Stop Kony

[the_chief]

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/qm349/why_the_kony_documentary_and_invisible_children/

 

[Huber.]

Saw this on reddit

isn't that implied by now?

 

[James]

You guys do realize that Kony isn't in Uganda and is most likely hiding out somewhere in South Sudan, the Congo or possibly Somalia? The LRA has also been pushed out of Uganda and boasts a whopping 400-500 members these days, with most of them operating out of incredibly remote places in Africa. Not to sound like a condescending prick on foreign affairs, but if history is any testament to how absolutely asinine it is to go into Africa and extradite leaders of guerrilla movements, look up how successful the Clinton Administration was in removing Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the self appointed "President of Somalia." The United States has also deployed a fair amount of resources to that area to help the Ugandan "Army" track this guy down, so much is being done already to help track down this guy and bring him to justice. This doesnt get reported on the news, because most of America is more concerned with our own self interests of pop culture.

Giving money to a "advocacy group" that takes profit off of a lot of these items or donations is ridiculous. Its even more ridiculous when people who claim to be some kind of experts on East African Politics after watching a video that went viral on the internet "enlightened them." Even worse are the people who think United States intervention in a place more unstable and tumultuous than the Middle East is the right answer to solve the worlds wrongs. Throwing money at Africa has never been the answer to that countries problems and never will be the answer, thats one of the things the makes the general population of America so damned daft. Africa isnt some fundraiser where if a certain dollar amount is reached, things will turn around. The psychological things people in Africa have been through is what makes these issues prone to continue for generations, as sad as it is to say.

Edit: Here are some additional facts about "Invisible Children"

They received a very marginal review from Charity Navigator (the "guide" to intelligent giving)
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

they also sent 31% of the millions they have raised to the actual children in Uganda.
http://c2052482.r82.cf0.rackcdn.com/images/737/original/FY11-Audited%20Financial%20Statements.pdf?1320205055

Life and the understanding of knowledge isnt something you just watch in a youtube video because P.Diddy posted it. There are people who draw attention to these kinds of things, its your own problem if you value Jay-Z's opinion on a matter he has no knowledge of over a PHD Candidate from Oxford who spent time reporting from Uganda. Its your duty to follow facts and do research.

 

[Maximus]

I was going to help the cause, but with Rihanna on board none of us probably need to do anything now. She'll get Kony!!

Rihanna I Want to Help Expose KONY as an Evil Bastard

TMZ has learned ... Rihanna has reached out to the Invisible Children organization and has expressed an interest in creating a video to help raise awareness about an evil S.O.B. named Joseph Kony.

Kony is quickly becoming a household name ... thanks to a viral YouTube video that exposes the Ugandan warlord as the bloodthirsty leader of a child army and child prostitution ring.

In the YouTube video, producers beg for celebrity support to raise awareness and showed a picture of Rihanna, in an effort to get her involved.

TMZ has learned ... Rihanna saw the video and was so moved by the story ... that she called the organization this week and set up a meeting, hoping to create another video to keep the momentum alive.

We're told both sides are hoping to complete the project ASAP.

Stay tuned.

 

[James]

I'm just glad they are targeting not only an individual with superior intellect, but one whose repeatedly made rational, sound minded decisions her whole career.

 

[Huber.]

I was going to help the cause, but with Rihanna on board none of us probably need to do anything now. She'll get Kony!!

was this before or after she went back to a guy that beats her?

 

[CBBI]

You guys do realize that Kony isn't in Uganda and is most likely hiding out somewhere in South Sudan, the Congo or possibly Somalia? The LRA has also been pushed out of Uganda and boasts a whopping 400-500 members these days, with most of them operating out of incredibly remote places in Africa. Not to sound like a condescending prick on foreign affairs, but if history is any testament to how absolutely asinine it is to go into Africa and extradite leaders of guerrilla movements, look up how successful the Clinton Administration was in removing Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the self appointed "President of Somalia." The United States has also deployed resources to that area to help the Ugandan "Army" track this guy down, so much is being done to help track down this guy and bring him to justice.

