It's been a little bit since the phenomenon started, but I still feel passionate enough about the issue to post it on my blog. The organization called Invisible Children released a 30 minute video a few weeks ago called "Kony 2012".
Usually I'm not a big supporter of what anyone would consider the "normal" charities. I'm an animal lover, and I find that I love animals far more then I even just "like" people. Therefore, I generally support animal based charities. My husband and I aren't rolling in money, nor are we barely comfortable, so while we wish we could donate more to a good cause, we can only afford so much.
After watching the Kony 2012 video, I was blown away by how well done it was. It made it's point, directly, and attracted so much attention to a wonderful cause. It's so sad to me how long this has gone on and hardly anyone has known or done anything about it. My grandma has been a huge supporter of the Stephen Lewis foundation for years, and feels so strongly about the horrible treatment of women in the Congo. I think this particular cause (Kony 2012) affected me so much because it's about children. I'm a mother of a 2 year old and pregnant, so this touched home for me, and I immediately felt like I needed to and COULD do something.
I've been raised to believe that education and knowledge is power. As a result, I don't support a cause without educating myself on both sides to the cause. Once I've seen both arguments, I then make an informed decision. While there is still a lot I don't know, mostly because what has been going on in Uganda is just a very small part of what has been going on for more then 26 years, I feel like I made an informed decision. There has been a lot of criticism about Invisible Children, and a lot of negative people tried very hard to convince me why it was a BAD thing to support this cause. When it comes to the criticism directly aimed at Invisible Children, I think credit is due where it's been earned. The organization itself has responded to every piece of criticism issued. That NEVER happens. The founders of Invisible Children did media runs all over the country and answered as many questions as they possibly could. I truly believe that they are in this for all the right reasons.
The rest of the argument, that isn't directly related to the organization itself, states that by bringing all this attention to the cause, and to Joseph Kony himself, means that he could retaliate in a violent act or acts that would top anything he's done yet in 26 years. That this movement could create more violence that none of us are prepared for. I personally don't think this is the case. The point of this movement is to bring a peaceful resolution, not go in with guns blazing (which can't happen anyway!). We can only hope that Kony will have heard of this movement and become scared of the consequences and just surrender. No one in this campaign is promoting an end to this in a violent manner. I don't understand what the people behind this want, because the fear of violence shouldn't be what makes us go "oh, ok. Then I guess we'll just let him continue and back off". If the intent of this point is to just make us aware of how there could possibly be more violence as a direct result of this campaign then ok, I get it. Consider me warned. Now I'm going to continue on my way supporting the cause.
For those that have a smartphone or an iPhone, download the LRA Crisis Tracker app (it's free) so you can stay up to date on everything that happens in realtime. This here in itself is proof that Kony is still out there and is still active. This month (so far) there have been 3 civilian deaths and 43 abductions.
I strongly believe that WE, as a society, can put a stop to this monster. This movement started with teens in schools across the United States and even before this video was released to the rest of the world, accomplished so much. The real test now will be who continues to fight for this cause long after it becomes "cool". My husband and I are hosting an event in our city April 20th at sundown to "Cover The Night". We'll be putting up posters for "Kony 2012" so that everyone knows who he is.
For those that have yet to watch the video, or who have and need the info for how to download printable posters or even if you want to buy an Action Kit, go to www.kony2012.com or even www.invisiblechildren.com
Before making any decisions, do some reading. Look up the history of the LRA and Joseph Kony. Make an informed decision after doing all that you can to educate yourself.
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