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What Is Kony 2012? Invisible Children Video On Joseph Kony Goes Viral (VIDEO)

Kony 2012 Video

The Huffington Post Canada   First Posted: 03/ 7/2012 11:41 am Updated: 03/ 7/2012 1:53 pm

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Joseph Kony is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot about over the next few days due to a video titled Kony 2012, which tore up social media streams this week. Watch the video below.

Part documentary, part social awareness campaign, the 30-minute video begins with the story of director Jason Russell and the work of his organization, Invisible Children, in Uganda. But the focus of the video is Joseph Kony, leader of the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army, and his notorious use of child soldiers.

The video details a litany of atrocities, including how Kony authorized his army to rape, mutilate, murder and abduct children to turn them into soldiers, and the warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court. The video concludes with the announcement of a global event called “Cover the Night,” which aims to bring infamy to Kony’s name.

On Wednesday, the video caught the attention of Canada’s political class. Treasury President, Tony Clement, tweeted that he had shared the video with Bev Oda, minister for International Cooperation.


Tony Clement
To all my friends I've now shared this amazing Twitter phenomenon with CIDA Minister Oda.

But others are skeptical. Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, who had shared the video with his followers, tweeted a link to a Tumblr account, that offers a critique of Invisible Children. The organization has also drawn heat from Vice.com, which breaks down its finances.


Justin Trudeau, MP
I tweeted yesterday. Now everyone needs to check out: "Visible Children, , Viewed Critically."

Chief among the criticism are questions about Invisible Children’s financial accountability, their strong desire for direct military intervention, and their support of the Ugandan army and Sudan People’s Liberation Army, which have also been accused of rape and looting.

Still, the video has registered about 1. 8 million views on YouTube in just two days and more than 22,000 Facebook users have indicated that they’ll attend Toronto Cover the Night event.


You can share your thoughts on the video in our comment section.

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Joseph Kony is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot about over the next few days due to a video titled Kony 2012, which tore up social media streams this week. Watch the video below. Part docu...
Joseph Kony is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot about over the next few days due to a video titled Kony 2012, which tore up social media streams this week. Watch the video below. Part docu...
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Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Niamh Sheerin

Niamh Sheerin: Kony 2012: The Latest Viral Social Media Craze or Something More Profound?

If you are not aware of the recent online Kony 2012 campaign started by the non-profit Invisible Children by now, it is likely that you have been living on the moon for the past week; that or your internet connection has been acting up.
Rabbi Berel Lerman

Rabbi Berel Lerman: The Real (Spiritual) Message of Kony 2012

The message that I took away from "Kony 2012'' is how easy it is to stir people's desire to do good and make this world a better place. Not just inspiring positive change in a few people, but on a grand 80 million-person scale.
Rebecca Tinsley

Rebecca Tinsley: Joseph Kony's Legacy

The UN estimates more than 30,000 children were abducted and forced to become soldiers in Kony's militia. We interviewed survivors: a young woman, kidnapped when she was eight, forced to cut the head off a little boy who was her neighbor and then carry his head around all day.
Michael Deibert

Michael Deibert: The Problem With Invisible Children's "Kony 2012"

It is important to understand the context and the history of a region before blundering blindly forward to "help" a people you don't understand.

 
 
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allforgood
0 Fans
12:59 PM on 03/10/2012
Canadian Cancer Society only spends 22% of their funds on actual cancer research (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/07/04/cancer-society-funding.html) and people are criticizing Invisible Children for only giving 32% of their funds to Uganda? Endeavors like this take money, people are dedicating their lives to this cause... Don't they deserve to have income to pay their rent, put food on their tables? At least it's all good... Not like they're hiding where the money's going.
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GlennWatson
Two million fans
287 Fans
10:40 AM on 03/09/2012
Why is HP essentially hiding this story?
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Dana Wensley
0 Fans
09:13 AM on 03/09/2012
Makes me wonder what John Lennon could have accomplished with todays technology over thirty years ago when he was doing the very same thing from a hotel bed or through his music.The world would be a better and safer place today.Let us all sing POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!(as long as you can remember the words)
Dana Wensley
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Trevor Spot
25 Fans
11:24 AM on 03/08/2012
A great Movie that explains the LRA http://www.movie2k.to/Machine-Gun-Preacher-watch-movie-1229219.html
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Trevor Spot
25 Fans
11:07 AM on 03/08/2012
This is a good movie based on a true story that gives a better picture of what the LRA is all about.
http://www.movie2k.to/Machine-Gun-Preacher-watch-movie-1229219.html
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smileaway03
11 Fans
07:29 AM on 03/08/2012
We all need to remember what the basic fundamental of this KONY 2012 movement is. They want to make him famous. They want citizens in western countries to recognize his face like they do Hitler's or Bin Laden's. With that we can all agree that this man is someone who should be stopped.

This organization is asking for the simplest thing we can do. Watch the video and click 'share'. That's it. You think their finances are shady? Fair enough, but they aren't asking for money.
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Martin Sturrock
9 Fans
12:17 PM on 03/08/2012
Well they aren't giving their t-shirts away
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smileaway03
11 Fans
01:00 PM on 03/08/2012
Of course not. They aren't free to make.
You want to buy a tshirt, go ahead. You feel strongly enough to buy an action kit, go ahead. But these things are not what the organization needs, to reach their main goal.
A campaign that does not have a monetary quota is known as an awareness campaign, not a fundraising campaign.
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LRDucati916
5 Fans
05:09 PM on 03/08/2012
really? nothing better to say?
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TwoZeroOZ
170 Fans
03:24 PM on 03/08/2012
I think you would have a hard time arguing that Bin Laden's popularity was the reason he was eventually killed. I would think a trillion dollars and a decade of war probably had something to do with it.
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smileaway03
11 Fans
07:02 PM on 03/08/2012
I said 'they want citizens to recognize his face like Hitler or Bin Ladin' - how, from that, did you comprehend that I said 'they want citizens to recognize his face because that's how they got Bin Laden'?

