Kony 2012 (watch this!)

[Grocery Cart]

Originally Posted by EsChassisLove

Has anyone informed these gullible dipshits that Mr. Kony has been in hiding and done jack shit since 2006? The video is old. Circa 2008.

Yes, theres still shit happening in Africa, as is there is shit happening here that the majority of you ignorant fucks do not have a clue about.

It is propaganda bullshit to get one thing....MONEY. Holy hell....crazy.

This is what I was trying to say.. It's the past.

[ESmorz]

I know everybody has a huge hard on for Joseph Kony right now because the fine people (with their questionable charity ethics) over at Invisible Children are rallying the troops with a new video, but I feel like there is something everyone needs to keep in mind. While he may be a bad dude and what he has done is nothing but deplorable, the numbers of the children the LRA abducted hover around ~65,000 in over 20 years.

Now I encourage you to look into Uganda's President who has abolished term limits, violently suppressed any opposition to him politically, and instigated the occupation of the DRC which resulted in around 6,000,000 deaths (almost 100 times worse in terms of body count than Kony has managed to rack up) albeit through more traditional means. All I'm saying is, maybe Kony isn't the worst guy in Uganda, who probably isn't even in Uganda anymore. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt some perspective ever hurt.

Now here's some numbers:

"Compensation of Leaders | % of Compensation relative to amount of money made by IC | Title
$88,241 | 0.99% | Ben Keesey - CEO
$89,669 | 1.00% | Jason Russell - Co-Founder/Filmmaker
$84,377 | 0.94% | Laren Poole - Co-Founder/Filmmaker

Revenue
Total Contributions: $10,334,060
Program Service Revenue: $3,423,351
Total Primary Revenue: $13,757,411
Other Revenue $7,769
TOTAL REVENUE: $13,765,180

Expenses
Program Expenses: $7,163,384
Administrative Expenses: $1,444,570
Fundraising Expenses: $286,678
TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES: $8,894,632

Payments to Affiliates $0 Excess (Or deficit) for the year: $4,870,548

Net Assets $6,584,811"

As if that isn't bad enough, they've refused to co-operate with the Better Business Bureau, and their transparency rating is also fairly low on Charity Navigator.

So, all this money and effort to stop a guy who has at the most 1,000 soldiers? The LRA is barely even operational anymore. There are probably gangs in your city bigger and more well armed. I feel like this movements efforts could be focused on someone that's actually relevant, like the aforementioned Yoweri Musevini. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about teaming up with the Ugandan government who very well could know where he is, however wouldn't tell us because as long as he is around they will receive aid and people will look the other way at the human rights violations they commit on a daily basis.

That said, I hope he is detained and tried in front of the ICC, which by the way has failed to convict anyone in the 28 trials they have conducted since the courts inception. I guess it's nice people care about human rights violators all of a sudden but there are far worse ones operating on the planet right now and no on knows their names. Now everybody knows a has been in the terrorist worlds name.

A warlord by the name of General Butt Naked killed more people in his tenure, he is a free man and no one gives two shits about him. Hell, because of Kony the Ugandan government killed more if it's own people by forcibly putting them in terrible refugee camps than the LRA killed themselves, and that's the government we are giving aid, weapons, and manpower to.

In case you couldn't tell this church goer appealing, car commercial esque piece of emotional porn with kids running around putting up signs, a hip soundtrack, and giving an adorable little boy leading questions is really bugging me.

[deolio]

[h2v7]

i did not watch can i get cliff notes in 3 sentences or less?

[aoshi1]

This kind of stuff brings out the best and worst in people. Yeah, there are shit-tons of other, worse atrocities going on all over the world. But from some of the logic dispayed here, since we can't and don't address every single issue, we should pay attention to NONE of them, and remain sitting on our hands? It's ironic that the effort and energy to take this movement down is way more than it was to put it together. Stop and think about that for a second.

[sky53line]

Holy shit I have been waiting for some poor soul to post this so i can unleash on them like I have on facebook...

Joseph Kony has been at this since 1986. I do not understand why all of a sudden one MTV style video gets everyone all worked up. Posting this on facebook WILL NOT do anything than aggravate me and others like me by filling up my feed with useless shit. Its not that our government doesnt know about him because believe me they do. The people that need to know about shit like this most certainly do, its that he poses NO RISK to the United States. The United States has plenty of problems of their own with illegal immigration being at the top.

