Over the last few days I've noticed Invisible Children, Uganda, and Joseph Kony trending. I honestly thought that Joseph Kony was some sort of sports celebrity and paid no attention. But then everyone and their uncle started posting about these Invisible Children in Africa. I saw blurbs about child soldiers and wondered why everyone was talking about this now. Child soldiers are a sad reality. It's a horrific part of warfare in parts of Africa. So I didn't click on the video. I felt that I already knew enough about it, and didn't feel the need to hop on this band wagon of file sharing as everyone else was. But it just wouldn't stop. More sharing of the same video labeled KONY 2012. I still resisted thinking it was like a fad or chain letter. These sorts of things go around Facebook all the time and I always think that people feel like they've done social good by sharing disturbing videos or pictures.But then Twitter just wouldn't shut up about it. I tend to pay more attention to Twitter because A: More people are on it all the time (Facebook seems so quiet lately) and B: If something has been trending for more than 3 days, it's time to check it out. So I did. This video went from just 400,000 views at the beginning of this week to a staggering 52 million as of this morning.
KONY 2012 is a well done video. It strikes at everything to make it a good YouTube hit. It has interesting clips, it has a cute kid who's the film maker's son, and it sheds light on a topic that we rarely see. Children who are abducted at night and forced into being child soldiers. The girls are also kidnapped and forced to be sex slaves...which really really got me mad. The picture of those girls with men standing behind me enraged me. Granted, it's incredibly sad that these boys are stolen from their homes and forced to kill. Something needs to be done...but when I saw those poor girls, it made me want to take action even more so.
The video suggests buying a kit which contains a couple of bracelets and some posters of Kony that you can post around your neighbourhood. Its purpose is to make Kony as famous as George Clooney. Shedding light on this man will make people care, and when people care, says the video, the government will take action. When the government takes action, it's easier to find Kony in the jungles of Uganda and bring him to justice.
Seems easy, right? Share the video. Buy the kit. Wear the bracelets. Put up the posters. But I've also heard the other side of this story. Wil Wheaton (blogger, former child star, Wesley Crusher (^_^), wrote a very interesting blog on this topic. He says: "The organization behind Kony 2012 — Invisible Children Inc. — is an extremely shady nonprofit that has been called ”misleading,” “naive,” and “dangerous” by a Yale political science professor, and has been accused by Foreign Affairs of “manipulat[ing] facts for strategic purposes.” They have also been criticized by the Better Business Bureau for refusing to provide information necessary to determine if IC meets the Bureau’s standards."
So that makes me think. What the hell? I think it's great this issue is being thrown into the spotlight. Children shouldn't have to suffer like this. Something does need to be done. If this organization really wants change, they should be more transparent and provide the necessary information to make them legit. I really do hope that they'll put all of the donated money where it's supposed to go. I realise there are costs to run a not-for-profit. But the ultimate goal is to help keep these kids safe and to bring down this man. Now let's get this straight. It won't end what's happening over there. It won't. Someone else will carry on in his place. But if schools are rebuilt and jobs are created like this video says it is, then that's some good. It's a small thing, but creating good change, if only for a small group, can't be bad. So share the video if you want. Just be careful when donating your money though. Let's raise awareness and hope for the best.
By the by, you can watch the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
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