INVISIBLE CHILDREN AND #KONY2012

[Mermaid Luna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

I've followed and supported Invisible Children for years (ever since middle school, I think), but this - this is critical. This is the be all, end all. Now or never. We, the mer-community, are worldwide. We are diverse, passionate, and influential. We are unique and stand out by virtue of adopting tails instead of our given legs. We speak for the oceans and our environment, for children and their futures in this world. Our home. Our only home. And I don't know about you, but I want to leave this world a better place than what it was when I entered it. I want to make a difference. I want my existence, my time here, to matter. I'm sure we all do.

And right now, we have that opportunity. An opportunity that will be a game-changer in how the world works. Think you're up to the task? Because it's super easy. Watch the film in the Youtube link. Sign the pledge. Donate if you can. Buy action kits. And MOST IMPORTANTLY: TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW. Re-post this video link all over every online profile you have. Keep #KONY2012 trending worldwide on Twitter. Blog about it, vlog about it, if you're a professional mer, tell your clients about it. DON'T STOP once you start. Do it at least once a day. And if you can't afford the action kit, make your own version. And on the night of April 20th, 2012, gather your friend, and join me in Cover the Night - blanket your city or town with posters and stickers and anything to make Joseph Kony famous WORLDWIDE for his crimes. Because if the whole world demands justice, instead of just one country, he'll have no where to hide when the international community looks for him.

[Gem Stone]

Thanks for sharing! I'll help keep it going!

[Aquatarian]

I first heard about the "Invisible Children" in 2007 when I was 13. It was just a documentary back then, and being so young I was kind of at a loss as to what I could do. Now I am older, a bit wiser, and I have many more resources at hand. This video has given us a plan of action and even a kit to spread the word about Joseph Kony. This is a big step and I believe we can do it. I can tell you am I personally going to participate in "Cover the Night" in Denver on April 20th. It seems common courtesy that everyone here should share this on their facebook pages and talk about it with their friends and families.

Spread the word people. KONY 2012

[babsannee]

They were just at my school. I have also supported them for a while!

#Kony2012 MAKE HIM FAMOUS STOP AT NOTHING

[AniaR]

Unfortunately a good deal of funds raised for invisible children does not go to the cause, and there have been suspicions about some of the charities activities. Not to disagree with anything Luna has shared, but I think it's important people see some info on the charity http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/ I obviously want Kony brought to justice and for what he does to stop. But Invisible children may not be the best way to get that done. If we're talking specific action, not just awareness.

Just two cents

[AniaR]

I personally dont like the "make him famous" thing, because really, when you're a murderer bad guy, it should be "infamous" he's infamously known for his horrible deeds, not he's famous for his horrible deeds. lol. Just the teacher in me though

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Haha, I agree Raina. Infamous would likely stick better.

[Mermaid Luna]

Well, if you feel their charity isn't the best way to go about it, you don't have to donate or purchase anything from them. I don't have the money to buy the action kit, so I'll be making my own posters and stuff to put up. I still think we should make Kony infamous.

[AniaR]

100% agreed

[Odette]

im super happy to see this post. thank you,Luna! i shall remind my sister. did you ever do the interactive thing they did where you and a bunch of other people sleep in boxes and only get crackers and water at certain times of the day?it was a public protest thing that got alot of media drawn to the issue.was such a cool idea! i like this idea they have to poster "KONY2012" everywhere.

[Mermaasai]

I have to say, when I moved from Kenya to the US I was appalled at how few people knew what was going on back home. It really hit me hard.
I'm glad people are beginning to open their eyes, but hopefully this movement will bring more knowledge to the regular working household, not just highschoolers and politically aware alreadys.

I remember going to a movie about a turmoil in africa and the man sitting next to me was aghast and kept asking me if it was real.

FACE PALM...

I was four the first time I saw a child die thanks to this travesty.
The refugees would pour into kenya and we would see the devastation and try to help mend their emotional and physical wounds...
My father is in Rwanda this week and I think Uganda next week working in hospitals with CURE, and he is still (AFTER over 30 years) crushed by the horror of it all.

This isn't just some place across the big dipping pool any more people, now you KNOW some one who has seen it, been there, cried over bodies and carried the orphans home.

I hope they more than just arrest him.. I hope he's quartered and drawn...

[Mermaid Sirena]

This is actually the first time I have heard of all this. :O I am appalled but unfortunately not surprised.

[Mermaid Jewel]

Yeah "Make him famous" threw me off the first time I saw Kony 2012. And I heard that too, Raina, that only like 30% is actually donated and the money goes back to the government...I'm not sure if it's true because I haven't had a chance to look it up yet but if so, then I'm not sure I would go through invisible children.

[Spindrift]

I didn't watch the video or really read through the thread yet since I'm about to leave for a competition, but I did see this on Facebook, and I'm posting it in case it's relevant. I haven't read through this either, just saw the similar titles and thought people might be interested:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1763486362045&set=p.1763486362045&t ype=1&ref=nf



Frank Piazza

This is a picture of the founders of Invisible Children.