Now with the current president in office that probably wont get solved but getting involved in something that does not threaten us 8000 miles away is not necessary. Where were all these armchair activists during Darfur... which... for the record... is still going on... their is still a mass genocide happening and nothing has been done with this. Killing this one man wont do anything.

Being in the military, and to cover my ass this is strictly my own thought and no one elses, how would it look if we sent an army over to Uganda to fight an army composed mostly of these children? Its bad enough when we get bad information and blow up a few women and kids but think about it, if we send troops over to fight kids. We all know how those headlines are going to look. "US and Coalition forces brutally slaughtered hundreds innocent African children" and they will purposely omit the fact that these KIDS were shooting at US with their own weapons. And for anyone on here that says a child can not shoot a weapon but has never shot or handled a firearm themselves, please sit the fuck down and keep your mouth quiet. Thanks.

All these stupid liberals and hippies going on about how we need to bring our troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan and now they say they want to send troops over to Uganda to fight an Army? We cant afford this shit. Does anyone that is all for this propoganda have any clue how much it costs to keep a soldier overseas? Probably not so again, sit down. The United States has bigger fish to fry with Iran threatening us with possible nuclear capabilities. If I was going to donate to any fund it would be to a US Aid group funding needy AMERICAN children in the UNITED STATES.

Im going to cross train into video production and make a video that will target the hearts and emotions of hippies and liberals about the costs of modding a car. Then see if they will donate to my cause. I want a damn roll cage.

[murda-c]

Originally Posted by sky53line

Holy shit I have been waiting for some poor soul to post this so i can unleash on them like I have on facebook...

Joseph Kony has been at this since 1986. I do not understand why all of a sudden one MTV style video gets everyone all worked up. Posting this on facebook WILL NOT do anything than aggravate me and others like me by filling up my feed with useless shit. Its not that our government doesnt know about him because believe me they do. The people that need to know about shit like this most certainly do, its that he poses NO RISK to the United States. The United States has plenty of problems of their own with illegal immigration being at the top. Now with the current president in office that probably wont get solved but getting involved in something that does not threaten us 8000 miles away is not necessary. Where were all these armchair activists during Darfur... which... for the record... is still going on... their is still a mass genocide happening and nothing has been done with this. Killing this one man wont do anything. Being in the military, and to cover my ass this is strictly my own thought and no one elses, how would it look if we sent an army over to Uganda to fight an army composed mostly of these children? Its bad enough when we get bad information and blow up a few women and kids but think about it, if we send troops over to fight kids. We all know how those headlines are going to look. "US and Coalition forces brutally slaughtered hundreds innocent African children" and they will purposely omit the fact that these KIDS were shooting at US with their own weapons. And for anyone on here that says a child can not shoot a weapon but has never shot or handled a firearm themselves, please sit the fuck down and keep your mouth quiet. Thanks. All these stupid liberals and hippies going on about how we need to bring our troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan and now they say they want to send troops over to Uganda to fight an Army? We cant afford this shit. Does anyone that is all for this propoganda have any clue how much it costs to keep a soldier overseas? Probably not so again, sit down. The United States has bigger fish to fry with Iran threatening us with possible nuclear capabilities. If I was going to donate to any fund it would be to a US Aid group funding needy AMERICAN children in the UNITED STATES. Im going to cross train into video production and make a video that will target the hearts and emotions of hippies and liberals about the costs of modding a car. Then see if they will donate to my cause. I want a damn roll cage.

Does Facebook have a rule against using paragraphs? Because we don't have one here.

[sky53line]

Originally Posted by murda-c

Does Facebook have a rule against using paragraphs? Because we don't have one here.

Silly me Murda-c... where is my zilvia.net etiquette. I edited just for you. I attempted to 5 space tab over as well but it didn't do it when I saved it. Hope its more legible for you.

[murda-c]

I'm gonna make the world a better place to read, one post at a time.

Even illegal immigrants will know how!

[AsleepAltima]

not gonna make a difference. the money isnt going where you think it is.
lets take care of the visible kids within our own borders first. sorry, realism for me works better.

[DS562]

Originally Posted by murda-c

I'm gonna make the world a better place to read, one post at a time.

Even illegal immigrants will know how!

Murda-C 2012. you got my vote.

