campaign represent a "white savior" approach to the problems of Africa as the New York Times reported.
I'm not going to repeat what's in the countless number of articles about this film (you can find them by searching Google News for Kony), but after reading several of them, it's pretty clear that the issue is not as simple as depicted in the film and that Invisible Children -- while deservedly getting credit for raising awareness -- is not necessarily the best place to donate if you want to help the children of Africa. If you scroll down, you'll see a video of Ugandan blogger Rosebell Kagumire who has major problems with Russell's video. "He plays so much that this war has been going on because millions of Americans are ignorant about it, but this is not entirely true." She also says that "the situation has improved in Northern Uganda and that it's about conflict recovery right now." And, she reminds us, "this is another video where you see an outsider trying to be a hero rescuing African children ... it does not end the problem."
Lessons for kids and parents
Which leads to the issue of critical thinking and media literacy. As an Internet safety advocate, I've been saying for years that one of the most important skills that young people (and older ones too) need is the ability to think critically about what they see online. Whether that's a pitch from a company, an invitation to meet up with an appealing stranger or even a news items or an opinion piece from a pundit like me, it's important to look beyond the page -- or in Kony's case the video. Use a search engine and whatever other tools you have to learn more about anything that you're on the verge of buying into. Ask your online friends but also consult as many expert sources as you can. There is often more than one side to a story and even well intentioned campaigns by decent people can have nuances worth exploring.
Parents can use this as an opportunity to talk with their child about a variety of things ranging from how great it is to get involved in issues to how important it is to do your homework before signing an online (or printed) petition, donating money, showing up at a demonstration or supporting a politician who's rhetoric may be initially appealing.
Investigating charities
One way to check out a charity is at Charity Navigator, which rates charities on a variety of criteria. The site often shows data from the group's Form 990 tax return which shows that Invisible Children raised more than $10 million from the general public between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. Charity Navigator gives Invisible Children a 3 (out of 4) Stars for as an overall rating but only 2 stars for Accountability and Transparency with a score of 45, compared to 70 for the American Red Cross and 59 for the American Heart Association, just to give two examples. Its founders salaries were between $84,000 and $89,000 which is not at all high for an organization of its size and impact, but it's not clear if they received other compensation (such as speaking fees or payment for services) besides their salaries.
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http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KVHB6CH
Thank you for sharing this. It is really important for adults and children to do a little digging before getting too hooked into a cause. The video, which I watched today, is very compelling, but watching it only caused me to want to know more, which led me to tons of posts/articles. Child slavery has been an issue I care deeply about, and even published a young adult novel about (Abe in Arms), so seeing anything that increases awareness about the hundreds of thousands of children who live in slavery is a good thing. But, you want awareness and action to have positive outcomes. So, you have to be discerning. Thanks for helping folks learn more and discuss Kony.
Why is it that none of the multitude of human rights NGOs across the world, especially the giants like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights, are campaigning for the arrest and trial of Bush and Blair? Is it because they were Western leaders and that makes them untouchable? Was Robin Cook, the former British foreign secretary, right when he said the ICC "is not a court set up to bring to book prime ministers of the United Kingdom or presidents of the United States?"
Individual Afrcians don't speak for Africa - just like I don't speak for all Americans. Ugandan blogger Rosebell Kagumire is certianly entiteld to her opinions - but they are only her opinions and her choice of the words "conflit recovery" is frankly hilarious. These are the kinds of dispassionate words people like to use when they want to deflect the reality of evil to a "conflict" really - that was a conflict? Rape. Muder. Kidnapping. Child soldiers - that is what we call a conflict?
That teens and young peiople in general are responding to the video is entirely appropriate. Perhaps we can learn something from them.
"You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can"
Watch the video and be informed. But we all can skip points #2 and #3.
http://lissnup.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/that-kony-video-has-everyone-talking/
Anyone who is now thinking about problems in Africa and how to combat them is at least doing something right.
