My issue with the whole Kony 2012 thing going on right now.

[orangeban]

What the hell is Kony?

Honestly I have no idea what you lot are talking about.
And ignorance is bliss.

Yeah right there with you. I'm just going to assume it's a new Pokemon.

Quick summary, Joseph Kony leads the Lord's Resistance Army, a militia group that bums around East Africa, killing tons of people until they are hired by a corrupt government to fight a war. For a long time they fought a very deadly war in Uganda, but were eventually forced out.

Kony believes himself to be a messenger of God, and claims to speak to his soldiers through God. He wants to make a country that follows the Ten Commandments, though most say that what he really wants is money and power.

Kony and the LRA rape, pillage, murder, mutilate and burn their way through towns. They kidnap children and train the boys to be soldiers, and make the girls sex slaves.

More info: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17299084

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I can give you one answer at least.

This gets more attention than the "Starving Kids" issue for two reasons;
1) Kony is something tangible and direct to fight against.
2) It us possible to beat him. You really can't beat starvation without a massive reconstruction of the world's economy.

As for the Kony issue itself...... I'm mixed.

On the one hand, the guy IS one of the worst human beings of the 21st century and needs to die or be captured, but on the other hand, the US is already trying, he isn't even IN Uganda anymore and the whole "Invisible Children" thing really isn't doing anything anymore.
If they had started this campaign BEFORE the US got involved in getting him, I would wholeheartedly support the whole thing. Now though, there just isn't much point.

And yeah, the people who don't really know the facts and then get up in arms when someone says they aren't in full support...... They can [strike/]just fuck off to the retard kingdom[/S] kindly go away and be quiet.

 

[Griffolion]

-snip-

Yeah, you're totally right man. All this Kony stuff has primarily done is caused huge arguments between people, and then raised awareness on the sidelines.

I personally support the message that was brought with the video, that there is horrific stuff going on in that situation and that it is possible for us to do something about it, even if it's small in the grand scheme of things. I simply don't support Invisible Children, probably for the reasons your friend posited to her (ex) friend which got her deleted.

I think the main division that has come between people has been the lack of information given in the video. Like Kony himself not actually being in Uganda at this moment, how his current power is a mere shell of what it used to be, and how IC are definitely a shady organisation as far as money and transparency is concerned. In all, I don't want to put anyone down or get into arguments about this, I would just prompt anyone wanting to get behind this thing to truly know what they are getting behind and read the full background to what's going on there.

Also, in response to your question about why there is such a disparity in caring between simply thinking about starving children in Africa and Joseph Kony; it's because it's far easier to marshal human hatred towards a target than it is to marshal human compassion or to even recognise the base flaws in societies that cause this in the first place.

Kony believes himself to be a messenger of God, and claims to speak to his soldiers through God. He wants to make a country that follows the Ten Commandments, though most say that what he really wants is money and power.

Kony's theology is a mix of Catholocism, Islam, Hinduism and African Witchcraft. Despite having a lay Catholic minister for a father, he eventually apprenticed under his younger brother has a Shaman. He basically picks parts of many holy texts that fit with his cause and use them as propaganda to his soldiers. And it is true that he want's his people (the Acholi) to live independent from Uganda under the Ten Commandments. However, the Ten Commandments he wants them to live by are basically nothing like the actual Biblical Ten Commandments, they are his own self-styled version of them. The ironic thing is, he has killed thousands of Acholi in his mission.

captcha: bless you - thank you, lord inglip!

 

[orangeban]

Kony believes himself to be a messenger of God, and claims to speak to his soldiers through God. He wants to make a country that follows the Ten Commandments, though most say that what he really wants is money and power.

Kony's theology is a mix of Catholocism, Islam, Hinduism and African Witchcraft. Despite having a lay Catholic minister for a father, he eventually apprenticed under his younger brother has a Shaman. He basically picks parts of many holy texts that fit with his cause and use them as propaganda to his soldiers. And it is true that he want's his people (the Acholi) to live independent from Uganda under the Ten Commandments. However, the Ten Commandments he wants them to live by are basically nothing like the actual Biblical Ten Commandments, they are his own self-styled version of them. The ironic thing is, he has killed thousands of Acholi in his mission.

Ah, thank you, I was aware that he came from a catholic family, but not about the other stuff.

 

[senordesol]

So let's say they're successful in 'stopping' Kony (whatever that means). What then? Are these child soldiers just going to drop their AKs and go home, lead quiet productive lives?

Some of them might. More likely, everyone will just take one step to the left in rank or we get the hydra effect. Yes it's all well and good to have a figurehead to despise, but WWII didn't end because Hitler got killed. WWII ended because Nazism was crushed. There was no one left to take up the standard and carry on.

So by all means, indeed, STOP Kony. But ask yourselves what 'stopping Kony' really means. Don't let so much effort be wasted when someone just as bad or worse will just pop in tomorrow.

 

[Griffolion]

Kony believes himself to be a messenger of God, and claims to speak to his soldiers through God. He wants to make a country that follows the Ten Commandments, though most say that what he really wants is money and power.

