Should You Support Kony 2012?
Final thoughts on this campaign.
Too soon? Nah, never too soon for the internet! As momentum for the Kony 2012 video skyrockets and eventually plummets like all viral videos, the discussion whether The Kony 2012 campaign was the correct course of action to solve the issue in Uganda will be debated. The criticism surrounding this video points to those spreading this information, making uninformed actions without taking the initiative to research the issue. It's easy to simply share or re-tweet a charitable link and video and call it your good deed for the week. But when one does these actions blindly, you can be doing just as much harm, though unintended. If you read my previous post, you will see that the post is not against or for Kony, it is against the entire way this protest is being run and how it has spread.
This campaign has snowballed through social medias and deserves a critical eye with Invisible Children being a questionable "non-profit charity." People should question these matters before jumping on bandwagons or donating money. It's good that Kony has gained notoriety, but it's just as important that people understand what they are supporting.
Kony posts seem to give people an overbearingly false sense they are doing something to improve the world. Ask the same people posting the Kony 2012 video today, a month from now--or even two weeks from now--if they've thought about it or have continued to spread the message. Haiti? Japan? Does it ring a bell?
How many times have you taken the time to "share" a story on Facebook about the plight of the impoverished within your own country? How about most recently, the Midwest? Our own soil?
We've had a series of destructive and deadly tornadoes run through our own country, yet there was little social media action seeking aid. A quick search on Facebook returned a whopping 30:1 ratio of Uganda-related results compared the natural disasters the Midwest has faced.
Won't somebody think of the children!?
There's a fine line between social network flooding and spamming an idea or movement that the masses are uninformed about. I won't ask people to stop supporting this or posting about it--as I do support the removal of Kony--I do not however, agree that a majority of people posting about it are sharing the video for legitimate reasons, and only posting the video because it's trending, or all their friends are doing so. To me, it almost seems fad-like.
The burning question that I find most people overlooking, what is the ultimate goal of this campaign? Are they going to send Kony a letter to stop what he's doing, put down his arms, and play nice? The people behind Invisible Children will want to forcefully remove him from power. Use violence to stop violence. Does this seem hypocritical of their own actions? The same people posting about this wanted our troops back from Iraq/Afghanistan and often criticize our military for their actions. Now you want military intervention to get rid of this man?
What you see is a photo showing the filmmakers of the KONY 2012 movement with AK-47's and RPG's.
Uganda is a fairly stable country right now contrary to what the video will have you believe. The majority of the the real conflict has moved elsewhere into places like the Congo, where the US extracts mineral used in the production of cell phones which is why they have no interest in risking stopping that production. This is exactly why I have a huge problem with the video and the way people see it and say, "Oh, this Kony is a terrible person! Save all the Ugandan children! Share!" without really educating themselves.
The inherent issue is also way more complicated. The political and humanitarian instability in that region is bigger than just one man. This organization also advocates for direct military intervention led by the Ugandan government forces, who are guilty of atrocities of their own. That includes everything depicted in the Kony video; rape, murder, looting, and children bearing arms.
I support the demise of Johnathan Kony as much as you. My main issue isn't regarding what actions have or haven't been taken, but how people are going about spreading information or views that go without research. Understand the fact that to do something is not always a good thing, especially if it (like in this case) leads to military intervention or maybe just money going into a few people's pockets.
Be more informed. Other opinions regarding Kony 2012:
Invisible Children's response to their criticisms:
If someone watches a video and begins to care about something--we all start somewhere--that's fine. However, I do care if people jump to support without doing research outside the video. I'm not asking you to stop sharing the video or tell you what to do with your money. But don't remain ignorant. Read, research, and learn all sides before you make your decision.
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