[ESmorz]

Originally Posted by aoshi1

This kind of stuff brings out the best and worst in people. Yeah, there are shit-tons of other, worse atrocities going on all over the world. But from some of the logic dispayed here, since we can't and don't address every single issue, we should pay attention to NONE of them, and remain sitting on our hands? It's ironic that the effort and energy to take this movement down is way more than it was to put it together. Stop and think about that for a second.

I think the issue most people have with this Kony 2012 campaign is that it's focusing so much attention on someone who is so utterly irrelevant these days, especially when the ultimate goal is to bring him to justice by having him tried in front of a court that couldn't convict it's own asshole for shitting. There are much worse and much more active people this could all be focused on.

Also, you think some people typing some shit out on the internet in opposition to Invisible Children takes more effort than it does to organize, run, or even donate to it? I have to work to even be able to donate to IC, I have to spend a few minutes writing up a retort. God forbid people do a little digging and inform other people how their money is being spent. I love how facts and perspective are being treated as the enemy by those who see an easy target to make themselves feel better about the world and get all swept up in the rhetoric.

[sr20sean]

Originally Posted by ESmorz

I know everybody has a huge hard on for Joseph Kony right now because the fine people (with their questionable charity ethics) over at Invisible Children are rallying the troops with a new video, but I feel like there is something everyone needs to keep in mind. While he may be a bad dude and what he has done is nothing but deplorable, the numbers of the children the LRA abducted hover around ~65,000 in over 20 years.

Now I encourage you to look into Uganda's President who has abolished term limits, violently suppressed any opposition to him politically, and instigated the occupation of the DRC which resulted in around 6,000,000 deaths (almost 100 times worse in terms of body count than Kony has managed to rack up) albeit through more traditional means. All I'm saying is, maybe Kony isn't the worst guy in Uganda, who probably isn't even in Uganda anymore. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt some perspective ever hurt.

Now here's some numbers:

"Compensation of Leaders | % of Compensation relative to amount of money made by IC | Title
$88,241 | 0.99% | Ben Keesey - CEO
$89,669 | 1.00% | Jason Russell - Co-Founder/Filmmaker
$84,377 | 0.94% | Laren Poole - Co-Founder/Filmmaker

Revenue
Total Contributions: $10,334,060
Program Service Revenue: $3,423,351
Total Primary Revenue: $13,757,411
Other Revenue $7,769
TOTAL REVENUE: $13,765,180

Expenses
Program Expenses: $7,163,384
Administrative Expenses: $1,444,570
Fundraising Expenses: $286,678
TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES: $8,894,632

Payments to Affiliates $0 Excess (Or deficit) for the year: $4,870,548

Net Assets $6,584,811"

As if that isn't bad enough, they've refused to co-operate with the Better Business Bureau, and their transparency rating is also fairly low on Charity Navigator.

So, all this money and effort to stop a guy who has at the most 1,000 soldiers? The LRA is barely even operational anymore. There are probably gangs in your city bigger and more well armed. I feel like this movements efforts could be focused on someone that's actually relevant, like the aforementioned Yoweri Musevini. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about teaming up with the Ugandan government who very well could know where he is, however wouldn't tell us because as long as he is around they will receive aid and people will look the other way at the human rights violations they commit on a daily basis.

That said, I hope he is detained and tried in front of the ICC, which by the way has failed to convict anyone in the 28 trials they have conducted since the courts inception. I guess it's nice people care about human rights violators all of a sudden but there are far worse ones operating on the planet right now and no on knows their names. Now everybody knows a has been in the terrorist worlds name.

A warlord by the name of General Butt Naked killed more people in his tenure, he is a free man and no one gives two shits about him. Hell, because of Kony the Ugandan government killed more if it's own people by forcibly putting them in terrible refugee camps than the LRA killed themselves, and that's the government we are giving aid, weapons, and manpower to.

In case you couldn't tell this church goer appealing, car commercial esque piece of emotional porn with kids running around putting up signs, a hip soundtrack, and giving an adorable little boy leading questions is really bugging me.

I was going to post this from reddit lol

[ESmorz]

Originally Posted by sr20sean

I was going to post this from reddit lol

Yeah, the numbers have been floating around reddit and a few articles. Hence the quotes around them.

