Joseph Kony

[Mystery]

I looked pretty deeply into Invisible Children, I found them to be a complete scam.

This is also worth a few laughs: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/jason-russell-san-diego-invisible-children-kony-2012-142970255.html

[HeroicHero]

This video made made change my view on this whole Kony 2012 thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y&list=FLrW87-8XvWV9hCE67WKIVZQ&index=7&feature=plpp_video

She makes a few very good points on what their goals really are (or aren't...)

[DeamonClawz]

I think this is a great example of how the media brainwashes the masses in United States. Imagine if more of our youth actually delved into the real issues and challenged their accuracy when portrayed in the media.

I was relieved when I saw this post, because my peers and teachers swallowed this propaganda. I hadn't done any research myself since I felt apathetic towards the subject, but I can find the inspiration and support here to form a structured argument against the whole Kony Campaign now.

That being said, I still give the Invisible Children crew credit for bringing awareness of some of the issues in Uganda, but I don't like how they tried to profit from the "movement". It makes me ask, if there was no profit margin, would they really be trying to help all these children?

[darkflash]

It's a scam watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y

[DarkTrinity]

It's a scam watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y

You just posted the same video HeroicHero posted...
She doesn't really make any new points, just ones I've already heard... And she's pretty boring TBH. Not saying she's wrong or anything like that. All she really gives is firsthand experiences/opinions from her and her family which just re-establishes what we've already figured out.

[Scotty]

It's a scam watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y

You just posted the same video HeroicHero posted...
She doesn't really make any new points, just ones I've already heard... And she's pretty boring TBH. Not saying she's wrong or anything like that. All she really gives is firsthand experiences/opinions from her and her family which just re-establishes what we've already figured out.

I like how seemingly everyone's assumptions that it's a scan (that's right, assumptions), are based pretty much off speculation.

[HeroicHero]

"In the fiscal year ending June 2011, Invisible Children garnered nearly $13.8 million in revenue. However, the group spent about $8.9 million in 2011 on expenses, including compensation for the group?s highest-ranking officials and budgeting the production of the group?s films."

Sounds pretty damn shady to me...

[Lingus]

"In the fiscal year ending June 2011, Invisible Children garnered nearly $13.8 million in revenue. However, the group spent about $8.9 million in 2011 on expenses, including compensation for the group?s highest-ranking officials and budgeting the production of the group?s films."

Sounds pretty damn shady to me...

What is shady about that? An organization is spending revenue? That's how all organizations work. Even non-profits have expenses. How the hell else would they be able to do anything? The only thing a non-profit is not able to do is take a draw on profits. It can hire people as employees to do work related to its cause.

[tehrozzy]

Kony Vegas - Jason Russel Tells the Truth
A short but kinda funny video which generalizes whats going on. Kind of.
If your on the anti Invisible Children side. imo.
prevideo warning, it swears a bit.

[HeroicHero]

"In the fiscal year ending June 2011, Invisible Children garnered nearly $13.8 million in revenue. However, the group spent about $8.9 million in 2011 on expenses, including compensation for the group?s highest-ranking officials and budgeting the production of the group?s films."

Sounds pretty damn shady to me...

What is shady about that? An organization is spending revenue? That's how all organizations work. Even non-profits have expenses. How the hell else would they be able to do anything? The only thing a non-profit is not able to do is take a draw on profits. It can hire people as employees to do work related to its cause.

Than I guess I'm against charitable organizations in general. I don't quite get a good vibe knowing that for every dollar I donate, only 30 cents or so is actually getting around to the cause.

Anyways, I don't see what the goal of Kony 2012 is... Sure, bring this this total douchebag Kony to justice, but by what means? If they want more troops (unconstitutionally) sent overseas, then we're only setting ourselves up for trouble. Possibly war?

[sayers6]

Anyways, I don't see what the goal of Kony 2012 is... Sure, bring this this total douchebag Kony to justice, but by what means? If they want more troops (unconstitutionally) sent overseas, then we're only setting ourselves up for trouble. Possibly war?

Please explain to me how sending troops over is unconstiutional with the approval of congress, which is what they're wanting. According to that, our military can't do a thing.

[Lingus]

"In the fiscal year ending June 2011, Invisible Children garnered nearly $13.8 million in revenue. However, the group spent about $8.9 million in 2011 on expenses, including compensation for the group?s highest-ranking officials and budgeting the production of the group?s films."

Sounds pretty damn shady to me...

What is shady about that? An organization is spending revenue? That's how all organizations work. Even non-profits have expenses. How the hell else would they be able to do anything? The only thing a non-profit is not able to do is take a draw on profits. It can hire people as employees to do work related to its cause.

Than I guess I'm against charitable organizations in general. I don't quite get a good vibe knowing that for every dollar I donate, only 30 cents or so is actually getting around to the cause.

