RE: Joseph Kony
In the whirlwind of dust that’s been unsettled because of the recent explosion of the massive social networking and global awareness of Joseph Kony, and more directly, the social critiques that many have, since yesterday, justifiably decided to state in regards to Invisible Children and their near-decade amount of work - I thought I’d, first: post the link to IC’s official response to the critiques they’ve gotten over the last 24 hours:
Critiques - I highly recommend you read it, new and old IC supporters alike.
And second: write a personal note on the subject, if only to get it off of my chest and get back to feeling and staying positive about everything that’s happening.
The amount of awareness that’s been achieved, in such a short amount of time, is overwhelming to say the least! Up until this morning, I was most literally at a loss for words; the only audible sound I could make when trying to explain what was happening to somebody was, “AAAAHHHH!”
Personally, yesterday, I was nearly bouncing off the walls from all of the networking I’d seen via almost the collective internet!
Sure, in the luls of excitement, I would wonder to myself just how many folks who were tweeting and reblogging the 100,000+notes-KONY2012 posts really knew about all that Invisible Children has done, other than what was cliff-noted and summed up (very well) in the KONY2012 film.
Nevertheless, I told myself that, even if it was a “bandwagon” effect, it was still succeeding in a part of the purpose of the viral video - to raise awareness; to make Joseph Kony and his crimes KNOWN.
And yet, I had this sinking feeling that somehow, with all of this nonstop momentum, all of this positive energy was bound to be met with an opposing force.
And sure enough, come this morning, I logged on to my respective social networking sites to see various different people sharing, posting, discussing, and even venting about what will be done to capture him; why this “hype” is needed; that this attention is misleading; that the only way in which Kony will be captured is with violent efforts that will directly harm the child soldiers we’re seeking to bring home; and above all else, the most common topic I’ve seen is on the “inner financial workings” of Invisible Children, with people declaring their dislike for where the money goes; opposing the fact that money is even involved; expressing vigorously that it isn’t about the money; etc, etc.
To the first set of generally pessimistic inquiries, I was a bit taken aback that anyone who’d seen the film and reciprocating viral expansion of the campaign could jump so quickly to a negative frame of mind.
And to the general discussions of the financials of IC, all I could think was, isn’t this all just a bout of irony?
The very same people who were declaring their discontent about the financials of Invisible Children, were seemingly obsessing over this one fiscal detail; stirring up angst over something they said “isn’t what this campaign is about” - getting lost in their disdain for one needed portion of what makes the work that the staff and volunteers of Invisible Children do possible.
Regardless of how any of us feel about where our money goes when we choose to donate it to an organization, nonprofit or not - there is one clear and present fact:
Nothing is without cost, and everything is fueled by currency of some form or another.
As much as it is ridiculous, this is the truth.
But what I’m getting at here, or trying to, is that this isn’t about the money. It never has been.
Although it is a much needed factor in the functionality of a running business organization, it is not the mission. Money is not the mission. Money is not the goal.
Yes, it is an ever-uncomfortable cog in this revolutionary machine, but it is not the reason we are doing what we’re doing.
Directly taken from IC’s response:
We are advocating for the arrest of Joseph Kony so that he can be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a precedent for future war criminals. The goal of Kony 2012 is for the world to unite to see him arrested and prosecuted for his crimes against humanity.
Above negativity, above money, above the good and the bad; above everything else: we are seeing the invisible, and employing the world to see as well.
We are demanding accountability and justice where it has been so unjustly missed.
We are human beings, proving that the human connection is still alive.
