I agree with pretty much everything stated above. I wrote the OP to elicit some responses, and those received here are outstanding thus far. Thank you.
In my opinion, the response from the video is more meaningful than the actual video itself. The message the organization is attempting to get across is nothing new- there are atrocities all around the world and innocent people being put into inhumane circumstances everyday. Invisible Children is simply attempting to reach out to the unknowing- and have done just that.
The intent, however, should not be blindly received. As noted here and by many other media accounts, Invisible Children is an organization that in and of itself has some questionable traits, which has raised concern about the true authenticity of the movement. That, combined with the obvious knowledge that has quickly surfaced about both Kony's current predicament and the involvement of the Ugandan dictatorship has dwindled whatever purity may have been initially seen in the quickly viral video.
To me, the producing of this video is a monumental act for my generation because it exemplifies the notion that we, as a group of people, can band together for a cause- good or not- in so many easily accessible ways. Often times the videos you hear being discussed that are going viral are videos that have little to no relevance to the worldwide landscape. It is this action that I believe gives off the impression that my generation's priorities are out of whack- which I am inclined to agree with on a generalized stage. But the response from the Kony 2012 video is something that is important and has touched the hearts of millions in a few short days. It is something that can be very influential and I think could be the first of many shifting trends in the way people around the world- politicians, human rights activists, celebrities- communicate their intentions with the general public.
The fact that the information about Kony and Uganda is being followed up on is also something that I feel as though people are doing a very good job with. Rather than excepting the information for what it is, people understand that there are two sides to every story. Critical thinking is a trait that is crucial in dissecting material and coming to a sophisticated conclusion, and the backlash is an example of people doing just that.
I for one am appreciative of the video's presence. It raises awareness to people about happenings around the globe that aren't portrayed anywhere in their daily lives. Good or bad, Invisible Children has afforded us the opportunity to have this discussion and come to a conclusion ourselves about what we wish to do about a certain situation. The location notwithstanding, human morals reign supreme- if someone is in need, something should be done.
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:
Better idea keep your dollars here in the US, give to the American Red Cross to help the tornado victims.
When the tornado devastated Joplin, MO last summer, my 16-year-old sister organized a book drive in our hometown to send to the Joplin schools, who were desperately in need. She collected several hundred books, and estimated that the shipping cost would be in the neighborhood of $1,000. The American Red Cross was the first organization she reached out to for assistance in her gesture, and the response she got was to explain that their efforts were currently in Somalia and they would not pay for her to ship the books to Joplin to help her fellow American classmates attend school with enough reading materials. She was stunned at that response and ended up finding a local charity that donated her the funding to ship the collection to upstate New York, which had been devastated by floods a few months after the tornado. The organization had a chapter in Binghamton, and therefore was able to form a correlation with school districts in that area. Joplin never got the books.
Every charitable organization has their flaws.
