To Agree or Not to Agree?
BY SABA SHAHID (ECON/IV)
PROCRASTINATOR MAXIMUS: this is what my friends back home call me. They say students like me are like rockets. We don't work until our tails are on fire. And I'm sure many of you will identify with me. However, there was one task I had to do that miraculously wasn't affected by my history of delaying things until the very last minute.
A few days ago, while wisely using my time to surf the Internet, mostly Facebook, I landed on a link called "Kony 2012." I had seen the viral video being posted across the website by several of my friends, but didn't find the title appealing enough to go ahead and click the play button. As you may know from experience, the nature of viral videos is such that they keep on resurfacing until their phase is over. Uploaded on YouTube on March 5 last week, the link already has over 78 million views (up until now, March 14), and its phase is nowhere near over. Thinking that the video would otherwise follow me to my grave, I decided to give it a try, and all the "omg here's another amateur video I'm wasting my time on" feeling I had vanished within seconds.
The video "Kony 2012" was made by Jason Russell, one of the founders of the nonprofit organization Invisible Children Inc. The aim of the video is to spread awareness about the man Russell calls the world's number one criminal (2005), Joseph Kony, and to mobilize the world to work toward his arrest. According to Russell, Kony, the leader of the "Lord's Resistance Army" in Uganda, has a list of atrocities to his account including the kidnapping and brainwashing of children -- the video counts over 30,000 of them -- forced prostitution of girls and murder. This is all for the sole purpose of maintaining his power. The video also narrates the success of the organization in convincing the American government to take action. It indicates that a number of US troops are now in Uganda working toward the capture of Kony. It ends so effectively that the viewer is motivated to pursue the Kony 2012 campaign immediately. I have to admit that my first reaction, too, was to do something, anything. I was so eager to support the cause that I took my notebook out and began typing away, devoting my next article to bringing the Kony issue to Bilkent.
As my article progressed, however, so did my research on the issue. I realized that I was looking at a very one-sided opinion. As quickly as the Kony 2012 video had spread, criticism of it had followed with even greater speed. To my surprise (I was totally under the video's spell), the Invisible Children organization's initiative was harshly denounced, and all the feelings of restlessness and anxiety I had experienced after watching the video were immediately dampened. The Kony 2012 campaign was condemned for using manipulative advertising techniques to support a cause with immoral motives. It was blamed for failing to accurately portray the situation in Uganda: Kony had migrated elsewhere years ago, his army's numbers were greatly exaggerated and the video was a mere experiment by novice filmmakers. Others said that the true criminal was Uganda's President Museveni, who only added fuel to the fire. Among the more clichéd criticisms the campaign garnered were speculations that America's imperialist interests were once again maneuvering their way into an oil-rich country, that the video was encouraging militarism and that it was justifying foreign intervention in Uganda. Some even went on to pick apart the technical faults of the video and the organization. I read, for example, a comment that said "Invisible Children" was an offensive name, as it suggested that the children the organization claimed to work for were insignificant.
At this point you can imagine the state of absolute confusion I faced. Were the filmmakers and founders of Invisible Children really out there to profit at the cost of the future of tens of thousands of children, or were they motivated by pure selfless determination to change the world for the better? Despite writing a 900-word article, I still don't think I've come to a solid "agree" or "don't agree" conclusion. However, following are my general thoughts on the whole matter.
First, although social media are extremely effective in spreading information, there is always a level of uncertainty regarding their credibility, especially for people who like us aren't directly involved in the events surrounding a given issue. Having said that, whatever the true motives of the Invisible Children organization may be, the Kony 2012 video has been quite successful in achieving its primary objective: raising awareness about Joseph Kony and the shocking crimes he is responsible for.
Second, I don't know whether international intervention in terms of foreign troops being deployed in Uganda is the answer to the country's problems, as the campaign says, but the fact remains that thousands of children have suffered at the hands of Joseph Kony. These children should be given the opportunity to make their own choices: a right Kony has deprived thousands of. All we need now is to bring him to justice, and this task transcends any need for political or organizational affiliation.
Lastly, some say that the Joseph Kony issue isn't as pressing as other, more vital ones our world faces, such as famine and disease. This argument seems to be based on sound reasoning, but this does not mean that the world cannot multitask. I know spending 30 minutes on a YouTube video may seem too much to ask for, but to all those who haven't watched this one yet, I strongly suggest you go ahead and do so, even if you just fast forward through it, because I really want to know your take on the Kony 2012 campaign: Agree or Disagree?