BuzzerBeater Forums

No. No. No. No. No.

BBallin, as you know I'm in a land of little internet. Well, the reason is because I work in peace, security, and governance issues in East Africa and I was just sent to the region.

There are a couple of reasons why this Kony 2012 is VERY misleading.

1. The videos 90% comprised of events that happened over 5 years ago. As This link https://davidsangokoya.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/selling-ol... beautifully states, showing this video is a lot like showing footage of the September 11 attacks to people who lived in a cave for the last decade. Those people would want to help. To do anything to stop al-Qaeda. The problem is, it's over. Yes Kony is still alive, but he's not in Uganda and Uganda even kicked out US troops just like the ones invisible children are advocating for.

2. This video isn't about Ugandans, it's about a white guy and his family. Think about it, are any Ugandans, besides his friend/ muse, interviewed? Are any Ugandans or Ugandan organizations put forward as part of the solution? No, not unless you count the Ugandan military -- which is problematic in its own ways. Instead, the video HAMMERS in the point that THIS GUY is going to SAVE THE AFRICANS. This is most problematic because, like the White Man's Burden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Man%27s_Burden it is part of a slippery slope suggesting that white people have an obligation to rule over "less developed" and darker-skinned peoples until they can place in the world.

That said, I understand that people want to help. Kony is a monster and justice needs to occur. If you want to help, I suggest two places to give money (neither are my organization).

http://www.kiva.org/ -- a microfinance institution where you can fund projects that communities identify and create (rather than international organizations dictating what projects = development)

more focused on Justice in Uganda is The Refugee Law Project http://www.refugeelawproject.org/strategy_and_funding.php.

Cheers,

Mzungu


Last edited by Mzungu77 at 3/10/2012 12:22:00 AM

where you at? I spent time volunteering in Tanzania a couple years ago. I'm dying to go back.

Pure propaganda whole KONY... Like US would save people there too.. lol.

I liked your link to that film strip. It 100% rung true. However I do not believe it. It is VERY hard to know what to believe these days, I think it is harder than ever before because of the huge diversity in news outlets pushing a particular point of view. In the end most people will end up watching/reading a news service that seems "right" to them and having found it their already established points of view will be constantly reinforced on a daily basis.

A few years ago I travelled from Jordan to Israel and back to Jordan again. It was hilarious to watch the news coverage of the same events and see how differently they were covered. People in both nations assumed they were watching the truth yet there was little in common with what was being reported.

I like the USA. I like their sport, music, food etc. I like a lot of their people. I don't like a lot of their policies and governments. They have been guilty of horrible war crimes many of which are still not widely known or discussed to this day. However they do find themselves in a catch-22 situation of being the last superpower and when there is a world problem they are dammed if they do something and dammed if they do nothing.

When the US led invasion of Iraq happened I was on the streets protesting, even took time off work to do it. I am also fully aware that the US Vietnam involvement started from just sending in a few "advisors".

But should good people sit by and let evil happen when they have the power to stop it? I say no.

If you were really a Ugandan villager and were worried that Kony was going to take your kids you wouldn't care if it was the US Army, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Kim Jong Ill, Stalin, Hitler or Pol Pot coming into your land as long as they stopped him.

You are one of the very few people here who seems to be exceptionally intelligent. I hope we can come to an informed agreement on this issue.

But should good people sit by and let evil happen when they have the power to stop it? I say no.

If you were really a Ugandan villager and were worried that Kony was going to take your kids you wouldn't care if it was the US Army, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Kim Jong Ill, Stalin, Hitler or Pol Pot coming into your land as long as they stopped him.

to be real, if there is little to no danger from Kony any more in Uganda(the Kony campaign is based on fact from ~2003, he wasn't there anymore since 2006 and his army size decreased over 90% which leave him 200 men) and someone Support Hitler to stop him(staying at your example) and you are jewish. i would be mad on the dude who hired Hitler.
The weapons the ugandian army get, will be used to loot and rape the ugandian villager for the next ten year or more, Kony most likely won't do anything for them, since there already found a way to really hurt him without the donation who better end in the organisator hand then in the Ugandian army(which luckily 66% do).

Also you could use your money, in a positiv way. I am quite sure we will need quite soon money to rebuild Homs, where probadly more Kids are harmed. Also when you like to help the Kids who was hurt by Kony, since he loosing influenced many of his soldiers escaped the last years from him but nobody cares about them and want to have something to do with them. Probadly there are also organisations who would do, when they just get a bit of the money the Ugandian army get from Kony 2012.

