Kony 2012

Sat Mar 10th 2012 by abagond

“Kony 2012” (2012) is a 30-minute video by film-maker Jason Russell of Invisible Children, a White American charity. It went viral on YouTube in March 2012 with tens of millions of views in a matter of days. It is part of their campaign to make Joseph Kony, a Ugandan guerrilla leader, famous to the American public in order to maintain support for the current American policy of helping Uganda find him and bring him to justice.

Most Americans had no idea who Joseph Kony is. They knew about the child soldiers in Africa – it has become a stereotype of how “Africa” is – but not who might be doing it. The Economist and PBS have certainly talked about Kony at length, but it is unclear whether, say, ABC News or most American newspapers have.

As the video informs us, Kony and his guerrilla force, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), takes children from their homes in the middle of the night. If you are a boy he puts a gun in your hands and makes you into a killing machine, making you kill even your own parents. If you are a girl he makes you into a sex slave. He has done this to 30,000 children.

What the video leaves out or fails to make all that clear:

The war in Uganda ended six years ago – all those pictures are from 2003.
Kony is no longer a huge issue in Uganda – he left in 2006.
Kony is a shadow of his former self with only 250 soldiers spread out over a region the size of Britain. He might even be dead.
The 30,000 is a 30-year career total.
The armies of four African countries are out to get him and have asked America for help.
America did little about Kony till oil was discovered in the region, making him into a threat to “American interests” (the safe flow of oil).
President Bush helped Uganda to try to get Kony – before Invisible Children (and 20 other NGOs) began heavily lobbying Congress.

Russell positions himself as the hero of the piece when in fact he does not even have a Wikipedia article.

But to his great credit, instead of wringing his hands about child soldiers he points out someone who is to blame and what action ordinary Americans can take to help stop him.

The video is very White American:

Storytelling: bad guy/good guy
Tropes: White Saviour/Helpless Darkies:
- White Americans as selfless do-gooders
- Black Ugandans as helpless – or evil
Stereotypes: Broken Africa
Product placement: Facebook, YouTube
Consumerism: this stuff in a box that will make life better!
The hard sell: Act now! This is a limited-time offer!

The video sells an Action Kit. You get a booklet, buttons, posters, stickers, a T-shirt and a bracelet.

But wait, there’s more:

White Americans, at no extra cost, get to help black people overseas to show how good and selfless they are – while maintaining their own caste position at home!

See also:

kony2012.com – the website. It has a very good copy of the video
The Broken Africa stereotype
Mighty Whitey– the White Saviour trope
- The Blind Side
- The Help
darkies – people of colour viewed through the lens of white power
well-meaning whites and the white man’s burden
dichotomous thinking
The Business of Saving Africa
guerrilla warfare
American Empire

Posted in stuff | 158 Comments

158 Responses

on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:01:34 ToddRodd

LOL! Excellent article! Once again, another repackaged example of “The Help”.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:16:01 Sportsbruh

THIS video of THE CONGO is what should go viral! Kony have a ‘witchcraft’ edge over the African people in that region. They REFUSE to go near him because they ‘believe’ in witchcraft and Kony dominates this narrative.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:18:00 Sportsbruh

In other words, Kony is blocking LOOTERS of vital resources that White European/American corporations want for next to nothing.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:18:44 abagond

I am willing to bet Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook, put up half the money for the “Kony 2012” video. Talk about product placement!

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:23:51 truthbetold

LOL!
You’ve done it again, Aba.

Amazing isn’t it? This never gets old or tired.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:25:42 truthbetold

” I am willing to bet Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook, put up half the money for the “Kony 2012″ video. Talk about product placement!”

With great money, comes great propaganda.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 21:53:13 Matari

“The video sells an Action Kit. You get a booklet, buttons, posters, stickers, a T-shirt and a bracelet.”

– Typical and predictable capitalism at work

“White Americans, at no extra cost, get to help black people overseas to show how good and selfless they are – while maintaining their own caste position at home [and elsewhere]!”

