Kony 2012

[Moonlight Graham]

The now-famous

has done an amazing job at raising awareness of an important issue (Kony/LRA, and child soldiers in general), but the actual campaign itself is so naive it almost makes me vomit.

As many others have criticized, the problems in Uganda are very complex, and the video is 30mins long yet is very skimpy on the facts on the whole situation, Supporting actions against Kony, let alone sending in US troops, will have big consequences, and possibly make the problems worse. The US gov has already supported the not-so-nice Ugandan gov over the LRA in the past, mostly due to the politics of the country having oil. Those people in the video cheering when Obama agreed to send in troops last year could be saddened in a few years when this very training could be used by the Ugandan military/gov to slaughter its own people, execute a coup, or any variety of bad deeds that are the product of unintended consequences.

There is something very dangerous about an extremely uninformed and naive public pressuring government on an issue like this. These new supporters should educate themselves on this issue. I also don't like the way this NGO is trying to hawk donations and sell kits at the end of the video.

Your thoughts on this Kony 2012 phenomenon?

Edited March 10, 2012 by Moonlight Graham

[olpfan1]

It's pretty cool, he'll get caught now, there is nowhere to hide now that the world knows who he is and what he looks like

[Moonlight Graham]

It's pretty cool, he'll get caught now, there is nowhere to hide now that the world knows who he is and what he looks like

What would it matter since he's likely hiding in a bush just outside Uganda, in a place that, for those that would have any access to media in that region, would already be very aware of what he looks like. It's not like he's hiding in New York City.

I think the exposure just makes western govs more apt to do something based on public pressure.

[olpfan1]

What would it matter since he's likely hiding in a bush just outside Uganda, in a place that, for those that would have any access to media in that region, would already be very aware of what he looks like. It's not like he's hiding in New York City.

I think the exposure just makes western govs more apt to do something based on public pressure.

yeh cause due to public pressure on Osama Bin Laden it took them 10 years to get him

... no western government is going to make any rash decision based on what the public wants

it doesn't work that way.. it is what the industrial military complex contractors want

they are the ones who decide where the military goes, not the people on twitter!

[Guest Derek L]

yeh cause due to public pressure on Osama Bin Laden it took them 10 years to get him

... no western government is going to make any rash decision based on what the public wants

it doesn't work that way.. it is what the industrial military complex contractors want

they are the ones who decide where the military goes, not the people on twitter!

Not an hour earlier, you stated:

It's pretty cool, he'll get caught now, there is nowhere to hide now that the world knows who he is and what he looks like

I’m confused, who decides if the “West” is to go into Uganda and either bump off or capture Kony, the "Military industrial complex" or social media users?

Are you suggesting the West should take military action in Uganda based on a half hour Facebook video?

[GostHacked]

Kony 2012 sounds more like an election campaign than anything else to me. Make Kony Famous??? Should that not be infamous?

Considering the actrocities around the world at the present, this Kony guy is small potatoes. That's not an excuse for what he has done.

[olpfan1]

Not an hour earlier, you stated:

I’m confused, who decides if the “West” is to go into Uganda and either bump off or capture Kony, the "Military industrial complex" or social media users?

Are you suggesting the West should take military action in Uganda based on a half hour Facebook video?

i dont see where i suggested any of the sort

[Moonlight Graham]

yeh cause due to public pressure on Osama Bin Laden it took them 10 years to get him

... no western government is going to make any rash decision based on what the public wants

it doesn't work that way.. it is what the industrial military complex contractors want

they are the ones who decide where the military goes, not the people on twitter!

I agree they probably won't make any rash decisions. I also agree it could take as long as Bin Laden to get him because Kony can and does hop between countries, it's not like this just a Uganda situation, this chase would mean breaking borders of a few countries.

But despite the powerful military industrial complex, voters ultimately have politicians by the balls more than anyone because we determine whether they are employed and in power or not. If voters scream loud enough and it won't cause too much trouble to national security, voters could get their govs to send troops just about anywhere.

[Moonlight Graham]

Considering the actrocities around the world at the present, this Kony guy is small potatoes. That's not an excuse for what he has done.

He and the LRA aren't a huge problem right now, they are only a hundred members strong right now. He is small potatoes as of now. He's a monster but resources would probably best be spent elsewhere. Africa has way bigger problems.

[j44]

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things

[Moonlight Graham]

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things

Great article, thanks.

[GostHacked]

Well this campaing won't last long ....

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/17/world/africa/uganda-viral-video/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

[kimmy]

Remember back in October when Rush Limbaugh tried to portray Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army as Christian freedom-fighters fighting Muslim oppression, and howled that Obama was sending US troops to Africa to kill Christians?

-k

[cybercoma]

It's pretty bad when Stephen Lewis calls your alleged charitable work "self-serving opportunism."

[Moonlight Graham]

April 20th, the day the Kony 2012 activists were supposed to "cover the night in red", has come and gone. Didn't hear anything about it in the media, so I guess the Kony 2012 movement hasn't exactly taken off like the creators planned.

[kimmy]

April 20th, the day the Kony 2012 activists were supposed to "cover the night in red", has come and gone. Didn't hear anything about it in the media, so I guess the Kony 2012 movement hasn't exactly taken off like the creators planned.

I saw Kony 2012 posters all over town. They were taped to almost any stationary object. They were American-designed posters featuring an elephant and donkey standing with their heads overlapping to form a peace dove, symbolically representing a call for bi-partisan cooperation to end Kony's attrocities. Lovely sentiment and outstanding graphical design, but completely unrelated to Canadian politics.

-k