Make Him Famous discussion

Okay, I just wanted to make a point before I leave:

1) Kony IS an evil man, but what will getting rid of him do? Nothing. His other leaders will split off and make or join other groups just like the one they have already and continue murdering people and using children.

2) Why should *our* government have to be the ones to stop this? Why should we send in troops and start a war? We do not need that right now because we have our own problems. Uganda has many pressing problems, and Kony should be stopped, but dropping a bunch of U.S. troops to look for one guy is pointless, because it's not going to make a difference.

3) Now, the video. You think because he can make a five year old sad about something you should rush to clean out your pockets to buy something? The things the IC is claiming to do is a great cause, but are they actually doing anything? Look at the organization itself. Yes, they're trying to stop a man who is horrible and evil and who will pay for what he has done, but guess what? All those "action kits" you're trying to buy to support the cause? Only 30% of the proceeds is actually going to help get rid of Kony; the rest is going to line the pockets of the three leaders. The IC is a charity, but they refuse to be "transparent", or in other words, they refuse to let people know where their funds go. They are rated two stars out of FIVE STARS. That is the lowest ranking charity, while most others have at least four stars.

Open your eyes. You're lining the pockets of these guys because they have taken advantage of you. They're advertising against Kony and how he uses youth to do things that are unspeakable, but what is he doing? He is getting the YOUTH who want to make a difference in the world to go to their parents and get them to buy this "action pack" which will only partially fund the IC's "efforts" and which will hardly make a difference in the world because if we get rid of Kony, NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

Have any of you done any real research? Things that aren't just put out there by the IC?

Here's what my brother had to say about it:

1. Invisible Children is a VERY shady program that puts little of its money towards actually DOING anything about the issues they advocate, and that little amount they DO utilize is put towards things that will have little to no lasting effect (see my second point). There are countless other, more legitimate programs highlighting similar issues, and better ways to resolve those issues that you can donate to. (see the article).

2. Blaming all of Africa's problems on Kony is like a long-term lung cancer patient blaming their cancer on the ONE cigarette they smoked that morning, (and not the thousands of others they had smoked in the past and the thousands they may continue to smoke in the future). Sure, the cigarette's bad, but you're not going to get rid of your cancer simply by throwing that one cigarette away.

3. Invisible Children is a hypocritical organization that utilizes the same tools that they condemn the LRA for using, (albeit to a lesser extent): the manipulation of youth. Okay, IC doesn't give their kids weapons and force them to destroy their "enemies..." Or do they? Is IC not equally responsible for using maniulation to marshal an army against a common threat simply because they told us he is the "bad guy?"

I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, awareness is good. Helping solve problems in Africa is an excellent goal. the LRA is a terrible organization, (albeit only one of many throughout Africa). But if you really want to help, I would encourage you all to do some of your own research on the issues and how to resolve them, rather than relying on your facebook friend who thinks that "This is really important! Pass it on!"



This is the article we read:
http://thedailywh.at/2012/03/07/on-ko...

I think about half of that was already mentioned...
BUT THE OTHER HALF!
I like to learn as much as I can and I enjoyed reading everything you just posted. (couldn't go to website because didn't have time...)
There is just one thing that I must stress a bit here quick though:
IC has 30% of profits go.
Sally Mae Foundation (Breast Cancer) has 29% go.

That was all. Just to show that other well-known charities also only give a fraction of all their earnings.

Have you ever thought about the people running the organization, may I ask? I mean they need transportation, supplies(tshirts,posters,etc), AND to pay their workers. The government doesn't pay them like how most buisnesses do. Where else do they get their money? They need to make a living and have enough money to keep themselfs(and their families), as well as the orginization in top shape so they can CONTINUE what they're doing. I mean how can you expect to give all their money to Uganda when that is their ONLY job?

Also, as for the "what can America do?" they can build an allience with Uganda, which might help us in the long run. They can help Uganda get rid of Kony, and it might not be much, but it's a baby step. Killing the queen bee will help you in the end when killing the other bees. I mean once Kony is gone, Uganda might be able to take it into their own hands and get rid of the rest. I know that it might not help much, but it's helping! Like in the book To Kill A Mockingbird- "Its just a baby step, but it's still a step." It might not be the easiest way, or the fastest, but they're still trying. Don't you think that's enough?



Sometimes I feel like you guys forget that they're human.



Too bad the co-founder was arrested for public masterbation.... Ruined the reputation for the organization.

And Then They Burried Me*Mummble/Hana* wrote: "Have you ever thought about the people running the organization, may I ask? I mean they need transportation, supplies(tshirts,posters,etc), AND to pay their workers. The government doesn't pay them..."

100% agreement

Ok, let me respond.

1. Yes, it will do something, because bring action upon the LRA means to bring all the leaders of the LRA that are actually capable of rebooting the LRA after Kony is arrested in to justice, only leaving the lower ranking members that can't do anything in action.

2.Our government needs to help with this because the military in C.A.R, D.R.C, and Sudan are not trained enough to the point where they are capable of capturing Kony and the leaders of the LRA. Saying we need to help doesn't mean that we have to send in the whole army. At the max we would send in one hundred troops to help the militarily's of central Africa to be trained with technology and higher class weaponry, and then be pulled out of central Africa because by then they will be trained enough to capture Joseph Kony, and the U.S can be completely not involved in the problem.

3.IC is definitely a fishy charity. You can look at the finance reports and see less than a third of their total profits in 2011 went to the actual problem. BUT, we do have to thank IC for uncovering the problem for us, because we would have never found out about it without the video. I think that you need to look past the actual IC, and start to look at the actual problem.

Another thing is the Jason Russel meltdown. This means more then you think it does. Russel WAS NOT under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time, he was simply stressed out. The Ugandan government had just released a video responding to Kony 2012, in which they state that the video gives false pointers about the government of Uganda. I don't know about you, but I would be pretty stressed if the country that I'm trying to help suddenly turns their back on me. And P.S, it was not confirmed by the SDPD that Russel was masturbating.

So the big point here is that yes, Kony is a real problem that needs to be stopped, but IC is a little bit of a fake charity.