[deolio]

Dear Jason Russell,
After being bombarded with your KONY 2012 crusade, I have no choice but to respond to your highly inaccurate, offensive, and harmful propaganda. I realized I had to respond in hopes of stopping you before you cause more violence and deaths to the Acholi people (Northern Ugandans), the very people you are claiming to protect.
Firstly, I would like to question your timing of this KONY 2012 crusade in Uganda when most of the violence from Joseph Kony and the LRA (The Lord’s Resistance Army) has subsided in Uganda in the past 5 years. The LRA has moved onto neighboring countries like the DRC and Sudan. Why are you not urging action in the countries he is currently in? Why are you worried about Kony all of a sudden when Ugandans are not at this present moment?
This grossly illogical timing and statements on your website such as “Click here to buy your KONY 2012 products” makes me believe that the timing has more to do with your commercial interests than humanitarian interests. With the upcoming U.S. presidential elections and the waning interest in Invisible Children, it seems to be perfect timing to start a crusade. I also must add at this point how much it personally disgusts me the way in which you have commercialized a conflict in which thousands of people have died.
Secondly, I would like to address the highly inaccurate content of your video. Your video did not leave the viewer any more knowledgeable about the conflict in Uganda, but only emotionally assaulted. I could not help but notice how conveniently one-sided the “explanation” in your video was. There was absolutely no mention of the role of the Ugandan government and military in the conflict. Let alone the role of the U.S. government and military. The only information given is “KONY MUST BE STOPPED.”
I would like to inform you that stopping Kony would not end the conflict. (It is correctly pronounced “Kohn” by the way). This conflict is deeply embedded in Uganda’s history that neither starts nor ends with Kony. Therefore, your solution to the problem is flawed. There is no way to know the solution, without full knowledge of the problem itself. We must act on knowledge, not emotions.
Joseph Kony formed the LRA in retaliation to the brutality of President Museveni (from the south) committing mass atrocities on the Acholi people (from the north) when President Museveni came to power in 1986. This follows a long history of Ugandan politics that can be traced back to pre-colonial times. The conflict must be contextualized within this history. (If you want to have this proper knowledge, I suggest you start by working with scholars, not celebrities). President Museveni is still in power and in his reign of 26 years he has arguably killed as many, if not more Acholi people, than Joseph Kony. Why is President Museveni not demonized, let alone mentioned? I would like to give you more credit than just ignorance. I have three guesses. One is that Invisible Children has close ties with the Ugandan government and military, which it has been accused of many times. Second, is that you are willing to fight Kony, but not the U.S. Government, which openly supports President Museveni. Third, is that Invisible Children feels the need to reduce the conflict to better commercialize it.
This brings me to my third issue, the highly offensive nature of your video. Firstly, it is offensive to your viewer. The scene with your “explanation” of the conflict to your toddler son suggests that the viewers have the mental capacity of a toddler and can only handle information given in such a reductionist manner. I would like to think American teenagers and young adults (which is clearly your target audience) are smarter than your toddler son. I would hope that we are able to realize that it is not a “Star Wars” game with aliens and robots in some far off galaxy as your son suggests, but a real world conflict with real world people in Uganda. This is a real life conflict with real life consequences.
Secondly, and more importantly, it is offensive to Ugandans. The very name “Invisible Children” is offensive. You claim you make the invisible, visible. The statements, “We have seen these kids.” and “No one knew about these kids.” are part of your slogan. You seem to be strongly hinting that you somehow have validated and found these kids and their struggles.
Whether you see them or not, they were always there. Your having seen the kids does not validate their existence in any shape or form or bring it any more significance. You say “no one” knew about the kids. What about the kids themselves? What about the families of the kids who were killed and abducted? Are they “no one?” Are they not human?
These children are not invisible, you are making them invisible by silencing, dehumanizing, marketing, and invalidating them.
Last year I went to Gulu, Uganda, where Invisible Children is based, and interviewed over 50 locals. Every single person questioned Invisible Children’s legitimacy and intention. Every single person. If anything, it seemed the people saw Invisible Children as a bigger threat than Joseph Kony at the time. Why is it the very people you are trying to “help” feel more offense than relief with your aid?
“They come here to make money and use us.”
“It makes us feel terrible to be presented as being so stupid and helpless.”
These are direct quotes. This was the sentiment of the majority of the people that I interviewed in varying degrees. I definitely didn’t see or hear these voices or opinions in your video. If you are to be “saving” the Acholi people, the very least you can be doing is holding yourself accountable to them and actually listening to what they have to say.
This offensive, inaccurate misconstruction of Ugandans and its conflict makes me wonder what and whom this is really about. It seems that you feel very good about yourself being a savior, a Luke Skywalker of sorts, and same with the girl in your video who passionately states, “This is what defines us”. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder if Invisible Children is more about defining the American do-gooders (and making them feel good), rather than the Ugandans; profiteering the American military and corporations (which Invisible Children is officially and legally) than the conflict.
Lastly, I would like to address the harmful nature of your propaganda. I believe your actions will actually bring back the fighting in Northern Uganda. You are not asking for peace, but violence. The fighting has stopped in the past 5 years and the Acholi are finally enjoying some peace. You will be inviting the LRA and the fighting back into Uganda and disturbing this peace. The last time Invisible Children got politically involved and began lobbying it actually caused more violence and deaths. I beg you not to do it again.
If you open your eyes and see the actions of the Ugandan government and the U.S. government, you will see why. Why is it that suddenly in October of 2011 when there has been relative peace in Uganda for 4 years, President Obama decided to send troops into Uganda? Why is it that the U.S. military is so involved with AFRICOM, which has been pervading African countries, including Uganda? Why is it that U.S. has been traced to creating the very weapons that has been used in the violence? The U.S. is entering Uganda and other countries in Africa not to stop violence, but to create a new battlefield.
In your video you urge that the first course of action is that the Ugandan military needs American military and weapons. You are giving weapons to the very people who were killing the Acholi people in the first place. You are helping to open the grounds for America to make Uganda into a battlefield in which it can profit and gain power. Please recognize this is all part of a bigger military movement, not a humanitarian movement. This will cause deaths, not save lives. This will be doing more harm, than good.
You end your video with saying, “You will stop at nothing”. If nothing else, will you not stop for the lives of the Acholi people? Haven’t enough Acholi people suffered in the violence between the LRA and the Ugandan government? Our alliance should not be with the U.S. government or the Ugandan military or the LRA, but the Acholi people. There is a Ugandan saying that goes, “The grass will always suffer when two elephants fight.” Isn’t it time we let the grass grow?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Amber Ha