Joseph Kony is undoubtedly a cruel man, but lets look at some fun facts around the issue and the organization Invisible Children (after you read what I wrote check out some of the links, especially the article from The Guardian which has scholars and experts expressing both sides of the issue and of IC):

The issue:
-The LRA is only 250 soldiers strong at this point.
-The LRA hasn't been in Uganda since 2006.
-Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army are riddled with accusations of rape and looting.
-US Africa Command has been trying to stop Kony for years, which only results in failure and retaliation from Kony.
"In general, we're concerned [about] the catastrophic consequences for the local population," Van Damme said. "We've seen in the past, over and over again, how there's been a lot of retaliation by the LRA, the burning of villages, maiming people, a lot of killings, with little military success." - Steven Van Damme, Oxfam's protection and policy advisor for the whole of eastern Congo
-The footage in the video and the framing of the issue are from 2004-2006.
-To get to Kony you'd have to ultimately kill some of his army...which consists of children soldiers.....
-"While the extreme atrocities committed by the LRA cannot be justified by any 'political cause', the LRA did originally emerge as a direct reaction to extreme atrocities committed since the late 1980s by the government and armed forces of Uganda against the Acholi people in northern Uganda. The person in charge since 1986 until today is Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, who is himself a former rebel army leader and came to power by force."

Invisible Children:
-Only 37% of money raised went to direct services (if you support the issue you may want to choose a more worthwhile charity).
-Of this 37%, a third goes to their scholarship program, which is undoubtedly helpful, but it only supports 700-800 children. So a MILLION dollars is being used to support ONLY 700-800 children...
-Their "accountability and transparency" is a 2 out of 4 stars on charity navigator.
-They have never been publicly audited.
-The group is in favor of direct military intervention, and their money supports the Ugandan government’s army and various other military forces.
- Foreign Affairs has claimed that Invisible Children (among others) “manipulates facts for strategic purposes, exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA’s use of innocent children as soldiers, and portraying Kony — a brutal man, to be sure — as uniquely awful, a Kurtz-like embodiment of evil.”
-"So far the organisation has released 11 films and run film tours across the US and other countries to raise awareness. In Uganda, it has given scholarships to 750 children, and helped to re-build schools there and in centralo Africa. The organisation's accounts show it's a cash rich operation, which more than tripled its income in 2011, with more than two thirds of its money coming from "general donations".

The accounts suggest nearly 25% of its $8.8m income last year was spent on travel and film-making with only around 30% going toward programes on the ground. The great majority of the money raised has been spent in the US. $1.7 million went on US employee salaries, $357,000 in film costs, $850,000 in film production costs, $244,000 in "professional services" - thought to be Washington lobbyists - and $1.07 million in travel expenses . Nearly $400,000 was spent on office rent in San Diego."

Military intervention may or may not be the right idea, but people supporting KONY 2012 probably don’t realize they’re supporting the Ugandan military who are themselves raping and looting away. Educate yourselves a little bit before supporting a particular nonprofit.

Some good reads:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/r...-story#block-4

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...31wR_blog.html

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articl...-lra?page=show

http://www.wrongingrights.com/2009/0...dea-ever.html/

http://chrisblattman.com/2009/03/04/visible-children/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201203080526.html

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/globa...op-kony/49634/

Videos:
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/video...YA0wFQbHvPf863

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvqFi...=youtu.be&hd=1

Not saying Kony isn't a horrible person. Just thought people might want the entire picture before they support an organization.

Also I have noticed that people have been responding to the shares with IC's response to most of these criticisms. Most of the responses, just like their video, are framed very positively and lack a real substantive dialogue. It is more piecemeal BS that is coming from the creators. I'd love to see some positive third party feedback. So far all the unbiased, third-party feedback seems either neutral or negative.
Share · Wednesday

[AniaR]

yeah, I feel it's great to spread awareness but giving money to visible children isn't a great idea, the guy from my city who write the blog I originally linked is being interviewed non stop and he's got some better charities lined up that he's been sharing.

[Aquatarian]

Yeah I agree that the video makes it seem like Kony is an imminent and constant threat, when in reality the LRA has been downtrodden for the past few years.
And do I approve of how the "Invisible Children" conduct themselves? No. That's why I haven't donated to them. And I don't plan to.

BUT I seriously appreciate them bringing this into the light, and getting so many people involved. Regardless, this guy does need to be caught and other things like this are happening all around the world that need the same attention. And I mean, Kony isn't even in Uganda anymore. So we should be supporting an effort to end things like this in all countries and not just in Uganda (considering there hasn't really been a problem there for around 8 years).

Even considering all of the above, I will still participate in "cover the night". Will I buy the kit? no. But I will probably manage to make posters and stuff with friends. The important thing to me is not to support this charity, it's to show our mayors and senators and other politicians that foreign issues do matter to people living in developed countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.

[malinghi]

The backlash against Invisible people and against the how this ad campaign has been conducted has been pretty high profile. I think that some people have been too critical of Americans like myself that were largely ignorant of Joseph Kony and now feel uncertain of how to help. Either way, people are having some good discussions right now about problems in other countries, and how we can help without creating new problems.




I don't quite agree with Teju Cole, but I think these tweets are a pretty interesting example of some of the criticisms being made about the KONY 2012 campaign.

[Aquatarian]

^ I'm really glad people are question things like this because we need to.

People need recognize how to differentiate between helping a cause and helping a charity or organization. There is a big difference.