KONY 2012: AN IDEOLOGICAL CRISIS

            Over the past thirty-six hours I have witnessed something that has caused me an immense amount of grief and self-doubt. I was one of the millions of people all over the world to be caught up in the epic viral video campaign known as “Kony 2012.” I sat slouched in my cheap plastic computer chair soaking up every ounce of the drama, the sorrow, and the hope. In the course of the twenty minute video I went through just about every possible emotion a person can go through. I felt angry with myself for not having learned about Joseph Kony sooner. I felt helpless as I watched young Jacob’s despair at having been born into such an awful situation. Finally, I felt that unmistakable burning which compels all humans to act.
               When the video ended, I did just as the video instructed me to. I logged on to www.kony2012.com and signed the pledge to help bring Joseph Kony to justice. I would have even bought the “$30 Action Kit” and donated to the organization had my Internet not failed on me. Not once did I ever hesitate or stop to ask questions. I new in my heart, something like stopping a mass murdering psychopath could never be wrong. I was going to be a part of something bigger than myself and I was going to help end suffering. Who could argue with that? It need not be said that sometimes I am more a creature of raw emotion than analytical thought.
           Activism has always been something close to my heart. In my head, I have always been an activist and I probably always will be. However, my deeds don’t necessarily support this. Other than a few donations after natural disasters and helping to pick up litter on earth day, I have been a rather terrible activist. Excuses come easy for a privileged white man like me who has faced little societal adversity. I am, for lack of a better phrase, a fraud. I like to feel that I am helping, but don’t actually contribute that much physically. (I have to give myself some credit for at least trying.) AND I DO WANT TO HELP.
           Yet I believe there is a deeper reason why I have never been able to fully commit myself to a cause or organization. I am an optimist who has slowly been corrupted by skepticism. I am someone who tries very hard to look at both sides of the argument, and as such, I usually find something I don’t like or something that I feel doesn’t fit with how I believe things should be handled. Often, when I actually do come to the brink of action I am slapped back down to earth by the cynicism and negativity of those around me. You hear things like, “You know that’s not really helping anyone,” and “It’s not that simple.” Although I try to resist these influences, they effect me in ways I don’t even realize.
          I don’t know where this attitude came from, but I do know that at some point in my life I became infected with this terrible disease. Side effects include: Apathy and an unwillingness to act on what I believe is right. And that is the reason I have never really committed myself to anything.
        With this in mind, it will come as no surprise to you that the morning after my fateful encounter with Joseph Kony, I was horrified to see the amount of criticism and opposition the campaign had received. My palms were puddles of sweat, my heart a frightened doe caught in the headlights of realization; here I was in the same situation a hundred times before. Here I was, trying to fully commit myself to a cause I knew to be right and suddenly there are all these people trying to bust holes through the wall of my conviction. They say that if you really believe in something, there is nothing to fear from listening to opposing viewpoints. If the idea is strong enough, hearing from other points of view will only strengthen your conviction. It took all my strength to hack my way through the twisted jungle like arguments contained in the many articles criticizing and defending the campaign.
          As the URL dust began to settle, I arrived at the core of my ideological crisis. “Is this still something I want to support? Is this still something I believe In?”
The answer, like life, is much more complicated than I want it to be.
          More importantly was how I arrived at that answer. By carefully weighing the many arguments for and against this issues, and coming to my OWN UNIQUE CONCLUSION. I turn myself from a sheep into an independent thinker and whether you agree or disagree with “Kony 2012”, we can all appreciate the value of this.
          I wrote this in the hope that others will read it. Not because I want them to think like me , but because I want them to think for themselves. You are not bound by the pessimism that surrounds you. It’s alright to change your mind, but don’t do it just because it’s what others tell you. Do it because it’s what you truly believe. It’s easy to criticize and condemn an idea without providing your own ideas or solutions. The one thing I haven’t heard through all the criticism of the campaign is people offering up alternatives or their own solutions.
         I believe that the greatest threat facing our world today is the continual spread of cynicism and negativity. It is a crutch used by cowardly individuals to try and save themselves from facing their own fears of failure and self-doubt. They cling to it, like a bastard rock heaved in the ocean. It may float for a blinking moment, but it will be their undoing.

        Below I have listed some of my opinions and concerns (in brief) to try and get at the core of this issue. Maybe these will help those of you who have become as frustrated as I have.

THE ARGUMENTS:

1) The “Kony 2012” video is an over simplification of a very complex and nuanced situation.

Yes, the video is an over simplification of very complex situation, but most videos are. How do we balance something that will have massive appeal like this video with something that fully explores its issues? Should we discredit this type of social media simply because it doesn’t provide a nuanced enough answer? Viral videos have to be simple in order for people to pass them on and we’ve seen their effectiveness in places like Egypt. The video was missing some key elements that would have helped me to see things more clearly, but still maintain it’s appeal. IC might consider creating a series of videos that explore the ideas behind the “Kony 2012” campaign in further detail, such as the vastly improved conditions and the exodus of Joseph Kony from Uganda.

2) The video should be more about creating awareness of Kony than about American’s saving the day.

