Joseph Kony

[crashhelmet]

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets have been getting flooded today with support for the Kony 2012 campaign. Almost all of it have been linking THIS VIDEO

For those of you that don't know and haven't watched the video, Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army. A revolutionary group based out of Uganda, but has since spread to other nations in Central Africa.

I sat through all 29 minutes and 59 seconds of it and didn't know what to think about it. My first impression was the film maker was being too self-centered and was trying too hard to tug on heart strings by continually focusing everything around his son. At one point, there's a quick implied comparison to Hitler.

The crimes that Kony is guilty of are atrocious. However, as blogs like this and the sites it links to point out, the Ugandan government is guilty of the same thing. Not to mention that the film makers might not be as unbiased as they appear to be.

I honestly don't know where I stand on all of this. Yes, I believe that Kony needs to be stopped. However, I don't know if I can stand behind this campaign. Everything from the feeling I got from the video to the further information I read on other sites, makes it difficult for me to do it.

[tropicsgoddess]

I wouldn't even call Joseph Kony a man. He is just plain evil and his deeds are downright atrocious. I really do hope they arrest that bastard, though really I would rather see him killed and mutilated the same way he forces those in the LRA too do so to innocent people.

[Amanita]

^Indeed. I have no use whatsoever for people who torture and maim innocent civilians for fun, or as some sort of political statement. Not cool at all, let's see how he likes losing a few body parts.

[Greenday]

It's interesting to me how once this video came out, a lot of people started to show how corrupt Invisible Children is. For a non-profit group, their members sure do make a lot of money and very little actually makes it to Africa. To boot, Kony isn't even in Uganda. There's no doubt that Kony needs to be arrested and brought to justice but now it seems to be more about their agenda of catching Kony than helping Uganda.

[mikoyan29]

Call me cynical, but someone gets rid of him, what does that accomplish? I'm sure there are ten more like him out there. Hell, he's probably got someone ready to take his place.

[Greenday]

Call me cynical, but someone gets rid of him, what does that accomplish? I'm sure there are ten more like him out there. Hell, he's probably got someone ready to take his place.

The government that IC is supporting is pretty bad themselves.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

I'm afraid this is just one head of a very, very, VERY multi-headed snake we're dealing with here.

Corruption, violence, genocide and basically every atrocity you can think of are far too common place in many parts of Africa.

Rwanda, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Darfur, Zimbabwe (Robert Mugabe), the list goes on and on and on (sadly)

Unfortunately in a lot of cases the government and the organized resistance opposing them are pretty much equally corrupt assholes that seek as much power and wealth for themselves, no matter how much they have to destroy (including civilian lives) to get there.

Even if the entire Lord's Resistance Army was wiped out, I have no doubt that another group would pop up to replace it and continue the atrocities.

These problems have been plaguing Africa for generations. I don't seen any signs it'll change anytime soon.

[Andara Bledin]

Call me cynical, but someone gets rid of him, what does that accomplish? I'm sure there are ten more like him out there. Hell, he's probably got someone ready to take his place.

If you get rid of him, you have one less like him to get rid of.

Every marathon begins with a single step, and if you keep making those steps, they add up to miles.

^-.-^

[mikoyan29]

If you get rid of him, you have one less like him to get rid of.

Every marathon begins with a single step, and if you keep making those steps, they add up to miles.

^-.-^

But he is but a part of the problem.

[Greenday]

If you get rid of him, you have one less like him to get rid of.

Every marathon begins with a single step, and if you keep making those steps, they add up to miles.

^-.-^

I suppose if we just start killing everyone we'll eventually stop it.

[Mytical]

True, but when good people do nothing, evil triumphs anyway. So it is a catch 22. Cutting the head off a snake is the most effective way of stopping the snake. Even if one does pop up again..it usually takes time and a LOT of infighting (to see who gets to be the head). So them taking each other out to see who is king cobra..is a good thing...too bad innocent people usually get caught in the middle.

[Duelist925]

I suppose if we just start killing everyone we'll eventually stop it.

If by "everyone" you mean "Mass murdering monstrous fucks" then yeah. take kony off the map, a replacement pops up. Take that guy off the map, another replacement. Keep at it long enough, eventually someone might realize, "Hey, if I start acting like those guys I get a bullet in the head".

[Mytical]

Wait..if we murder everybody who murders people..doesn't that make us mass murderers? Wouldn't somebody then have to stop US?

No what he means is..if we just start killing everybody..then eventually nobody (at all) will be left..so by default..the killing would have to stop.

[Greenday]

If by "everyone" you mean "Mass murdering monstrous fucks" then yeah. take kony off the map, a replacement pops up. Take that guy off the map, another replacement. Keep at it long enough, eventually someone might realize, "Hey, if I start acting like those guys I get a bullet in the head".

How many people would you be willing to kill in order to stop it? Because a few dozen wouldn't be even close enough to stop it.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

How many people would you be willing to kill in order to stop it? Because a few dozen wouldn't be even close enough to stop it.

Heck I don't think even a few MILLION would be close enough.