Drew's Thoughts on KONY 2012

Although I made it to the Kony 2012 party a little late, it was still plenty hopping with nearly 100 million views of Invisible Children's video on YouTube (see above). After watching the video I had simply one word - wowzers.

Invisible Children (hereafter, IC) has been around for a while now, despite not too many folks having heard of them. Their recent video, however, just opened the eyes of the globe not merely to IC, but more so, to what they're doing. This video is a game-changer as it pertains to how to make a cause known.

Certainly there are some things to be cautious of, but they are overshadowed by the things to be supportive of. I actually read many of the critiques before I watched the video hoping they may bend my opinion in favor of them and not IC's video. They failed.

Cautionary Tidbits:
- It's the Ugandan reaction we'll need to listen to, and the current Ugandan take on Kony. Kony has been around for years. And, mainstream news providers have reported on him for years. Yet, no one has done as well of a job as IC. Nevertheless, we need to ask "What's the nation of Uganda saying about all this?" We need to listen to this not for any correction on IC's part (because if you check out IC's staff, there's a lot of Ugandans on there), but more so how to properly relate and discuss the video with others and not to blur our vision of Uganda or even sub-Saharan Africa as a whole as some safe house for freakazoid demon warlords like Kony.
- What's the endgame? IC's raw video was stirring as all get out. And they did discuss their endgame - "to make Kony famous." But, what does this tactically look like on the ground there in sub-Saharan Africa? As of now, this video is all talk about action. We'll see what action actually comes from it.
- Follow-up. This one is directly related to last. IC has set themselves up for success or failure and the world is now watching. That is, they have until December to continue putting Kony out there. Nearing 100 millions views on Youtube, having news networks drooling with envy over their success, and with IC being passionate about this as it is their livelihood, I have little doubt they'll continue onward to success in their mission.

Things to heed and other compliments:
- The video magnifies the vital utilization in our day and age of technology and media usage. WOW, five stars!
- They've been there on the ground and have seen what they were talking about firsthand. Having firsthand exposure to an issue (as IC does) is crucial to initiating a seeming revolution like they just did.
- Being qualified is crucial in light of potential critics. If you read up on IC, their CEO, CFO, COO, and the rest of their team are not some bunch of hippies coming together for a cause. They're qualified. They would've been slammed beyond belief if they hadn't been. This doesn't mean we have to have a degree or experience to be used or to do something, it's just a point to recognize.
- You know you did something right and good when all hell breaks loose in jealously over what you just did. If you read any of the critiques by The Atlantic, you can't help but to smell envy. Not too mention many of the other mainstream media sources that have discussed it in recent days. I think Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" properly captured this when they did a montage of all the media talking about and critiquing IC. Stewart's point was that much of mainstream media were terribly jealous that their years of talking about Kony off and on was just blown away by what IC did and how much attention they received.
- IC are some young guns. I love it. IC are young and lively; courageous and risk takers. They're not arrogant, but are willing to take a bullet for the cause they stand for.
- On top of that last point, they are wise in how they handle criticism. They responded to their critics and held their ground. In a kind yet candid way they seemingly said "Hey, you critics are a bunch of haters, get a life. Kony sucks and we're going to do something about this since you tried, but to no avail."
- Lastly, they showed the importance of being transparent in your financial statements. If you notice on most mainline global non-profits (World Vision, Compassion, IJM, Bill & Melinda Gates, KIVA, etc.) they all post their recent financial filings. Why? For one, it's simply a matter of integrity within corporate governance. Secondly, often times donors want to know exactly what percentage of what they give is going directly to the cause. IC did a great job of showing their finances. I personally dismissed The Atlantic's write up about IC's finances as weightless. Not because I'm more in alignment with IC, but because I didn't really know what the journalist was trying to say. It was as though they were just trying to throw envious dirt at IC which makes for poor journalism.

Other Articles:
By The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-decline-of-american-nationalism-why-we-love-to-hate-kony-2012/254929/


http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-international-obsession-with-joseph-kony-is-already-ending/254510/


http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/03/ugandans-arent-thrilled-about-kony-2012-video-either/49867/


http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/03/unlikely-viral-success-kony-2012/49730/

By Nick Kristof of The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/opinion/kristof-viral-video-vicious-warlord.html

By Jenna Arnold of The Huffington Post (This is a great article)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-arnold/kony-2012-social-change_b_1334770.html

Jon Stewart Video
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-march-12-2012/my-little-kony

*The views expressed in this post are soley those of Drew Hutcheson.

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