Sta.sh
I spent my entire Easter with some fruit punch and a huge box of tissues.
lpp_video JefftheStrider; No Strings Attached
I'd like to share some observations of mine...
The first being: spending the resources to bring Kony to justice shouldn't be a priority. Why?
Because, in the grand scheme of things, he's just one person. And while one person can commit extremely heinous atrocities and crimes against humanity... There's a bigger picture to think about.
Besides, where do you suppose Kony gets all those weapons? Shouldn't something like that be the bigger priority?
Uganda isn't the pit of despair that it was when Kony was there. Yes, It's a nation recovering from a dark period, a struggling nation; but a nation that is trying to build itself. And that is what the real focus needs to be on --growth and development. That means education, economy, healthcare, infrastructure, and sustainable government.
That doesn't mean: Chasing some lunatic across a continent and perpetuating the belief that the Ugandans are forever victims.
An article worth reading regarding this subject.
I make an effort to maintain a certain level of skepticism in my life; it's both a blessing and a curse.
Personally, I am skeptical of large organizations that pump a lot of effort into the commercialization of their cause. These days, the concept of selling "awareness" seems particularly silly when things like twitter/facebook/etc. exist.
Awareness now costs practically nothing... And the flipside of that coin is: advertising can now cost practically nothing. With both in mind, it's easy to see how non-profits/501's become so... profitable (Invisible Children only spends 32% on direct services). (Komen would be my other example of an organization that distracts with awareness when it is action that is needed.)
Now, I'm not saying Invisible Children is a bad organization... Hearts are in the rights places and all. But frankly, they're focusing on the wrong details --while framing them in Western perspectives. Since when do Westerners have the authority to speak for the people/nations of Africa? Hint: Colonization doesn't count.
How about letting Ugandans speak for Ugandans? Novel concept.
Quite simply, I just don't think that they're worth giving your money to. I suggest finding a different charity/organization to give to if you're looking to donate. One where your dollar will go further than a t-shirt for yourself and the nebulous idea of "awareness".
Buy a goat instead. Or some ducks. Or maybe even a llama.
Give money to organizations that help people to provide for themselves --everybody wins.
Kony is evil... and he needs to be brought to justice.
But you know what's more important than that?
Raising the literacy rate.
After all... What reason is there to not do some extra research?
Twilight Sparkle would encourage you to do the homework.
if we want to use force to fix that place, then there are really two options from what I can tell, either we take place directly against uganda's current regime itself, or we start a resistance, train and fund it. only problem is, we already learned why not to make resistances to indirectly undermine opponents before. that's where about half of our enemies came from these days. What's more, most resistances over there tend to become like the LRA.
I agree, the use of force over there won't really solve anything. the ugandan military isn't the "good guys" by any measure, they are just the guys that slowed down on the evil a slight bit after gaining power.
basically, if we were to make ourselves responsible for "fixing" the place directly, we would have ourselves another vietnam on our hands.
Thanks.