No Kony thread yet?

I'm sure some of you will have noticed the absolute maelstrom engulfing social media at the moment in regards to the Invisible Children 'Kony 2012' campaign. I'll put the links up and let you make your own mind up, I'm rather suspicious though.

I don't think that thinking he's a horrible man and criticising the charity should be an either/or situation.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kony2012/kony-4.html

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/892373-...ight-on-uganda-conflict-a-huge-online-success

And the caveat:

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/qln68/am_i_the_only_one_who_is_suspicious_about/

"No xxx thread?"

You just made one! ffs

Sorry, this just gets my whole herd of goats. As you were.

Yeah sorry, just expressing my surprise in the title of the thread- asinine if anything. Mods can change if they wish!

The reddit post has been removed, but remains here:

http://blog.joerenken.com/2012/03/07/invisible-children-and-kony-2012-exposed/

I'm suspicious too, this news regarding Kony popped up recently by recently I mean today. That video was a master class of propoganda though. Arming the Ugandan army to fight child soldiers who are actually in another country whilst reinforcing beliefs amongst white Americans that Africans are helpless mud hut dwellers in need of saving. Its a bit Bono innit.

A few years back I met someone working on Uganda. He told me that when the Ugandan army takes prisoners, the headlines read "Heroic government troops rescue eleven (for example) child soldiers". If they don't take prisoners, the headlines read "Heroic government troops kill eleven LRA rebels".

I'd say people's donation money is better spent on those groups trying to promote human rights and democratisation in that country. If these invisiblechildren people really are asking for subs for the army, then I'm afraid they've got the wrong end of the stick. A very wrong end.

There are actually several threads, going back several years. Kony is not new news here.

I know it's not new news (I think the documentary was '06), but it's just recently exploded in the last couple of days, been trending high on Twitter etc.

Kony ain't one trick pony.

PDF on the LRA from the ICG.

http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/182 The Lords Resistance Army -- End Game.pdf

Bottom line: Kony is an evil bastard, but getting rid of him will take more than buying an "action pack".

E2A: And the International Crisis Group has its usual blind spot regarding the good faith of the "international community".

Oh, you retweeted and shared a link about Joseph Kony.

Tell me more about how you've always cared about Ugandan children.

Oh, and I think anyone interested in this affair should read this link:

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?op...f-rape-looting&catid=78:topstories&Itemid=116

I'd been sort of aware that the Ugandan army had some serious blots on their copybook, but I wasn't aware they were this bad. You could still argue that they're the lesser evil compared to the LRA, but the Invisiblechildren organisation implies that it's wholly unproblematic to back the UPDF. . .

The kids at school are going crazy for kony today...which is a good thing I guess

http://guyism.com/lifestyle/advice/kony-2012-viral-video-scam.html

http://theeducatedfieldnegro.tumblr.com/post/18894846735/we-got-trouble

I think its a good thing that it shows you can raise awareness through this medium very effectively.

But change anything it will not.

It might change some things. It might help make things worse.

PMSL!

Haha i just posted that latest pic on facebook a few hours ago.

Spot on. Cackled merrily...

The photo of the three bods posing with AKs and an RPG is real btw.

I heard with the SPLA? Is that true?

Well the two lads at the back are tall enough to be south Sudanese, anyway.

http://demandnothing.org/making-the-invisible-visible/

I think this belongs here

What's it really like in Gulu, the capital of Acholiland?

Well, it's not a devastated hellhole about to give a new meaning to the word "holocaust!":

http://www.observer.ug/index.php?op...ect&catid=42:sizzling-entertainment&Itemid=74

Well the LRA are purpose built for the Americans to kill really bad people with not a lot of weapons and well away from witnesses or anyone to care what happens to them.

Really bad people - including the wee girls forced to act as sex slaves to Kony and his kronies (did you see what I did there?).

But maybe the Americans and the UPDF have special humanitarian weapons that will only kill bad people.

Nothing more to add about the polar presentation vs complex reality that hasn't been expounded in those links.

Very well made video though. It even has a cute aryan boy being adorable for justice.

Side note but sort of related to the comedy photos above, read today that China's just presented a USD200 million new headquarters in Addis Ababa to the African Union.