– PRICELESS !!!

*rolls eyes while smh*

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 22:21:31 Joaquin

These are some of the exact things I attempted to explain to my classmates in university who were going wild over this and feeling very “righteous” over sharing some Facebook links and then getting drunk at a fundraiser. This whole thing seems less about helping Africans than about some shyster making money from lazy, white college students who want to do good(or at least appear that way) but don’t want to actually give anything of theirs up.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 22:22:57 brothawolf

I knew you’d say this Abagond.

Plus, you may want to check out these links courtesy of Colorlines:

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/think_twice_before_donating_to_kony_2012s_invisible_children.html

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/ugandan_blogger_responds_to_kony_2012_campaign_you_shouldnt_be_telling_my_story.html

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 22:39:32 AnnaSuki

Well, thanks for the back story. I usually wonder when something like this comes out of no where and then becomes a “fashion.” I do have my quirks.

1. child soldiers have become a stereotype of Africa
What I was thinking: When? Really? Children crusades was something like this, Hitler’s youth camps was something like this. Why is that I’m just getting up on this stereotype belongs to this particular group?

2. White America
What I was thinking: People rarely read up on the back story. They’re just too busy running after the band wagon. Didn’t think the Kony’12 had any ‘racist’ undertones.

3.But I was irritated at his “Uncle Sam please rescue me” message. Why always the US? The US is already elbow deep in manure both our own and a few neighbors. Let some other country do it…..

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 22:46:42 BadWolf

Allow me to recap

Whites bad for not stopping Kony years ago

Whites bad for trying to stop Kony

Begs the question why should anyone care at all? It seems your damned for lamb as well as ram so why not be a racist if you’re going to be accused of it anyway.

Now I agree it’s a day late and a dollar short but it’s easy to be a critic when you don’t put any skin in the game. So out with it should there or shouldn’t there be armed response by the international community (insert – this probably means US military forces because logistically they are the only military with global reach) in the face of war crimes?

Me, I think it’s shameful what happened but I don’t have the facts to lay the blame at anyone’s feet other than in most generic sense.

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on Sun Mar 11th 2012 at 23:03:45 kittyem

Indeed its Africans who will ultimately resolve their problems, not some bunch of self promoting whites who pretend to be caring for us. Where were they when Ronald Regan supported the apartheid government and the murderous Jonas Savimbi? When CIA helped Charles Taylor escape jail only to unleash terror in West Africa? I can go on and on about how America wrecked havoc in Africa over the past few decades all in the name of “fighting communism”. It just makes me sick that the same stock wants to play caregiver to Africans.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 00:14:31 dave

You guys are way off on this one. This guys a hero. Now I guess its just a case of the hated turning into the haters.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 00:57:44 truthbetold

@ Badwolf

“Begs the question why should anyone care at all? It seems your damned for lamb as well as ram so why not be a racist if you’re going to be accused of it anyway.”

Badwolf,
This is the problem with White America.
You create a story, documentary or book with half-truths, flat out lies and embellishments. Why are they, meaning Zuckerberg and Russell, doing this?
Is it to educate America of the horrors of child soilders and child rape?
Probably not.

It’s to make the good ole U S of A seem better then ‘them.’
And to cash in a whole lotta money.

Look, we like awareness. We applaud anyone with the guts to bring a murderer and terrorist to justice. But why is it always at the expense of showing a poor, helpless, downtrodden hellhole called Africa? This is the Bono Syndrome, over and over again.