I think as a tool for awareness “Kony 2012” is a masterstroke and should be encouraged without hesitation. If the video had focused on awareness and stayed away from it’s paternalistic undertones I think it would have been far more effective. Americans are largely ignorant on the problems in Africa and the U.S. has a frustrating track record for conveniently “spreading democracy and freedom” and “ending terror” in countries that have sometime we want. Since places like Uganda aren’t of any real strategic or economic value to us, we seem to forget it exists. In this way, the “Kony 2012” was a great way to focus our attention on an otherwise ignored part of the world. In theory, this increased attention would mean more international pressure from other countries and a TERRORIST like Joseph Kony would be given the kind of attention he needs.

3) Bracelets and t-shirts do help!

I’m kind of sick of hearing this complaint I feel the same way about bracelets as I do about Hybrid cars. Do they solve the problem no? Do they have their own repercussions and downsides? Yes. However, I feel that people often overlook the power of gestures such as these. Because, with every purchase of a hybrid car, with every “Kony 2012” bracelet you buy, you are acknowledging something. You acknowledging that a problem exists and that you are aware of it. We need to stop kidding ourselves and understand that people like bracelets., t-shirts, and bumper stickers.. Even if none of the money goes towards a cause, how is buying a “Kony 2012” bracelet from IC any worse than buying an Ipod from Apple . As long as they are honest about what your purchase is going towards. Is IC is anymore dishonest than Apple? We seem more than willing to ignore Apple’s abuse of Chinese labor. I don’t recall the video ever saying that bracelets were going to stop Joseph Kony or that the money was going towards physical efforts. Did I misinterpret it? What I thought they said was, “We want to make Joseph Kony famous, and this is how we are going to do it. What better way to do this then by appealing to young people’s love of trendy merchandising? Yes, it is shallow, but it’s better than indifference isn’t it? These are the types of things it takes to get people of my generation involved in activism.

4) Invisible Children has a shady financial record…like everyone else.

I will not pretend I fully understand the implications of this argument. If we are honest, most large advocacy organizations like this have problems with $. Hell, the Red Cross and the U.S. government also have “shady financial records.” From what I understand IC seems to be no worse or better than most organizations, but I could be wrong. Unless we are going to boycott all of these organizations, is it reasonable to condemn IC? That is unless there is proof that they are somehow substantially worse. It’s no secret that these people are making a living doing this.  Are they somehow abusing their power for personal gain?

I am in no way justifying IC’s financial record. I have never financially contributed to them and don’t even know that much about them which is were you lovely people come in.

5) The picture of the founders with the guns is the last thing people should be focusing on.

If I had a nickel for every stupid thing I’ve done and then regretted later, I’d be Warren Buffet! The founders of IC probably regret that picture, it makes them look bad and they shouldn’t have taken it. But, they did, and it’s done, and is that really what we should be worrying about? Moving on.

6) The video seems to encourage a military solution to the Kony problem.

This is my second biggest problem with the video. It seems far too eager to get the armies of both the U.S. and Uganda involved to bring one man to justice. It should be about diplomacy and international pressure, not military intervention by the U.S.

7) The Paternalistic Undertones and The White Man’s Burdens:

 From one privileged white guy to another, Jason Russell really needs to work on incorporating a more multicultural approach to his organization. I think this is more about ignorance than any malicious thinking on their part.

It is important that they emphasize working WITH Africans not FOR Africans. As fellow human beings, there is nothing wrong with wanting to help out your brothers and sisters of planet earth, but that doesn’t mean we should be the ones dictating their actions.

The Ugandan people (and all Africans) are strong and the IC failed to acknowledge that in favor of making themselves look like the only thing keeping these people afloat. This was bad form.

Africans are in charge of Africa, we can offer or help and lend our support but they are the ones who call the shots. They should be the ones telling the story of the IC, not Jason Russell. That is the essence of the “white man’s burden” when we white folks try to work for people of color because we feel we have some knowledge or power that they do not. This is a product of racial programming and as white people we must always be aware of it.

8) Do I still support “Kony 2012” Yes, but…

I still think that “Kony 2012” is a fantastic idea. More for what it should be than what it is. If IC is smart, they will take a hard look at themselves and help the idea evolve so that it is more well rounded. I encourage people to write them with comments, concerns, and suggestions. We are in control of this idea now and we can make it much stronger than it is now. I think there is a lot of good to be found in this campaign and it has accomplished what I believe to be it’s most important goal. Joseph Kony is now famous, and we are actually paying attention to Africa…at least for now.

 If you haven’t seen the video or want to know more about Invisible Children or the “Kony 2012” campaign here are some links I found helpful:

KONY 2012
www.kony2012.com

TO CRITICS OF KONY 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQABpjCalJk

AFRICAN VOICES RESPOND TO KONY 2012
http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/african-voices-respond-to-hype.html

JOSEPH KONY IS NOT IN UGANDA
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things

KONY 2012: WHAT IS THE REAL STORY
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story

SOLVING WAR CRIMES WITH WRISTBANDS: THE ARROGANCE OF 2012 http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/solving-war-crimes-with-wristbands-the-arrogance-of-kony-2012/254193/

CHARITY NAVIGATOR - INVISIBLE CHILDREN
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429