______________________.

[S14kouki_10]

Well check this video out people..
Video: Somebody's Lying: Proof That The Most Hated Man In The World Right Now "Joseph KONY" Is Not A Bad Guy!? (Interview With Him & His Troops)

[cgtdream]

Well this Video has got alot of replies. I figured someone should post up an Ugandans take on these types of videos...Also i never bothered to watch KONY...seems like a re-hash of a re-hash....Give awareness and money to some random issue in africa etc. etc. etc....

Btw i have no idea how to embed..
Video: So Footage From Stop Joseph Kony Is 5-6 Years Ago!? Ugandan Blogger Responds To Kony 2012! "If You Are Showing Me As Voiceless And Helpless, You Have No Space To Tell My Story"

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by stunnaben

Where is the damn like button when you need one. World doesn't want to help if it actually requires them to do something.
?

Fixed that for you. Believe it or not, the US donates more money per capita and does more work then anyone else in the world for humanitarian causes and charities.

[muffler]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DO73Ese25Y


ill just leave this here..

[ESmorz]

Originally Posted by S14kouki_10

Well check this video out people..
Video: Somebody's Lying: Proof That The Most Hated Man In The World Right Now "Joseph KONY" Is Not A Bad Guy!? (Interview With Him & His Troops)

He's a bad dude. Just not the worst. You think he's going to gloat about killing kids and mutilating people on camera?

These inflammatory types of claims are detrimental to the awareness campaign those opposing Invisible Children's tactics and motivations are now conducting.

[TougeLove]

made this


i have never given money but i did participate in their walking protest in 2006. they really havent done too much in san diego lately.

[Grocery Cart]

I love my friends.

[Johannes]

oops.. re-post. my bad

[TougeLove]

ahahah that is awesome!!!

saw this, hate it, but had to repost it.

[M11's]

Yes this important to end but why are so many people jumping on it bandwagon instead a much larger, more focused and organized movement such as the OCCUPY MOVEMENT. There are matters effecting us all right now that can be halted by more support on our own issues rather than what is happening abroad. That will come when things are fixed here first.

[hOngsterr]

[DS562]

Dr.House goes gangsta.

[treken2t87]

[RodrigueGD]

[gerson408]