KONY2012: Don't Buy Into It

Okay, some quick background: Joseph Kony is an evil, vile, horrid man. He is the leader of a militant group in Africa that goes around killing and destroying villages. He takes the children from the villages and forces them to fight for his army, usually killing their own loved ones. KONY2012 is a movement to have him brought to justice by making everyone around the world aware of him and his evil deeds. For more information, visit the official KONY2012 website.

Now for my rant...

All these arseholes criticizing others for posting the KONY 2012 video... They never claimed that they are social activists, Jesus Christ. They simply felt that word of the movement needs to be spread. So stop being a douche and just let these people spread the word about the necessary capture of an evil man, and hopefully in due time they WILL become full-fledged activists.

That being said, if somebody asks "Who is Joseph Kony," actually tell them who he is and what he has done and is doing. Do NOT answer "Watch the video." It is not about the dang video; the video is just one medium to spread the word. If you watched the video and truly CARE about the cause, you will explain it to them. 

Then we're brought to the KONY2012 organizers themselves, Invisible Children... DON'T DONATE TO THEM. A little simple research will find you everything you need to know about IC, and it ain't pretty. Only about a third of their profits go to the efforts; the rest goes into the pockets of the founders. Not to mention, they are proponents of militant force. Fighting militant force with more militant force, what a wonderful idea, because that has worked so incredibly well in the past. This is much bigger than Kony, just like terrorism was not stopped when bin Laden was caught. If we want to stop him, great, but don't spend money on an effort that only focuses on him. Donate to groups that actually use donations for the intended purposes and are geared towards stopping ALL evil men such as Kony. Or, donate to one of the many groups focused on building the medical and educational systems in these countries torn apart by acts such as this, so when we do catch Kony and those like him, the child soldiers will have a safe place to return to.

My main point is this: the idea is good-natured, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. If you want to become a human rights activist, fine, but don't just go donating to any organization that parades around like an activist group. Do your research and decide where your money will best be used.