Are foreign forces really needed to end armed gang activity in any country? And are local police and military really incapable of dealing with armed gangs in their own territory? Are foreign forces the only ones that can deal with gang activity in different countries, whose languages, cultures and histories they don't understand?
Does stopping Kony and his LRA in Uganda and Central Africa really really require US military intervention or is Kony just a trojan horse or pretext for a hidden agenda?
- http://www.infowars.com/youth-movement-promotes-us-military-presence-in-central-africa/
- http://www.infowars.com/kony-2012-hoax-exposed/
In Mexico, our neighbor thousands have been killed and continue to be killed by armed gangs, should we intervene militarily or should we give the Mexican government all the help they need? In Colombia, also thousands have died for years as the government has battled armed rebels. Should we step in there too?
How can local forces develop their capacity and experience, if every time there is a problem, foreign forces come in?
Now that the masses know the name Joseph Kony, they can look further into his history. However Google brings up conspiracy theories and conjecture in an attempt to defraud the organization. I would suggest everyone study the real history and not what they find posted by arm chair enthusiasts or self appointed African authorities.
Kony may not be a current threat to Uganda, but the man needs to pay for his crimes. Serial killers do not just stop killing so the people in Southern Sudan, Congo and CAR are at risk.
I cant help but wonder why people think the LAR's crimes have been exaggerated? Shouldn't disfiguring even ONE person make us cringe? Or killing ONE child b/c she refused to have sex with a soldier turn our stomachs? No one is calling for war.... just a simple find and bring to justice so his name can be X'd off the top of the most wanted list and we can get on to number two.
Bring the man to justice and finish the job.
You're right that critical thinking, a degree of skepticism and the ability (and inclination) to undertake an amount of background research are increasingly important skills in our online world. Unfortunately it's getting harder and harder to 'unpack' complex issues like this - I remember when search engines would find the 10 or so key references, that had some degree of authority, and not much else. Now type Kony2012 into Google and you could probably read opinion and analysis for the rest of your life!
Although no one likes to be told exactly what to think, there's a lot to be said for 'trusted sources' in all walks - film and book reviews, celebrity endorsements, product comparisons etc . . . there just isn't enough time in the world for us to do our own research on everything. Perhaps we shouldn't be scared to admit we don't always have an opinion.
My own reflections on Kony 2012 - http://nextstarfish.com/?p=7637
Does any of that really matter? The guy has a warrant for his arrest from the ICC since 2005, pretty much every web source I checked corroborates the terrible nature of his alleged actions. Not to mention they are only advocating his arrest, implying an unbiased trial would then take place, which happens to be the correct venue to argue the facts, instead of just leaving it that it has been reported that some experts disagree about the nature and scope of the actual crimes. Yea, critical thinking is of the utmost importance, but ironically seems more like an disingenuous misdirection here.
Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth.
This is a way bigger issue than Joseph Kony and yet this Kony2012 video has way more views that is BS. That is the video that needs 1000000 a day not Kony 2012. SHARE the video with everyone you know.
Lord's Children
Video: Full Episode
The region of Northern Uganda was ravaged by one of Africa’s longest civil wars until 2006. For over 20 years, more than 65,000 children, some as young as five years old, have been kidnapped by Uganda’s anti-government rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.
Under the command of LRA leader Joseph Kony, these children have been terrorized into committing the worst atrocities, even killing their own families. Lord’s Children follows three former LRA soldiers who escaped from the bush and have since taken refuge in a rehabilitation center.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/lords-children/video-full-episode/2188/
PBS has a lot of additional material - for example:
Lord's Children
Audio: Ugandan Women Tell Their War Stories
Ugandan women and girls tell their personal stories of rape, abuse, displacement, enslavement and torture.
http://www.marketingfutures.com/2012/03/10/finding-kony-the-key-to-success-part-1-evolutionary-causes/