I don't mind debating an opinion but don't put words in my mouth.
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Chapstikk
24 Fans
06:31 AM on 03/08/2012
As with every other organization..."follow the money" to get the real story.

I want to belive the story, but I work in an occupation where I receive sales pitches every day, occasionally from charlatans. My "spidey senses" were triggered when I watch the Kony video.

I'm not saying it is fake, but I need more than a slick video to believe its claims.

I'll do some resarch before drawing a conclusion. "Trust, but verify" is my motto.
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Squeezer55
74 Fans
01:22 AM on 03/08/2012
Wan Kony dead ? use the social media to raise a million dollars and put that on his head. A million dollar bounty in Africa will send everyone's army against this guy - he'd be dead in a month.
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TwoZeroOZ
170 Fans
03:25 PM on 03/08/2012
And how exactly is someone in Africa supposed to find out about this facebook bounty, and then collect on it...? Does this hypothetical assassin have Paypal?
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ellowlly
4 Fans
11:18 PM on 03/07/2012
I heard about this issue a while back when watching one their first movies, I too got riled up, so I can understand why everyone is also getting excited about the issue.
Back then, I looked up their website and found it to be uninformative and filled with very little information about the problems.. but their website design was fantastic..
I was immediately suspicious when they wanted us to buy the posters and other merchandise from them...
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John Sheffield
28 Fans
06:13 PM on 03/07/2012
Regarding KONY2012:

I REALLY want to be involved in this effort as well as bring my students on board.

However, I need to know WHY your organization would not provide the Better Business Bureau with the requested information??? (Link to BBB: http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/children-and-youth/invisible-children-in-san-diego-ca-4469 )

People may wish to check out Charity Navigator for some interesting information: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

Also, why has it been reported that only 31% of donations make it to the end of the pipeline?

It seems as if it is "Three Cups of Tea" all over again....a scam and a disappointment.

PLEASE prove me wrong.
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smileaway03
11 Fans
07:17 AM on 03/08/2012
They have recently answered all your issues and then some on their website.

Go to www.invisiblechildren.com and in the top right, click on 'critiques'
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John Sheffield
28 Fans
06:56 PM on 03/08/2012
Thank you, I shall check it out.
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laymancanuck
IGNORANCE has used up its quota of TOLERANCE
694 Fans
09:10 AM on 03/08/2012
Keep up the critical analyses.
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John Sheffield
28 Fans
06:57 PM on 03/08/2012
Thank you for the support. There are some on FB that took great offense that I would dare ask such questions.
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TwoZeroOZ
170 Fans
06:10 PM on 03/07/2012
I watched the video, and thought it was all a very good idea... But I still thought I should seek out some alternative opinions - so I did.

And even after learning of all the critiques of Kona 2012, I still think it's a good idea. People forget that we don't make decisions, that the only power we have is to 'be interested' in something, so the politicians in power have an incentive to capture our vote and do what we want.

I think the ultimate goal of Kona 2012 is only to sway politicians to have an increased interest in Africa.

Although, realistically speaking, I think Kona 2012 won't have a lasting impact. That's simply because this is likely just a fad, and politicians know this will be forgotten about by this time next year.
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pleblian
One smart as meɪtər futūtor
1010 Fans
04:18 PM on 03/07/2012
Yes, military involvement is an essential element in killing people like Koney...

But I'm a vet who feels that justice would best be served if he were captured alive and brought before a international tribunal...
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smileaway03
11 Fans
07:19 AM on 03/08/2012
Which is exactly what they want.

They didn't bring up the International Criminal Court for nothing.
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stanschurman
243 Fans
03:32 PM on 03/07/2012
Be very suspicious if Tony "The Bagman" Clement shared it. Wonder what his cut of the donations will be?
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Arnold Gill
Astrophysicist, college instructor, programmer
32 Fans
02:07 PM on 03/07/2012
If this doesn't, at some point, involve taking in a Navy Seals commando team to eliminate this character, this is a waste of time. Awareness here, without action there, is going to do nothing to help those children who've had their childhood stolen. Another organization to look at is "Right To Play", who are actually on the ground in Africa helping kids be kids.
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pleblian
One smart as meɪtər futūtor
1010 Fans
03:53 PM on 03/07/2012
The Navy seals are a clandestine ops unit...

How do you know they're not already involved?
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Kome Chris-ukoko
32 Fans
01:42 PM on 03/07/2012
This is rather intriguing. I'm all for putting a stop to tyranny but I see no sense in doing it in a rather unplanned manner.

However, the cause is good and I see no harm

http://www.the-transformation.net/2012/03/kony-2012.html
Interesting take.
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Lassitofi
where did the rational thinking go?
261 Fans
 
02:28 PM on 03/07/2012
unplanned manner? the whole point is to raise awareness and as you see its working!
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Kome Chris-ukoko
32 Fans
03:58 PM on 03/07/2012
When I say unplanned, I don't mean to belittle the effort. It's for a good cause.

I mean the means of actually capturing Joseph Kony. The Ugandan army can't do it. The only way I see this as working is if there is military intervention.

I like the cause but I'd like to know how they plan on taking out Joseph Kony.
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Mike Turner
41 Fans
 
03:25 PM on 03/07/2012
you're talking about it, that was the plan
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