[Nathan]

About a man, who needs a man to be known and taken down.



It's worth the watch.

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I would say otherwise, it is not worth the watch.

It is just emotional propaganda in my opinion. We should not get involved in affairs we have no need to.

[Paradoxical]

I would say otherwise, it is not worth the watch.

It is just emotional propaganda in my opinion. We should not get involved in affairs we have no need to.

[sari]

It is just emotional propaganda in my opinion. We should not get involved in affairs we have no need to.

Regardless of the validity of the video or its message, that's a very selfish statement. Let's put it into perspective. Suppose your next door neighbor was abusing his child - perhaps you witnessed it, you heard it happening, you saw the bruises and marks left by the abuse. Would you try and stop it? Notify the authorities? Or would you just say it wasn't your affair and go on with life? Too often, people turn a blind eye to atrocities occurring around them. I'm not saying you need to jump on the Kony2012 bandwagon, or even work to right any other international wrongs, but I hope you have a little more empathy for suffering than you imply in that statement.

I would agree that to a certain extent, there is propaganda in this film. Since the intent of the documentary was to call attention to the horrific acts performed by Kony and his followers over the years, there has been some exaggeration of the facts, and every attempt has been made to draw on the emotions of the viewer. This has been done successfully, which is why this movement has gone viral. I think every effort should be made to bring this man and his followers to justice, and prosecute them under whatever war crimes laws apply. Be aware, however, that the video is misleading about some of the facts and the current situation in Uganda. Kony is believed to have been out of Uganda for 6 years, and the LRA is believed to number in the hundreds now. They are still brutal, yes, but apparently less-organized than it appears. Also, while the film makers state that the child army has 30,000 children, that's the number abducted and brainwashed over a period of 30 years. It's a horrifying statistic, nonetheless, but it doesn't represent the current number of captive children.

I think the film has been successful in drawing the attention of many people to an issue that would be otherwise unknown - my teenage daughter has been profoundly affected, and I think it's good for her to realize how difficult life is for so many people around the world. Maybe she and others will be motivated to be more aware of what's going on in other countries. I'm not sure that buying a $30 Kony pack will do much to resolve the issue, however. The film makers are bringing pressure on the US to act, but we can't do anything from a legislative standpoint to fix this, which would imply the military should become more involved than they currently are. Obama has sent troops to the area, and the LRA was declared a terrorist organization after 9/11. Will military action on our part resolve anything? If Kony is indeed surrounded by a brainwashed child army, what's accomplished if we fight that army in order to capture him? It's a complex situation that really has no simple solution.

[Paradoxical]

Regardless of the validity of the video or its message, that's a very selfish statement. Let's put it into perspective. Suppose your next door neighbor was abusing his child - perhaps you witnessed it, you heard it happening, you saw the bruises and marks left by the abuse. Would you try and stop it? Notify the authorities? Or would you just say it wasn't your affair and go on with life? Too often, people turn a blind eye to atrocities occurring around them. I'm not saying you need to jump on the Kony2012 bandwagon, or even work to right any other international wrongs, but I hope you have a little more empathy for suffering than you imply in that statement.

Yes, a statement which is selfish. Not at all do I think that Kony shouldn't be captured though.
In fact, if the charity we're talking about didn't only put 30% of donations towards the cause, I'd probably support it.

However. There are millions of problems around the world. If we are putting all this effort into stopping one.. then why can't we do the same for all the others? Famine in Africa has been so for dozens of years.

Edited by Paradoxical, 10 March 2012 - 09:43 AM.