Kony 2012

You have good points Eldo, in this world of scams and cynical manipulation for profit, you have to be careful, I wouldnt give them my money as you never know who exactly is getting it, if the information is incorrect then they need to be told to sort things out. It is good that debate has started, however these things come and go and once the fashion for this particular cause is passed I wonder what remains? But on the other hand If it has helped even one kid its worth it. Its very easy to critisize them for being smug westerners and maybe they are, but its surely a flawed but interesting experiment in public awareness.

Mrs Figg wrote:its surely a flawed but interesting experiment in public awareness.

I absolutely agree. It's a fascinating look at the power of viral media in the information age, and I sincerely hope that the increased awareness will lead to positive change for the people of Central Africa. While I worry that simplistic and hamfisted approaches will be ineffective or even detrimental in the long run, I hope that a greater dialogue will lead people to encourage their governments to take more responsible action. Of course, lasting change will need to come from within Africa itself, but it's good for the rest of the world to be informed as well.

I saw on a facebook page the day after Whitney Houston Died the following -' One Celebrity dies millions mourn'- then a picture of Africa and 'Millions die nobody mourns'.
Simplistic but sadly probably close to the truth. Its the nature of our culture.

An interesting article about the response to the video from various African writers and activists.

http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/african-voices-respond-to-hype.html

Most of them mentioned that the video sounded like paternalism and neo-colonialism, which is an accusation I'd seen a few other places as well. Food for thought.

There's a whole wave of 'Kony memes' mocking that culture, but there is definitely potential in the internet fostering empathy. It reminds me of that google ad a few years back, 'the internet's what you make of it!'. As Eldo said, this new model of global interaction is definitely interesting, and I believe a force for good!

I've read about Kony before, but the memes were actually what first introduced me to the video. I feel like I'm going to hell for laughing at most of them, but I like to think that people can try to use humor to make sense of a horrific situation while also thinking seriously about that situation.

Well the really funny ones are those mocking the people on the Kony 2012 bandwagon! It was amazing how many of my friends were closet humanitarians! Haha, but I suppose humour and empathy are both good, as long as it's full of good intention and is well meant!

Its easy to dismiss all the people who support this campaign as naive or worse smug western imperialists etc, but the harsh truth is that us westerners have the leisure time and the dollars to support benevolent causes, it seems like western patronage but its probably more guilt for having so much of everything. I feel guilty for having everything handed to me on a plate, democracy included.

Mrs Figg wrote:Its easy to dismiss all the people who support this campaign as naive or worse smug western imperialists etc, but the harsh truth is that us westerners have the leisure time and the dollars to support benevolent causes, it seems like western patronage but its probably more guilt for having so much of everything. I feel guilty for having everything handed to me on a plate, democracy included.

I agree 99% Mrs Figg --- I only lack the 'guilt' bit - which I assume in Western Imperialists can't be more than 1%. Once we've finished discussing this, we'll surely move onto some other briefly believed in and quickly forgotten cause.

(You know, I had enough trouble getting my kids to school, let alone training 'em up as prostitutes and/or soldiers, or to be useful in any other practical profession. )

(You know, I had enough trouble getting my kids to school, let alone training 'em up as prostitutes and/or soldiers, or to be useful in any other practical profession. ) -Orwell

Well may you smile... I'm still forking out cash so they can live a carefree Western Imperialist lifestyle... no one knows my pain...

Hey! If lots of people sent me lots of money, I could keep my kids out of prostituition and army camps ----

nice try

From the BBC:

'Invisible Children was accused of spending most of its raised funds on salaries, travel expenses and film-making.
Bloggers also pointed out that NGO watchdog Charity Navigator had given the group only two out of four stars for financial accountability.
And an article in Foreign Affairs accused Invisible Children and other non-profits of having "manipulated facts for strategic purposes".'

Pettytyrant101 wrote:From the BBC:

'Invisible Children was accused of spending most of its raised funds on salaries, travel expenses and film-making.
Bloggers also pointed out that NGO watchdog Charity Navigator had given the group only two out of four stars for financial accountability.
And an article in Foreign Affairs accused Invisible Children and other non-profits of having "manipulated facts for strategic purposes".'

This raises an interesting thought (to me at least). If I were to go and get employed by a Charity, and draw a nice wage from the charitable donations of others, would it make me a better person?