Kony's theology is a mix of Catholocism, Islam, Hinduism and African Witchcraft. Despite having a lay Catholic minister for a father, he eventually apprenticed under his younger brother has a Shaman. He basically picks parts of many holy texts that fit with his cause and use them as propaganda to his soldiers. And it is true that he want's his people (the Acholi) to live independent from Uganda under the Ten Commandments. However, the Ten Commandments he wants them to live by are basically nothing like the actual Biblical Ten Commandments, they are his own self-styled version of them. The ironic thing is, he has killed thousands of Acholi in his mission.

Ah, thank you, I was aware that he came from a catholic family, but not about the other stuff.

No problem.

You are totally right though, he's in it for the money and power, pure and simple. Like all other people in this situation, they hide behind, and even attempt to justify their actions by, messianic claims unto themselves and other such things. Though I have a feeling that the God/s he's swearing by would have something different to say about the whole situation (provided they exist).

 

[subtlefuge]

Because the number one thing that Africa needs right now is Euro/western military intervention or military faction funding.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

Spoiler: In my experience this is why people are up in arms about it...

Yeah, it's because of the children. That was pretty much the point the video wanted to get across, that buddy uses children like he does. And when the average Facebooker sees that, all hell breaks loose...

Although really, few people actually care. They like to pretend they do, so they make Twitters and posts trying to "Spread the word" and give themselves the satisfaction of thinking "I did something good to help the cause"...

Spoiler: When Really...

...it does very little (if anything) to help at all...

the really interesting part about it is that if you say something about this, about how people shouldn't be bitching and complaining about it and instead should actually do something like donate money (although honestly, i doubt that would do much good either) then they all turn on you! I had good friends at my throat saying I'm a terrible person because I "supported Kony"!

[sub][sub]...not quite sure how they came to that conclusion honestly[/sub][/sub]

/rant/

So anyways, yeah, it's pretty much because he's the African Warlord that uses kids...
AKA: Just another African warlord

 

[Korak the Mad]

Be happy if you aren't at a college or University right now. The shit's going around like the common cold.

The reaction at my uni is surprisingly small. Very few people have talked about it

Same here. I stay in the lounge area for quite a while before I go to class and I have not heard a single thing about it so far.

 

[Fox242]

I've known about the LRA for a while now. Out of all the non-state actors in the world, they are considered among the most notorious by people who actually pay attention to things other than the Kardashians and other pointless bullshit. There is no doubt hyperbole involved with the stories that are told of them, but almost all of it is true and the details cannot be repeated in polite company.

This Kony 2012 thing just shows how ill informed people are. While the intentions of Invisible Children are noble, they won't do much to actually stop Kony. The man has an army based around his perversions of the word of God and his personality cult. How exactly is getting the internet more aware of the group's existence going to magically open up the jungle they are hiding in? President Obama already sent 100 well armed soldiers to help advise the locals on how to deal with the problem. That was last year. In fact the act that authorized the deployment was passed in 2010. So yeah, the leaders of the world are already well aware of Kony and his army. This movie wil make about as much of a difference as when Anon shuts down websites of rampaging Middle Eastern governments...as in none, not a damn bit.

 

[Zakarath]

Uh, what? this is the first time I've heard of Kony (whoever he is) or IC (whatever that is). Guess my university just doesn't give a fuck. I'm pretty sure I join them in that.

 

[albinoterrorist]

I'm going to dress up as a Pony and put Rainbows everywhere on the 20th of April. Who is with me?!

My Little Kony?

Glorious.
It must be done.

We have to stop Discord's reign of terror!

 

[Findlebob]

Off topic whats going on in your avatar?

 

[Misho-]

Now, I've lost some very good friends over some trivial shit, but never as trivial as that. I don't know how good the relationship my friend and her friend had, but to de-friend someone you have known for 7 years because you don't support an organization that you have serious problems with

Pretty much religion right there so...

(I know it's not the subject here but it is a sound comparison)

 

[Cazza]

Militia's in Africa doing bad things. Thats been happening for years. Same thing with child soldiers.

I find it disgusting how it needs to be cool or hipster for people to hate Kony. A week ago most people didn't know he existed. Iam all for awareness on the subject. How many people are just throwing money at groups to make themselves feel better that they help stop it?

If they really cared they would have been supporting kids in Africa as soon as they could.

 

[Stublore]

Kony?
Who is Kony, and why the fuck should I care?
From the stuff I've seen, it's yeah bad dude doing bad shit.
The LRA is not exactly news, they've been doing that shit for years.
So what exactly is talking about it going to do?
Reposting the video does jack shit.
Why is Kony so important to the internet?
There are tons of guys/gals just like him all over, so let's assume Kony is caught, will the same level of awareness, mental masturbation go to the next villian?
Call me a cynic, but I doubt it.
And why stop at one person, if this is soooo bad, why not get involved permanently, rather than just jumping on the current issue du jour?
If this really affects people, then they should get involved on a permanent basis, not a single one.
The internet at it's best:
Allowing ppl to seem to do something, while doing nothing.