Giving money to a "advocacy group" that takes profit off a lot of these itemsor donations is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous are the people who claim to be some kind of experts on East African Politics, let alone people who think United States intervention in a place more unstable and tumultuous than the Middle East is the right answer to solve the worlds wrongs is the right answer. Throwing money at Africa has never been the answer and never will be the answer, thats one of the things the makes the general population of America so damned daft. Africa isnt some fundraiser where if a certain dollar amount is reached, things will turn around. The psychological things people in Africa have been through is what makes these issues prone to continue for generations, as sad as it is to say.

Edit: Here are some additional facts about "Invisible Children"

They received a very marginal review from Charity Navigator (the "guide" to intelligent giving)
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

they also sent 31% of the millions they have raised to the actual children in Uganda.
http://c2052482.r82.cf0.rackcdn.com/images/737/original/FY11-Audited%20Financial%20Statements.pdf?1320205055

Life and the understanding of knowledge isnt something you just watch in a youtube video because P.Diddy posted it. There are people who draw attention to these kinds of things, its your own problem if you value Jay-Z's opinion on a matter he has no knowledge of over a PHD Candidate from Oxford who spent time reporting from Uganda. Its your duty to follow facts and do research.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WTh-U3rK91o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Evancook]

people should quit being fucking hipsters and saying "yeah saw this 6 years ago who gives a shit". The point isn't that everyone in the fucking world is going to get up and join some giant military force to go stop some asshole in Uganda,or that you're supposed to think you saved Africa. The point is to make the entire world know about it happening, so once everyone knows that it's happening they'll at least, for a short time period be like "Oh, damn, that's wrong". The fact that you like the link on facebook or signing a petition is helping because it promotes the cause. How many people are so opinionated about abortion and the death penalty? They wouldn't be opinionated if they didn't even know it was happening. The difference between those kinds of issues and this issue is because this is in Africa and those issues are prevalent in America. So the video is just educating you that this is happening.

All i did was share it on facebook, i realize i'm not a social activist, hell i barely paid attention to the video when i was watching it.I'm perfectly aware that he isn't in Uganda right now either, or has been in the last six years. It's the fact that so many people are at least kind of pissed by this that makes it such a big deal. I don't even know about supporting the guy who made the video and his charity because yeah only like 31% goes to the Ugandan military or whatever. The main activist group and the issue itself aren't inextricably connected, you can still be pissed about this and not directly support that guy, so quit bitching about this being some kind of scam or something.
This website is the epitome of what's wrong about people. Everyone gets all up in arms about the Chardon shooting because it's close to home. Hell, it scared the shit out of me, too. (not to trivialize it, but there were a good 20 pages or so before the topic changed, which has to be a record around here)
but then when somebody tries to make people aware about an issue with THOUSANDS of children dying then people on here are joking about.
"biggest fucking waste of time" blah blah blah. Yeah, fuck you. If you were stolen from your bedroom and forced to shoot your parents before becoming a sex slave to some black dude in Uganda i bet you would care.

 

[MoneyMP3]

Woah

 

[James]

people should quit being fucking hipsters and saying "yeah saw this 6 years ago who gives a shit". The point isn't that everyone in the fucking world is going to get up and join some giant military force to go stop some asshole in Uganda,or that you're supposed to think you saved Africa. The point is to make the entire world know about it happening, so once everyone knows that it's happening they'll at least, for a short time period be like "Oh, damn, that's wrong". The fact that you like the link on facebook or signing a petition is helping because it promotes the cause. How many people are so opinionated about abortion and the death penalty? They wouldn't be opinionated if they didn't even know it was happening. The difference between those kinds of issues and this issue is because this is in Africa and those issues are prevalent in America. So the video is just educating you that this is happening.

All i did was share it on facebook, i realize i'm not a social activist, hell i barely paid attention to the video when i was watching it.I'm perfectly aware that he isn't in Uganda right now either, or has been in the last six years. It's the fact that so many people are at least kind of pissed by this that makes it such a big deal. I don't even know about supporting the guy who made the video and his charity because yeah only like 31% goes to the Ugandan military or whatever. The main activist group and the issue itself aren't inextricably connected, you can still be pissed about this and not directly support that guy, so quit bitching about this being some kind of scam or something.
This website is the epitome of what's wrong about people. Everyone gets all up in arms about the Chardon shooting because it's close to home. Hell, it scared the shit out of me, too. (not to trivialize it, but there were a good 20 pages or so before the topic changed, which has to be a record around here)
but then when somebody tries to make people aware about an issue with THOUSANDS of children dying then people on here are joking about.
"biggest fucking waste of time" blah blah blah. Yeah, fuck you. If you were stolen from your bedroom and forced to shoot your parents before becoming a sex slave to some black dude in Uganda i bet you would care.

