[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB3aY3aoJNQ&feature=player_embedded]
Oh yeah! Get down to the bottom of this Oprah!
04 Oct 2012
All posts in: KONY 2012
19 Apr 2012
Do You Know What’s Happening Tomorrow?
It’s KONY 2012 y’all!
Oh yeah, remember that?
I actually am curious to see if anyone is still participating in the event tomorrow evening after all of the dramz. If you see it happening in your city, feel free to send pictures.
I’m pretty sure I haven’t heard anyone in Seattle talking about it the event unless it involved the scandal, but I guess we’ll see tomorrow!
17 Mar 2012
Let’s Chat About Jason Russell
Whenever news is released about Invisible Children, KONY 2012, and Jason Russell these days, I have to usually take a few hours off from blogging before I write something about it. I needed to go into this with a clear head. I mean, if the guy is going for shock value though, then he is hitting it up in ALL the right places. You’ve really got my attention now, Jason. Do your strange behaviors still make me want to join your KONY 2012 army. Hell to the no! But you are providing some fuel to this genocide fire that is making me consider a few other things.
As soon as I heard about the incident this afternoon, I’ll admit, I was quick to judge. Every ounce of credibility that he had put into this project went completely out the window. In the original article from TMZ, I read that he had experienced exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. Aren’t…these things that would lower your energy levels? I’m no health expert and I don’t want to come off ignorant, but there’s no denying that this is strange behavior. I shared the article on Facebook because no one had broken the news yet and I’m a blogger so that’s what I do. Twitter users were coming up with the cleverest hashtags and jokes; the entire situation was kind of a joke and a little bit unbelievable. A friend of mine who grew up in the same city as Jason and considered him a family friend called the situation “unfortunate” and “sad.” And then…I almost immediately regretted my posting. Jason Russell is not only a guy who was made famous by trying to make some other criminal famous, but he is a guy that has been working towards raising awareness for Invisible Children through the release of his documentary for five years. He’s a husband and a father. And one crazy outburst kind of ruined that for him.
Do I believe Jason Russell can come back from this? Maybe, but it won’t be anytime soon. When the KONY 2012 video came out, it tugged at the heart strings of every social media user. He was someone to look up to…but so was Britney Spears. Remember when she freaked out, shaved her head, and lunged at the paps with an umbrella? Yeah, that was pretty nuts too and some had sympathized with her, but the majority didn’t get over it for some time – years even. She did not, however, take off her clothes, vandalize cars, and did you-know-what in the middle of the street at 11:30AM.
Jason Russell, thank you for bringing us to reality and showing us that you are human too . These things happen. We hope you get well soon because Kony is still out there and we only have until the end of 2012. But seriously, take care of yourself and get the help you need.
For full coverage of the incident, click here.
For some strange video that Jason and the gang made to raise awareness in 2006, watch the video below. Did I mention that this was made in 2006?! They look like an Invisible Children boy band. You ain’t no J-Timberlake.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWACLKaOC08]
16 Mar 2012
KONY 2012 Loses Street Cred
08 Mar 2012
Reflection on KONY 2012
Since the video took over Facebook yesterday evening, I’ve had some time to actually reflect on what I saw and how I exactly feel about the KONY 2012 campaign. This morning I read the criticisms. This afternoon I spoke with and heard the opinions from a number of people.
“Have you seen the KONY 2012 video? That thing spread like wildfire over Facebook last night!”
“Everyone thinks their a social activist now just because they’re re-posting it.”
“I hope everybody realizes that simply posting the Kony video does almost nothing…If you want change then do something about it!”
“People who share the KONY video should be able to do this.”
Here’s a few of my scattered remarks:
- The purpose of this video is to raise awareness and that’s exactly what it did.
- If I hadn’t watch the 30minute film on Facebook, I would’ve seen it on some other blog.
- Just because you re-post the video and change your default profile picture doesn’t mean you are a social activist.
- I’m sure you felt bad for 30 minutes, but what did you do with that fleeting emotion after?
Facebook, though I love it for its capabilities, can be dangerous at times. It sometimes makes us out to be ingenuous more so than I think we would prefer to appear. The message was powerful in that it was able to spread rapidly. It was relevant and tugged at some heart strings. It was modern because “HEY! it featured YouTube, Timeline, and icons in pop culture like Rihanna!” I think what lured me in the most was the overall design and production of the entire video. To put it simply, it was well made. We may not be able to STOP KONY exactly, but it sends the general message to everyone who watched that there are many others out there in the world just like Kony. Genocide…Invisible Children…this isn’t new. It’s just a different approach.
For everyone that reposted this video on Facebook with strong opinions about actually “doing something”, you had better be out on April 20th doing what you are essentially pledging to do. If you believe in sharing it then you should at the least back up your actions by striving to actually make that change.
I want to make it clear that I support the movement and the campaign. When I was in high school, I was involved with a program called Project Darfur and even helped organize a benefit concert for the organization to raise money for Invisible Children. However, my intentions for posting the video yesterday evening was to share a well-made film that was relevant in the news. I am not claiming that I am going to take down Kony and his army myself. I am not sharing it on every outlet possible. I am intrigued by the movement though and will be out on April 20th to document the event and witness something huge. Just because you watch a 30 minute film doesn’t mean you know everything. I encourage all of you to educate yourself on this and keep learning – keep reading. Learn all that you can about this movement and read the criticisms to see both sides. I promise to do the same.