I'm sure we've all heard something about Kony 2012 at this point. And I'm also sure that every one of us has a somewhat different opinion on the video, the organization behind it, and what we should be doing in response.
Here's my two cents.
This is pretty strong language, but I'm going to go right ahead and say it: I think Kony 2012 was sabotaged.
That's sort of a weird word to use, because I don't believe that anyone doing the sabotaging was doing it on purpose per-se. It was done instead out of a lack of education and understanding.
When I booked the screening of Kony 2012 for Young Life in December I have to admit that I didn't do much research about Invisible Children. And when all the controversy hit, that was kind of embarrassing. I was supporting this organization that I knew nothing about, and I was expected to stick up for them... but I wasn't sure that I wanted to anymore!
Really, all of the information that the media and the people around me were throwing out made me want to do everything but support them.
It's scary how easily my opinions were swayed.
Two weeks ago we had a guest speaker in my Community Youth Work class - David Collins. He's the great man who started Food for the Hungry in Canada, and now heads up Paradigm Ministries, an organization devoted to international justice.
I could not believe his response to Kony 2012.
I had this idea that Invisible Children was probably not supported by all these other people who are actually doing something about international justice, was I ever wrong!
Collins explained to us clearly the "way things work" in Africa and regarding the LRA. I wish he could sit down with each of you and explain it again (it requires a lot of drawing crazy diagrams and illustrations on the white board).
The gist of his explanation however, is that no matter what we do, we are looking at these issues with a North American perspective. Unless of course we've done field work in a third world country. A prime example of such a perspective is this: Visible Children. A blog written by a university student that has no overseas experience.
Collins argues that everything is based upon an experience that we've had. We change with each experience that we experience! And, if we were to actually go to the countries affected by the LRA's violence we would have an experience that would change everything. This is the experience that the people behind Invisible Children have had! The experience that prompted them to create the films that they have.
When I look at it this way, I see how this movement has been sabotaged. Sabotaged by lack of experience, and a wish to have all of our voices heard louder than any one else's.
I hope that this can make you think a bit about where you stand with Invisible Children and Kony 2012.
Watch the sequel video - it's pretty interesting!
And overall, don't just jump on the bandwagon because it might be kind of fun to plaster your city with posters in the middle of the night. Jump on the bandwagon because it's something that needs to change. It's a huge horrible sadness that just seems to keep getting bigger in our world.
Do something about it!
Work on your attitudes and your values, your responses to issues like this one!
It's important. Really important :)
