Kony 2012

I'd like to make a point right now, before I start listing the facts.
People are gullible.
We've all done it. We've all been sucked in to one thing or another. Companies and advertisers make good use of this trait every day. I'm sure you can all remember a time you bought something or even just thought about buying something that you saw advertised and thought "Ooh!". Some people are easily lead by their peers, whether it be into believing they're fat because one of the girls at school said "Only skinny girls can get boyfriends." or buying that new dress/hat/shoes/lipstick because the friends they were shopping with convinced them it looked good, even though they didn't really like it that much.
So, bearing in mind how gullible human beings can be, let's look at the Kony 2012 phenomenon.
I've watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds fill up with "Stop Kony" messages over the past 3 days. At first, I didn't take much notice of it. I've known for a long time about 'warlords' like Joseph Kony (although I'd never actually heard his name before), and I've watched countries in Africa and the Middle East fall into disaster zones, with corrupt governments, rebel armies, relentless torture, and child soldiers. This kind of information was not new to me. But I gradually become curious enough to watch the video. I admit that I was sceptical, because I've grown up being taught to not necessarily take things at face value. I have certain sources for this kind of information that I trust and don't question (such as charities like Oxfam, Amnesty International and Avaaz), but I'd never heard of Kony or Invisible Children, so I wasn't about to instantly believe every word they said. I decided this could be an interesting issue to blog about, so I sat down with a notepad to take notes and started the video.
I was struck instantly by how dramatic and personal the video felt. The filmmaker and narrator (as well as being the co-founder of Invisible Children), Jason Russell, tells how he and some friends ended up in Uganda 8 years ago, and discovered the level of violence that has happened there. He made a friend in a local boy, Jacob, and we see footage of Jacob crying when he talks about his murdered brother.
This kind of footage is distressing for any human with any empathy. I find war crimes, torture, rape, child soldiers etc, very wrong and very difficult. Sometimes I get so upset about the state of the world I break down into tears and wish I could wave a magic wand and make it all better.
Clearly this film has had the same effect on millions and millions of people worldwide - except their magic wand has been the "Share" button.
Before I start deconstructing the Kony 2012 video and campaign, I'd like to ask you some questions.
How much do you actually know about Joseph Kony? How much information was really in the 29 minute long film? How long have Kony and the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) been active in Uganda and the surrounding countries? Do you know when Kony was last officially sighted? If you donate money to the Invisible Children charity, where does that money actually end up? And how is sharing a video with all your Facebook friends and Twitter followers going to get this guy arrested?
Okay, so let's start with some basic facts that we should all know.
I decided to do my own research into Joseph Kony, and discovered some things that the video has conveniently glossed over:

1) Joseph Kony and the LRA have not been active in Uganda since 2006 or 2008 (depending on your source. At one point in the video we are shown a graphic too brief to analyse properly, and are told that in the last few years Kony and the LRA have "moved into other countries". When I first saw this I assumed (as I'm sure did many others) that this meant his active territory had just expanded. But what it actually means is that they're not even in Uganda anymore. They are currently believed to be in the border area of the Congo and the Central African Republic (CAD). They have also spread into Sudan. This border area of Congo and CAD was where Kony was last sighted in 2010.

2) Why are they targeting Western youth? If this issue is so important, why aren't they publicising it to a wider demographic? My theory on this is that young people are more susceptible to outside influence, and are less likely to know what is really happening out there in the world. These younger generations are also very connected to social media. Bottom line? This is the easiest demographic to gain support from and get their cause known.

3) There is also no worldwide context given in the video. If you're concerned about the health, emotional wellbeing and safety of children in Uganda, then surely it's worth mentioning the millions of other children all over the world in similar situations?

4) We are told that this is a very important issue, and one we must fix NOW. If it's so important, why have we never heard of this guy? Why is there nothing about Kony in newspapers like there was about Muammar Gaddifi in Libya (before his capture and death in October 2011)?

5) If Kony is no longer in Uganda, how exactly are the donations Invisible Children receive going to help? Where will the money actually go? We are never directly told, and this bothers me. If they have nothing to hide, then why not tell us where it's going?

6) We are told that we should work with the Ugandan army to "stop Kony". But what we are not told is that the Ugandan government is currently one of the most corrupt in the world. The current leader has been in power for 26 years. There is also the fact that in their man hunt for Kony, the Ugandan army has caused just as much - if not more - damage than the LRA have.

There are also a few issues the video raised in my mind that I'd like to put to you.
How did you feel about Russell telling his son, Gavin (who looks about age 6), about Kony and what Kony does/did? Did you feel it was appropriate for a 6 year old to hear about child soldiers? How does filming this for the documentary aid the cause?
Another issue that probably hasn't dawned on many people is the fact that the film showed faces of former child soldiers like Jacob. While Kony is no longer active in Uganda, it still doesn't seem like something you would do if you were concerned about these kids' safety. Spend half an hour in front of news footage and interviews with first hand accounts of suffering like this, in corrupt countries where there are armies lurking around every corner, and you'll notice that the victims' faces aren't shown. It's a privacy/safety issue which Invisible Children hasn't seemed to bear in mind.
In my research I came across information on Charity Navigator about the Invisible Children charity. They get 2 out of 4 stars for 'Accountability and Transparency'. I checked other charities such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Doctors Without Borders. They all had 4 out of 4 stars. To me, anything less than 100% transparency and accountability in a charity isn't good enough. What goes on within the charity itself that means it is lacking in transparency by this much?
I'd also like to point out that Jason Russell, as filmmaker and co-founder, has a yearly salary of US$90,000. In 2010, the average wage in the USA was US$41,673.

So, having read all the information I've compiled here, how do you feel now about the Kony 2012 video and campaign?
I agree wholeheartedly that warlords like him should be stopped. It's wrong that children are taken advantage of like this, and I certainly believe in the power of the people.
But is this really the best solution?
Is sharing a video on Facebook going to change the world? Probably not, but at least by doing so you feel like you've been a part of the solution. You raised awareness, and isn't that what the video said we should be doing?
You remember those "few dollars a month" Jason Russell said we should donate? Well, those few dollars are probably going towards his salary.
I'm not saying this campaign is a complete scam designed to purely make money. I'm sure that Russell genuinely feels that this is best way to "stop Kony" and save those kids. He made a promise to Jacob back in 2003 that "We're going to stop him [Kony]." - and this is his way of fulfilling his promise. But none of us should make promises we can't keep. One day, Kony will either be captured and put on trial, or he will simply die. And another warlord or another corrupt government in another country will take his place.
This is not a black and white issue that can be fixed by everyone sharing a video and buying a bracelet. This problem is ongoing, and one we will always fight against.
The saying "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." is definitely true of us humans. We are gullible creatures who will take risks, and sometimes do anything for power. It's the way the brain is wired.
I've always believed that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. And I think that's why millions of people felt they had to share the Kony 2012 video. It made you feel better didn't it? Made you feel like you'd been a part of solving an important problem?
I'm sorry, but in my opinion this is not the right solution. It seems that Invisible Children are trying to fix problems they haven't even come to grips with yet themselves.

And besides, I certainly don't have a lot of confidence in the judgement of a man who gave his son the middle name "Danger", and on his list of inspirational people lists Oprah first, Bono second, and no one like Nelson Mandela or Gandhi who have successfully campaigned against human rights abuses and have changed the face of our world.
In amongst the lack of facts in the Kony video, the over-dramatisation, and over-emotiveness, the message he's sending seems to be

"You want to save the world? Share this video and buy a bracelet."