An Ugandan blogger responds to Kony 2012

[Osama bin Bambi]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLVY5jBnD-E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLVY5jBnD-E</a>

A quick summary of her points for those who can't/won't watch the whole video:
- There is more to the war than just one Joseph Kony.
- The video is seriously oversimplifying a complex political issue into "good guys vs. bad guys."
- Uganda is actually in a relatively peaceful state right now.
- The video repeats the same tired, racist narrative that only glorious America can save the despairing Africans.

In other news, there's this one kid from my school on Facebook who has a bug up his ass about supporting Kony 2012 and won't tolerate anyone who suggests that it's wrong in any way.

[Art Vandelay]

That and regardless of whatever the problem may be, it certainly isn't a lack of "KONY 2012" comments on random Youtube videos and Facebook.

[kefkaownsall]

The biggest thing about Invisible Children is that they support the Ugandan army which is almost as bad. 

[sandman]

"Only the dark side deals in absolutes."

[largeham]

I (somewhat) agree. Even if Kony goes, the conditions for his existence will still exist and someone else will just take his place.

[Shane for Wax]

"Only the dark side deals in absolutes."

Got that quote slightly wrong. (It's Only a Sith deals in absolutes. Which in itself is an absolute but hey... Obi-Wan tried) But anyways...

As they say "The more things change the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in, but power always finds a place to rest its head."

You take out one slimy bastard you get someone else just as slimy or even worse. That's just how it is.

[gyeonghwa]

It's funny how so many people posted about Kony on Facebook while very few presented any outrage over the the American Evangelical-backed "Kill the Gays" Bill that is still on Uganda's table.

[Lt. Fred]

Be really nice if they could get Uganda and Rwanda to leave Congo, hey.

[nickiknack]

It's funny how so many people posted about Kony on Facebook while very few presented any outrage over the the American Evangelical-backed "Kill the Gays" Bill that is still on Uganda's table.

That's funny you bring that up, it turns out that the person behind this whole KONY 2012 stuff is doing this in order to evangelize.

[gyeonghwa]

It's funny how so many people posted about Kony on Facebook while very few presented any outrage over the the American Evangelical-backed "Kill the Gays" Bill that is still on Uganda's table.

That's funny you bring that up, it turns out that the person behind this whole KONY 2012 stuff is doing this in order to evangelize.

* gyeonghwa gags

[kefkaownsall]

It's funny how so many people posted about Kony on Facebook while very few presented any outrage over the the American Evangelical-backed "Kill the Gays" Bill that is still on Uganda's table.

That's funny you bring that up, it turns out that the person behind this whole KONY 2012 stuff is doing this in order to evangelize.

* gyeonghwa gags

But that means the whole internet is promoting homophobia and chaos....
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TbGjt-weA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TbGjt-weA</a>

[Auri-El]

I wouldn't worry about that. Given the response to OneMillionMoms' campaign against Archie and JCPenney, I think the majority of the Internet wouldn't be supporting this group if they knew. When a group goes all "SAVE THE CHILDREN!!!!11!", of course they're going to get people on board. And if they're being all cloak-and-dagger about their real motivation, that kind of suggests that they know this.

[Dantes Virgil]

I (somewhat) agree. Even if Kony goes, the conditions for his existence will still exist and someone else will just take his place.

True.  Even still, I think it's important to note the value of publicizing such issues, regardless of whether the face that promotes evil changes or not.  I'm not sure where I stand with the whole Kony situation.  My son and his tween/teen buddies have certainly been blowing up the internet about it.  It's important to understand that such chit is going on in the world and take a more proactive stance in some way.  It's to easy to dismiss what doesn't affect us directly.

[gyeonghwa]

As it turns out, Ugandans are hella pissed about Kony 2012:

Towards the end of the film, the mood turned more to anger at what many people saw as a foreign, inaccurate account that belittled and commercialised their suffering, as the film promotes Kony bracelets and other fundraising merchandise, with the aim of making Kony infamous.

More over, Invisible Children is in fact backed by anti-Gay far-right Christian groups. It also carries racists implications:

Invisible Children, a non-profit organisation with financial connections to hard right Christian fundamentalist organisations, is led by an evangelical Christian.  In the tradition of 19th century missionaries, it exists to bring the light of Christian mercy to a corner of Africa.  Its central campaign is for the hunt and capture of Joseph Kony, a leader of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group responsible for serious crimes against humanity.

Most offensively, the video is a chauvinist representation of Uganda's plight in the tradition of colonial 'humanitarianism'.  African critics, who are not 'invisible' after all, consider the campaign a "white man's burden for the Facebook generation".  They say, and it is hard to disagree, that the campaign deprives Ugandans of agency, the ability to resolve their own problems on their own terms.  Obliterating context, the campaign recognises Ugandans only as helpless victims, bare-forked creatures in need of the rescue efforts of white Americans – an antique colonial trope.

In fact, Invisible Children is even responsible for anti-gay movements HERE in the US:

In 2006, Invisible Children gave "special thanks" to the Caster Family Foundation in its annual report. The next year, the group thanked Terry and Barbara Caster.

Gay marriage activist and presidential hopeful Fred Karger in 2008 launched a call-in campaign against A-1 Self Storage, which is owned by San Diego businessman Terry Caster.

"Mr. Caster and many of his eight sons and daughters and their spouses have given a combined total of $293,000 to the Protect Marriage campaign between January and July of 2008," Karger said at the time.

The National Christian Foundation, which has supported a number of anti-gay rights groups, reportedly gave Invisible Children $350,000 in 2007 and $414,000 in 2008.

U.S. Christian conservatives have been accused of attempting to influence Uganda lawmakers to approve an anti-gay bill which would increase the penalties for gay sex, including putting repeat offenders to death under certain circumstances and criminalizing discussions of homosexuality.

[largeham]

Yep, Kony hasn't been in Uganda since 2006, and the government conscripted a whole lot of his child soldiers. ALso, notice, African's can get rid of Kony themselves, they don't need mighty whitey coming in with the White Man's Burden and saving them.