If you’ve checked Facebook in the last 24 hours, it’s almost impossible to miss the “Kony2012” campaign video.
Created by the charity Invisible Children, the video’s purpose is to make Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, “famous” for his crimes against children.
Many students showed their support by watching the video and then sharing it via Facebook or Twitter. Currently, there are over 15 million views of the video on YouTube and Vimeo combined, and “#StopKony” has also been trending worldwide on Twitter since yesterday.
“Kony2012” explains Kony’s war crimes for abducting children and turning them into child soldiers and sex slaves, as well as the LRA’s involvement with the on-going military conflict in several African countries. The video is a call to action and specifically tells viewers how to get involved in the campaign and help put an end to the abuse.
Whitman’s Invisible Children club plans to take part in the campaign’s Cover the Night Event April 20, said club co-presidents and sophomores Jamey Harman and Natalie Andrasko. Participants plan to spend the night covering their local neighborhoods with Kony 2012 posters and fliers, with the hope that their efforts will create as much attention as possible.
Andrasko said she thought the video was useful in raising awareness about Invisible Children and its cause.
“The video was really effective in getting the message out,” Andrasko said. “So many more people know about what’s going on than ever before.”
The power of social media in the campaign gives it strength, junior Nick Rosenberg said.
“I thought it was really well made, and the idea behind it is a great idea,” Rosenberg said. “It’s an amazing cause, and the way they are going about it is very interesting, even ground-breaking.”
average student • Apr 11, 2012 at 8:54 am
its obvious the only way to fight Kony is to recruit our own child army from the elementry schools and pyle to go to Uganda and do battle
Hermione Jean Granger • Mar 23, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I agree with all those who are saying that the organization should not be endorsed by the school. Kony is either dead or not in Uganda anymore. He hasn’t done anything since 2006. Why is everyone caring all of a sudden? This organization (no matter how noble the cause may seem) is tugging on peoples heartstrings to get them to donate their money. And only 31% of all proceeds actually GO to the Invisible Children cause. I do not think that this is a cause to be concerned about at the moment. There are other issues that hit closer to home that we could be working on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for helping people. But when nothing is actually being done, maybe the time has come to move on and help the community we live in with issues that we CAN help with; instead of hoping and dreaming something may eventually get done for the cause.
J.Hunter • Mar 23, 2012 at 11:26 am
I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how ‘raising awarness’ actually helps the children in Uganda in anyway what so ever. A one time donation drive where ALL of the procedes would be donated to Doctors without borders or the Red Cross would be far better for those most effected by Joseph Kony’s war, which has already left Uganda at this point.
And it should be mentioned, there already ARE U.S. Special Forces in Uganda, and an invasion of the country would in no way help the situation, only worssen it as history has proven countless times.
CM Punk • Mar 16, 2012 at 6:06 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/kony-2012-filmmaker-arrested-san-diego-205649394.html
CM Punk • Mar 16, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Here’s a little update: the man responsible for the Kony 2012 video and father of young Gavin,Jason Russel, co-founder of Invisible Children, was arrested in San Diego today for Public Indecency, Vandalism, and a very likely case of being under the influence. Good job Jason, way to send a good message to your son and show a great image of your organization.
Anonymous • Mar 13, 2012 at 9:30 pm
How could this have gotten famous all of a sudden? The Kony army hasn’t struck in 6years. Why is it becoming so famous now? There’s even rumors that he is dead or that he is not in Uganda. Is the video giving the correct information? Does Uganda really need U.S. military help to find him or assassinate him? Right after U.S. army comes back from afganistan it goes to Africa now? For humanitarian reason? What if they attack U.S. like Al Qaeda did? How about the soldiers that would be sacrificed in the mission? I dont think the school should support such not trustworthy private organization that gains profits by donations.
CM Punk • Mar 13, 2012 at 6:52 pm
@Tupac (!) My problem is not only are they spending less than a third of thier profits, they are riding on the coattails of an issue that while still happenning, the man whose name they are attaching to it has not been active in Uganda since 2006. The UN have tracked him to the Central African Republic, where he currently only has 200 soldiers. They have exagerrated and embellished the facts. There are many other organizations whose misson is the same as IC (Peace Corps, USAid etc.) that do not feel the need to spend money that could go to the children they’re trying to save on fancy viral videos.
CM Punk • Mar 13, 2012 at 5:15 pm
@ Tupac(!) The other thing that makes IC look bad is the fact that they are embellishing the facts and exaggerating Kony’s importance in Africa, he hasn’t been in Uganda since ’06 and he currently only has around 200 soldiers. The militias and governments they work with are just as bad as Kony sometimes. The UN has been attempting to capture him since 2005. They aren’t as pure as they say they are as an organization.
Tupac (!) • Mar 13, 2012 at 11:53 am
People who say Invisible Children is a bad charity are full of it. Is it true that they could organize their giving more efficiently? Sure. But so far, IC has been the ONLY organization to effectively raise awareness of this issue. People who say that they are somehow a “bad” organization are oversimplifying.
anonymous • Mar 12, 2012 at 8:06 pm
laura rostad, i can guarantee almost all of the whitman body has watched this video. i’m not interested in what its about or what it did or even how the IC club felt towards the video because we can all guess how they felt. I want to know how YOU felt. i want your opinion.
Anonymous • Mar 12, 2012 at 10:13 am
Invisible Children only spends about 31% of what it makes towards improving life in Uganda. They also use terrible marketing campaigns(i.e. pyramid schemes to make money). They are not a good organization at all. The school should not endorse them, nor anyone in the school.
sophie • Mar 8, 2012 at 9:14 am
yayyyy natalie rocks