“The Pixar of human rights stories”
September 15, 2015 7:38 AM Subscribe
In March 2012, a human rights organization’s documentary about a central African despot became the most viral video of all time, and the ensuing furor resulted in its leader’s bizarre public meltdown. On the second anniversary of the phenomenon, everyone involved is still figuring out what it all means.
--Two Years After KONY 2012, Has Invisible Children Grown Up?
--Two Years After KONY 2012, Has Invisible Children Grown Up?
Well, I'm glad the upper middle class Americans involved seem to have recovered from " the most traumatic and overwhelming crisis-bringing thing that ever happened to them:" a lot of criticism in the form of "a media shitstorm."
It does seem appropriate that the endgame for some of their staff is transitioning to run viral campaigns for other companies. I'm glad this did not become the dominant model in development and NGO work.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:55 AM on September 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
It does seem appropriate that the endgame for some of their staff is transitioning to run viral campaigns for other companies. I'm glad this did not become the dominant model in development and NGO work.
posted by ChuraChura at 7:55 AM on September 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Frankly, I also find this pretty upsetting:
posted by ChuraChura at 8:01 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
“[The end of the LRA] would be such a big deal. And people would come back to the cause and say, ‘Yeah I’ve been supporting you all along. I wanted Kony to be captured too,’” Russell says. “We definitely know that we need that win, and that the future of Invisible Children and the cause and the work that we do is completely reliant on believing that the win will happen soon. If he’s captured or killed in 2024, I would have a hard time believing we could sustain the narrative for much longer.”I hope this is a case of selective quoting on the part of the journalist, because it really seems like they're saying killing Kony and the end of the LRA will be worth it because it would vindicate them and sustain their narrative, instead of being concerned with the impact on Northern Uganda. Bring people back to "the cause."
posted by ChuraChura at 8:01 AM on September 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
Isn't it three and a half years after KONY 2012? Where's the follow-up to this follow-up?
posted by skammer at 8:06 AM on September 15, 2015
posted by skammer at 8:06 AM on September 15, 2015
By coincidence, KONY 2012 was taking off right as King Of New York (KONY) Pizza was opening in my neighborhood. The overlap of signs going up around the block was deeply confusing.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:02 AM on September 15, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:02 AM on September 15, 2015 [5 favorites]
Look at the nice desk.
Look at the nice wall art.
Look at all of the nice printed teeshirts.
Look at the nice orange executive director of the charity.
Look at Joseph Kony, still doing his fucking despicable thing despite all of the above.
posted by scruss at 9:31 AM on September 15, 2015
Look at the nice wall art.
Look at all of the nice printed teeshirts.
Look at the nice orange executive director of the charity.
Look at Joseph Kony, still doing his fucking despicable thing despite all of the above.
posted by scruss at 9:31 AM on September 15, 2015
Invisible Children is obviously a poorly thought-out project, but I still feel sorry for the guy. I hate the intrusive and gleeful way that some news outlets gawk at mental illness and associated behaviour ("gawkers", I guess you could call these nameless outlets). It reminds me of some of the ugly coverage of Amy Winehouse during her public meltdowns. Obviously Amy Winehouse made excellent music and this guy doesn't do anything as excellent but, still, I think it would be a better world if "obvious mental health collapse" was a signal for affording space and privacy even to people we dislike when they are in their right mind.
posted by Aravis76 at 10:53 AM on September 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Aravis76 at 10:53 AM on September 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
I had a roommate last year who had been a part of Invisible Children. They all lived in communal housing and weren't allowed to swear (okay, they were "allowed," but there was "strong social pressure" not to), among other things. The first couple of times he told me anything about the internal goings-on of the organization I joked that it sounded like a cult. The second time, he lost his temper unexpectedly (the only time I saw him lose his temper, actually) and shouted "It isn't a cult! Why do people always say that?" That experience convinced me that 1. it was a bad idea to tease him about his time in the cult, and 2. that it was definitely a cult. I was fully supportive after that, and he only convinced me of point 2 more and more as he spoke about it.
I know that this doesn't speak to the article directly, but it's a story I feel is worth sharing when the subject comes up. Actually, I guess it does speak to the elevation of bringing people to "the cause" over actually accomplishing the cause.
posted by Krawczak at 11:43 PM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
I know that this doesn't speak to the article directly, but it's a story I feel is worth sharing when the subject comes up. Actually, I guess it does speak to the elevation of bringing people to "the cause" over actually accomplishing the cause.
posted by Krawczak at 11:43 PM on September 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's worth noting that if you read to the end of the article, you see a December 2014 update wherein Invisible Children announces it will close at the end of 2015. Their website still seems to be active so who knows.
And, as I said in the other threads where IC has come up, I do have friends who volunteered with IC (interns in the SD homebase and roadies). Perhaps not coincidentally, these friends are evangelical Christians from San Diego. They are neither white nor middle class. My opinion is that it's somewhat facile to analyze IC along these lines because religion is actually the bigger point of contention. Social justice-oriented evangelical Christians can cause a lot of havoc in their earnest desire to do good.
Also, a lot of Invisible Children interns were super young (17-21) because that was how the organization preferred it. If you were one of a mostly-teenage group mostly-evangelical Christians set loose in cheap dorm housing in San Diego with the plan to fundraise for a few weeks and then travel around the country with your fellow mostly-teenage mostly-evangelical True Believers for a cause you believed in with all the fervor of your young convictions, you too would sound like a cult member when describing it to others.
To IC's credit, they kept things far less culty than that sounds and everyone I know has moved on to do other things and not donated their life savings to the founder or what have you. Some of the folks I know have moved onto other nonprofits with better methods.
Please note that I think Invisible Children's message is terribly naive and a horrible return to the paternalistic Western development model of the 20th century. I'm not a fan (sorry, friends!) and have never given money. But I did want to add some context to this discussion.
posted by librarylis at 11:36 AM on September 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
And, as I said in the other threads where IC has come up, I do have friends who volunteered with IC (interns in the SD homebase and roadies). Perhaps not coincidentally, these friends are evangelical Christians from San Diego. They are neither white nor middle class. My opinion is that it's somewhat facile to analyze IC along these lines because religion is actually the bigger point of contention. Social justice-oriented evangelical Christians can cause a lot of havoc in their earnest desire to do good.
Also, a lot of Invisible Children interns were super young (17-21) because that was how the organization preferred it. If you were one of a mostly-teenage group mostly-evangelical Christians set loose in cheap dorm housing in San Diego with the plan to fundraise for a few weeks and then travel around the country with your fellow mostly-teenage mostly-evangelical True Believers for a cause you believed in with all the fervor of your young convictions, you too would sound like a cult member when describing it to others.
To IC's credit, they kept things far less culty than that sounds and everyone I know has moved on to do other things and not donated their life savings to the founder or what have you. Some of the folks I know have moved onto other nonprofits with better methods.
Please note that I think Invisible Children's message is terribly naive and a horrible return to the paternalistic Western development model of the 20th century. I'm not a fan (sorry, friends!) and have never given money. But I did want to add some context to this discussion.
posted by librarylis at 11:36 AM on September 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
« Older "You know, I'm not going to go around reciting Pi... | Whiteness is not synonymous with greatness. Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by HuronBob at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2015