Filmmakers don’t need to jet on a plane to Africa to show starving children being used as sex slaves.
Just look right here, in your own backyard.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 01:07:40 AC

I also had a problem with this Kony 2012 thing. I saw the director of the documentary on “The Last Word With Laurence O’donnell” on MSNBC, and the way he was so excited about the publicity he was getting bothered me. It seemed as though he was more excited that the film got 30million views in a few days then the welfare of these children from Uganda. Plus I heard that the charity, Invisible Children, only gives 30% of its monies to the Ugandan former child soldiers. Where does the rest of the money go? I am just sick of the Mighty Whitey save black, asian and latin people rhetoric. Why don’t they really critically think about how wrong it is to profit off of someone else’s misfortune. Or why is it that western countries have all of the worlds capital, high standard of living and stability while African, Latin and parts of Asian countries are in poverty. Or why is it that the permanent members of the U.N board are all western countries with the exception of China (who we already know the western countries are scarred out of their minds with China’s involvement with the African Continent and Latin America). I tell you the lack of critical thinking in this country is an indictment of how poor the educational system is. People are indeed mindless drones who are easily influenced. To be real the west does not want a strong Africa, Latin America or Asia because then the power would have to shift and the unlimited amount of resources would not become easily available. Lastly how in the world do these people expect the U.S to go into a sovereign nation to get a war criminal that is not any part of the U.S. We don’t need another Iraq or Afghanistan. It is already proven that action does not go well with the locals.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 01:55:29 BadWolf

Dear Truthbetod,

Thank you for the answer and I’ve got no problem with calling Kony-2012 feel good bull crap to make a bunch of effete liberals feel better about themselves but my question about what was the correct policy stands. It seems like a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

What is the correct policy?

I would suggest Detachment 88 in Indonesia would be a good policy model. After the Bali bombing the Indonesian Govt invited US advisors in to get them up to speed on the best in anti terror tactics and methods. A very quiet but mutually beneficial move for both the US and Indonesia.

As opposed to Kony-2012 which is a bunch of feel good bull crap. My question about Kony-2012 is who is profitting from a problem that has largely been resolved? I can’t prove it but I suspect some effete liberal snob (almost guaranteed to be white)

Here are some general touch stones when considering foreign policy
1) evil men look just like you and me
2) evil men don’t fear weenies
3) there is no neutrallity in the face of murder

Awareness is BS what counts is what is done as far as I’m concerned.

Because to the of my limited knowledge Ugandian internal politics. I have no idea if they as a govt had any desire for US ( or others ) to be involved in their internal affairs.

Again my question is what was the correct policy? I’ve put my chit down and until what the policy was implemented by Ugandian govt, other Africian nations, and Western powers this post is just a load of emotional whining.

I don’t know what is worst Kony 2012 self righteousness or this post’s whining.

Sorry for the rant

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:06:43 truthbetold

@ Badwolf

Rant on.
I’ve done a lot of that myself. I just tired of the poor, helpless darkie tour than goes on forever. Here’s my question: Who gets rich from this?
We all know that white America doesn’t do a damn thing for free.
Why make this documentary? What’s the real motive behind it?

I smell money.
Abagond has an excellent point. Zuckerberg will probably get more customers from this so perhaps he’s the culprit. Just like Hollywood’s Harvey Weinstein.
You can’t win an Oscar without him!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:07:50 truthbetold

@ dave

“You guys are way off on this one. This guys a hero. Now I guess its just a case of the hated turning into the haters.”

Please explain.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:10:40 Herneith

White Americans, at no extra cost, get to help black people overseas to show how good and selfless they are – while maintaining their own caste position at home!

This is it in a nutshell. Strange but true!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:28:48 brothawolf

“You guys are way off on this one. This guys a hero. Now I guess its just a case of the hated turning into the haters.”

Please explain.

Yea, Dave. Please explain.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:55:39 dave

Not every white person who does good by blacks are looking down are them. If people drop the ball and stop following up “the tredies” that’s on them not the guy who sparked the movement. Brothawolf the guy could cure all aids in africa and you wouldn’t give him credit… you are one of the biggest haters on here. Instead of pointing a finger at the whites who do good, maybe you should take a page out of his book, he got it going. so could you.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:57:52 BadWolf

Hero’s are those who take a stand when the outcome is far from certain and the cost of failure is death by those standards this guy doesn’t qualify.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 02:59:57 BadWolf

Here is my comment on whites making money from Dirty Harry The Enforcer

Mustapha: Callahan, you’re on the wrong side.
Harry Callahan: How do you figure that?
Mustapha: You go out and put your ass on the line for a bunch of dudes who’d no sooner let you in the front door than they would me.
Harry Callahan: I’m not doin’ it for them.
Mustapha: Who then?
Harry Callahan: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

There is a lot of truth in this quote

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 03:26:02 truthbetold

@ Dave

When you try to do good, not for fame or money, you just do it without recognition. You do it, not even expecting a thank you, from your heart.

