Invisible Children's Kony 2012 video, which took only days to become an Internet sensation, has elicited myriad comments and opinions since it was first posted in early March. There have been those praising the video for quickly raising awareness of the child soldier issue in Uganda. Conversely, there are those criticizing the video - and at times Invisible Children - for not being as devoted to the cause as the group leads people to believe. Recently, another blow was potentially dealt to the Invisible Children organization.
Jason Russell, one of the founders of Invisible Children, was arrested in San Diego for running around naked and disrupting traffic. He was subsequently taken to the hospital, where it was reported he was suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and exhaustion. There is speculation, though, that he was either drunk or under the influence of drugs.
Opponents or skeptics of the Kony 2012 campaign will perhaps use this incident to further fuel their doubts toward Invisible Children. Already, there have been Facebook posts which use the news to try and further argue against what some view as the misguided initiatives of Invisible Children. But should Russell's arrest serve as grounds to discredit either Invisible Children or the Kony 2012 video? One would hope not. Russell's actions, even if he is a co-founder of Invisible Children, should not change the way in which people perceive the organization's goals.
The usefulness of the Kony video in raising awareness and informing people is the one area where Invisible Children should be commended. The Kony video has served as an effective tool for spreading the word about the actions and identity of Joseph Kony. Because it was spread largely via social media, the video was able to reach a large number of younger people who perhaps would not have heard of Kony by watching the news or by keeping up on international issues. Those who were formerly oblivious to the situation in Uganda, if they are so inclined, are now able to help the cause in whatever way they see fit, provided they do substantial outside research and not take the Kony video as gospel.
There are reasonable criticisms of the video, however. It does not serve to promote a definite course of action besides donating to Invisible Children, and it may seem over-dramatized. It is produced in a way that at times prioritizes emotional appeal over promotion of objective facts. As happens with different viral campaign phenomena, the Kony 2012 video has succeeded in making under-informed people feel empowered while they do nothing to actually help. As great as posting Facebook links and lauding Invisible Children can make one feel, nobody realistically gains any benefit from self-righteous issue promoting. It would not be unacceptable to assume that a huge majority of people who "support" the Kony 2012 campaign have done nothing to actually help it succeed. Additionally, Russell admits the video was intentionally made to present the issues in Uganda simply. In doing so, the video greatly trivializes the intricacies of any intervention to stop the abduction of child soldiers or arresting Kony himself.
So, the Kony video should not be taken as anything but a basic introduction to the problems in Uganda. Russell's recent conduct does nothing to change this. People cannot take Russell's arrest and use it to fuel the anti-Invisible Children backlash which has arisen since the Kony video came out, because this arrest is in no way related to the cause in Uganda to which the organization gave attention.
People can say what they want about Invisible Children based on how they receive the group's publicized agenda. For instance, it would be acceptable for people to disagree with the Invisible Children organization based on the fact that they found the Kony video misrepresenting the situation in Uganda. That disagreement would be based on the way in which Invisible Children as a group chose to identify with the child soldier problem. Discerning people should have already realized that the video's limitations leave it constrained to merely promoting awareness, which at times can be done in a misleading or biased manner. Critics are thus free to discredit the organization for not doing more to help the problem.
Russell may have made the Kony 2012 video so that people who previously supported Invisible Children's cause may now find themselves more hesitant to do so. This should not be the case because the cause is the same whether Russell was arrested or not. Invisible Children is judged by its success toward stopping Kony. People may now dislike Russell - and by extension the management of Invisible Children - more, but Invisible Children is more than just its co-founder. The group will not change and adopt different or more controversial stances toward Kony because Russell was arrested. Only if something like that happened would Russell really be a reason for discrediting the group as a whole.
The chatter and argument surrounding Invisible Children once reached an almost annoyingly high level, yet has died down as of late. Hopefully Russell's arrest will not trigger another round of debate, as this development changes nothing.
Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
COHEN: Charlottesville must embrace a comprehensive solution to homelessness
By Ryan Cohen | 7 hours agoThe city has made several past efforts to reduce homelessness, but the growing number of unhoused people suggests that these temporary solutions are simply not enough.
WILLIAMS: The future of Virginia is on the ballot this fall
By Ryan Williams | 4 days agoHence, voters must make it their top priority to think critically and closely as they decide who their ballot will support this fall.
PARTING SHOT: On the art of walking and chewing gum
By Nathan Onibudo | 6 days agoStudent journalism, and maybe even life more generally, is about holding space for multiple conflicting truths.