Anyways, I don't see what the goal of Kony 2012 is... Sure, bring this this total douchebag Kony to justice, but by what means? If they want more troops (unconstitutionally) sent overseas, then we're only setting ourselves up for trouble. Possibly war?

Sure, you definitely have to check on the organization you are giving money to, but it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how much of your money is "going to The Cause". What do you think that really means? The organization you are giving money to isn't just going to spend x amount of dollars, and then send the remainder on to "The Cause". That's just not how it works. Some organizations do work that way. They gather money and determine what organization or company can use it to make some kind of a difference. But ultimately the money gets to an organization that is going to use it for some reason or another that benefits "The Cause". What you always need to make certain of is whether they are putting the money to go use. If they use most of their money on executives that sit around and do nothing, then it's probably not a great group. But even then, if that structure is necessary, and they actually are making a big difference, then I wouldn't see a reason to question their methods.  The main point is that throwing money at something doesn't always fix it. If they spend that money to hire people who are going to innovate and get things done, then that's perfectly acceptable. All you need to know is that your money is going to a group that is making a difference one way or another.

By the way, I will qualify this by saying that my statements are entirely generic. I have not been following this Kony thing and I know nothing about the organization. So it's possible that they are just lining their executive's pockets and not actually doing anything. But the fact alone that they pay executives to do their work does not actually prove anything about the effectiveness of the organization.

[HeroicHero]

Anyways, I don't see what the goal of Kony 2012 is... Sure, bring this this total douchebag Kony to justice, but by what means? If they want more troops (unconstitutionally) sent overseas, then we're only setting ourselves up for trouble. Possibly war?

Please explain to me how sending troops over is unconstiutional with the approval of congress, which is what they're wanting. According to that, our military can't do a thing.

Oops, I meant in violation of international law. Not sure why the constitution popped into my head. Anyway, a friend told me that they were only deployed to train Ugandan troops, so it's not quite violating it.

Edit: Obama says the troops were deployed to "to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield".

That can means a lot of things...

Regardless, I still do think we should be very careful with what we do with our troops.

@lingus Thanks for the explanation.

[DarkTrinity]

Anyways, I don't see what the goal of Kony 2012 is... Sure, bring this this total douchebag Kony to justice, but by what means? If they want more troops (unconstitutionally) sent overseas, then we're only setting ourselves up for trouble. Possibly war?

Please explain to me how sending troops over is unconstiutional with the approval of congress, which is what they're wanting. According to that, our military can't do a thing.

Oops, I meant in violation of international law. Not sure why the constitution popped into my head. Anyway, a friend told me that they were only deployed to train Ugandan troops, so it's not quite violating it.

Edit: Obama says the troops were deployed to "to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield".

That can means a lot of things...

Regardless, I still do think we should be very careful with what we do with our troops.

@lingus Thanks for the explanation.

First off, I'm not assuming they're scamming people. I just don't agree with how they want to take care of people. Yea, they started that video years ago, but to use money on making such an excessive film and then not completing it and not showing it too the world? That seems like more of a waste of peoples' money.

That being said, we already have troops over there already aiding in the stopping of Kony. Which from many people I've heard that that job is already being done and his forces are diminishing, they don't really know if he's even still in Uganda, etc. The IC support a bill that would let the US further militarize the region.

Honestly, I feel bad for the people that had to go through this in Africa or anywhere else for that matter. It makes me feel even worse that it took a flashy video with a cutesy blonde child to make people come to the realization that their situation is in the crapper when this has been happening for years.

[Scotty]

Honestly, I feel bad for the people that had to go through this in Africa or anywhere else for that matter. It makes me feel even worse that it took a flashy video with a cutesy blonde child to make people come to the realization that their situation is in the crapper when this has been happening for years.

See, but that's where Invisible Children scored big.  We've become desensitized to images of children in Haiti whom have succumbed to malnutrition, or pictures of women severely massacred from explosions in the middle east.  When I saw the child in the video, I immediately knew the father was playing on the stereotype of "Children see things from a simple angle that adults often overlook due to maturity."  Matured adults obviously don't see eye-to-eye with children due to maturity differences, and we often perceive the expected immaturity of children as cute, and often times more obvious than our nature to "over-analyze" situations.  That's why the Invisible Children were successful at making their point.  They brought in a child to re-affirm us at a very basic level that Joseph Kony is a bad man, and needs to be brought to justice.  If a child can agree that he's evil, than we can damn well agree he needs to be brought to justice.  Take the talking child out of the equation and we have a boring cable infomercial with a man holding a starving child in his lap pleading for donations that only gets aired between 3AM and 7AM.  Invisible Children is no amateur organization; they know how to attract hoards of civilized people to their cause.  I can't count how many of my Facebook friends posted his video, and how many turned around the next day, or two, when they realized "Oh no, someone pulled the wool over my eyes!  I can't look like an idiot now!!!"