Well as far as how I use my money I have a foster child in Nepal and that costs me more than US$400 a year so I think I am probably making enough donations. It is very sad what has happened in Syria. I visited Syria many years ago and it was a fantastic country full of friendly but horribly oppressed people. We had a standard line or what to say when people inevitably asked us what we thought of President Assad. "He seens to be a very hard working and clever man." We never knew when it was some secret police agent asking, paranoia was very high. Still sad as it is I think it is too soon to be sending money to Syria and I can't believe any assurances about where it will end up, same as you said about Uganda.

If you have a look at all the people that supported Hitler it included USA, USSR, Jewish Organisations in Palestine and most importantly Britain under Chamberlain who gave in at the critical time when world war two could have been averted.

It is true that right now there is little danger to Uganda from Kony. By the same token would you be happy to live next door to a rapist, a murderer or a child molester who has gotten away with their crimes but is lying low for a while while the pressure is on? Wouldn't it be better if they were caught?

By the same token would you be happy to live next door to a rapist, a murderer or a child molester who has gotten away with their crimes but is lying low for a while while the pressure is on?

no, i wouldn't but i wouldn't be happy if you give the keys to my appartment another molester, rapist and murderer so that he can control if the other one back in town and visiting me. Since he is actually the bigger thread. And even when there army don't make it that systematic, they are currently the much bigger thread there, and they do it also and not so rare.

By the same token would you be happy to live next door to a rapist, a murderer or a child molester who has gotten away with their crimes but is lying low for a while while the pressure is on?

there are already international alliances to fight him, and get him. And yes they also try it on the diplomatic and military way, and sicne the ugandian army is involved there too they also get money(most likely). But it is more under control, and targeted more to catch him and even if they also try to talk, consider if you attack an kids army you most likely have to kill the kids.

Wouldn't it be better if they were caught?

it is about the tools, start sending bombers to destroy Homs so that assad couldn't do it anymore won't help the citizens there right? Supporting there rapist, to protect them for beeing raped is also not very helpful.

But ok, the other rapist control the oil, which they found there in the last year.

Well as far as how I use my money I have a foster child in Nepal and that costs me more than US$400 a year so I think I am probably making enough donations.

and i won't argue against it, and i think such organisation like the one you are supporting really helps people and should get the attention Invisible Children have today.
I think from organisation like the invisible children, the people have to be warned especially since most of them just notice there propaganda(like Hitler propaganda who got him the money from the jewish organisation, quite sure they don't wanted him to do what he did but even most germans didn't know about the KZ etc).


Edit: Also i would prefer an special Ops, instead of a military strike since attackng army full of kids kill the Kids and the past shown that Kony is gone after the Kids are dead.

Last edited by CrazyEye at 3/15/2012 4:32:06 AM

Yes we Kony..... The rap news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68GbzIkYdc8

wouldn't but i wouldn't be happy if you give the keys to my appartment another molester, rapist and murderer so that he can control if the other one

Funny Australia has a long history of doing exactly this. We see a problem and in order to fix it create a much, much bigger problem. Rabbits and cane toads are examples.

I guess it depends on who you think is worse. I think Kony is worse but haven't seen the facts displayed anywhere that I trust about the Ugandan army so I admit I could be wrong.

consider if you attack an kids army you most likely have to kill the kids

It is an excellent point but you do give the best answer yourself. A Special Ops surgical strike to cut off the head. It is amazing that they could do this sort of thing in world war two but not now.

start sending bombers to destroy Homs so that assad couldn't do it anymore won't help the citizens there right?

Sorry, not being rude but I really don't get this point. I am not suggesting we start making pre-teen girls into sex slaves for years or start mutilating civilians the way Kony has done.

I think from organisation like the invisible children, the people have to be warned especially since most of them just notice there propaganda

I 100% agree that the Invisible Children is a propaganda organisation. They would probably agree too. I just think it is good that people are actually caring about something besides themselves especially Americans who often have no interest at all in what is happening in the rest of the world unless it affects their direct self interest.

oil

If Kony had oil the Americans would have invaded years ago.

kony have no oil, but they found massive oil field in he last two years in uganda. Kony wasn't there for years.

The Ugandian army is in averae less evil then the Kony one, but it is much bigger and as i said Kony have nothing to dowith them anymore since he simply operates on a different ground now. So you don't fix a problem with a bigger one, you make one problem bigger with saying to fix something pretty unrelated to.