Im failing to see where it "educates" you on the issue. You arent "educated" on a issue because you watched a 30 minute piece of propaganda that went viral on the internet.

Some of the bigger issues lie within who this company is giving money to in the first place. The money is going to buy equipment for the UPDF (Uganda People's Defence Force), a group that is also accused of running prostitution rings and smuggling stolen raw material out of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic ie natural resources that belong to the people in those countries, such as gold, diamonds and what not. While independent agencies involved in the region and have also published reports denouncing what I just stated, officials from both countries, which is where the Uganda People's Defence Force currently operates, have been quiet about all of this.

The lack of credibility of Invisible Children stems from the fact that the video misleads the viewers into thinking that Kony is the only faulty party in the war when both sides have used kids and will likely do so in the future. Invisible Children is simplifying and misrepresenting a complex issue, which is the very premis of the video, seeing as how he is putting things in terms his child can understand. They are asking us, potential donors, to assume a predetermined stance without giving us all the tools necessary to evaluate the possible consequences by having the "voices of our generation" spearhead their viral marketing campaign.

When Mobutu was being removed from power in Zaire (before it became known as Democratic Republic of the Congo), Ugandan forces supported Kabila, the main leader of the rebellion. During the first Congolese war (another conflict that has caused millions of deaths), the same Ugandan forces tried to overthrow the same guy they previously supported. These are the people your money and activism will empower. Not trying to be cynical, or bleak about the situation, but giving money to make yourself feel good because you watched a video and clicked "share" on your facebook hardly makes you a social activist and even more so, socially informed about the issue. Which you and your post do a fantastic job of pointing out.

Cliff notes: Shit in Africa is effed.

 

[germancav]

I hate celebrity fueled charity... Much better idea to actually inform yourself about something based on "real" facts that you researched by yourself instead of just following some weird movement like a sheep. Nothing worse then superficial knowledge spread around the minds of people who know nothing about a subject.

 

[Evancook]

you guys are both right, i'm pretty ignorant of the subject and i'll admit it. I never pushed for support of invisible children in my post though, i said that the issue and the charity aren't even really related. I never claimed to be a social activist. All i said that the video did was help people became aware of the situation in the first place, albiet biasly.

more people are aware that kids are suffering in Africa because of this video, you can't deny that.

 

[Green Demon]

you guys are both right, i'm pretty ignorant of the subject and i'll admit it. I never pushed for support of invisible children in my post though, i said that the issue and the charity aren't even really related. I never claimed to be a social activist. All i said that the video did was help people became aware of the situation in the first place, albiet biasly.

more people are aware that kids are suffering in Africa because of this video, you can't deny that.

Not trying to sound like a dick but I assumed that most people knew that kids(and people in general) in Africa were suffering, its not exactly a cakewalk on that continent with the disease, famine, and war to just name a couple of things that bombard many countries there. I guess it shows how sheltered we are at time times and I think that what other people are saying is basically that you shouldn't mindlessly take an internet video that was posted on facebook to heart, not saying that you did and go out a research the best ways to help if a person actually feels like it is something that they want to do.

 

[James]

you guys are both right, i'm pretty ignorant of the subject and i'll admit it. I never pushed for support of invisible children in my post though, i said that the issue and the charity aren't even really related. I never claimed to be a social activist. All i said that the video did was help people became aware of the situation in the first place, albiet biasly.

more people are aware that kids are suffering in Africa because of this video, you can't deny that.

you needz to diversify yo reading selections, bruh.

 

[Chardon]

you guys are both right, i'm pretty ignorant of the subject and i'll admit it. I never pushed for support of invisible children in my post though, i said that the issue and the charity aren't even really related. I never claimed to be a social activist. All i said that the video did was help people became aware of the situation in the first place, albiet biasly.

more people are aware that kids are suffering in Africa because of this video, you can't deny that.

WHAT?? I thought life in Africa is excellent.... You are blowing my mind brah.