Why is Brothawolf a hater?

Give examples of hatred, please.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 03:43:05 BadWolf

1) I for one don’t consider brother wolf a hater but passionate in his beliefs.
2) I don’t consider hate to always being inappropriate, a hatred of injustice an lead to taking a strong principled stand against injustice

However, I do suggest care with this particular emotion a little bit can go a long way

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 05:45:18 brothawolf

@Dave

Not every white person who does good by blacks are looking down are them. If people drop the ball and stop following up “the tredies” that’s on them not the guy who sparked the movement. Brothawolf the guy could cure all aids in africa and you wouldn’t give him credit… you are one of the biggest haters on here. Instead of pointing a finger at the whites who do good, maybe you should take a page out of his book, he got it going. so could you.

The first statements makes no sense unless you meant “Not every white person who does good for blacks are looking down on them.” If that is the case, I think any white person who does good for altruistic reasons deserves admiration. From the information gathered about this guy Russell, that is not exactly the case given so many revelations.

Call me what you want seeing as how it’s easy to call someone a hater if he questions and criticizes based on suspicion. I’ve been pessimistic about this whole thing when I first heard about it, and now I have good reasons to.

It seems to me that when it comes to these white savior movements or whatever, the motive is not to make white’s think critically or start helping blacks and Africans. Instead, it is about making whites feel good and to sell the same old story to get something in return because apparently, people can’t get enough of white heroes, or so it seems.

You know, when I first heard about this campaign, I immediately envisioned Sally Struthers making a plea to help the poor children in Africa with the price of less than a cup of coffee. It’s Save the Children 2012.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 05:57:59 dave

truthbetold we’ve been through this so I won’t rehash it. It’s my opinion, that he takes his opposition for whiteness to an unhealthy level. Then makes it personal like a black heart growing in his own. I’ve had issues such as this myself. We all face demons in life. Don’t try to let them grow bigger. If you can recognize it you can change. I’m trying myself.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 06:01:36 Andrew

Abagond,

I’ll speak to you directly. You honestly think that you are somehow above the story-telling narratives you criticize above? In YOUR article you use good-guy/bad-guy storytelling to describe the bad side aka “white americans” against some more racially sensitive narrative that you support (but never define). So you used the very thing you criticized to criticize Kony 2012. Hypocrisy comes to bite ya in the a**.

You may have missed the alternative narrative which is the “madonna & child” narrative that drives children’s work. “These helpless babies need proper care” is the kind of narrative that drives these too. You didn’t mention it though.

Look. Abagond, these narratives aren’t “White-American”, which is a racist thing to say coming from someone who is racially sensitive. They’re universal. Every culture tells these types of stories. Hate to burst your bubble dude. These kinds of stories are ingrained deep into our collective human psyche.

I found your tone to be condescending, which is hypocritical to the kind of egalitarianism and respect you imply that the world needs more of. You also say that “30,000 is a career total.” So f****** what? 30,000 is 30,000. Americans go bonkers when a serial killer kills 3 people. You act like 30,000 is no big deal. Your carelessness is UNBELIEVABLE.

I believe you, that you are racially sensitive, but I’ll bet that’s a byproduct of your own white-guilt. I just read an article about how black empowerment was equal to white-guilt. Whites had failed minorities, so the minorities had to rise up. I thought that explained a lot.

Look Abagond, I am a firm believer in equality. Period. The only difference between a person with a dark complexion and a light complexion, brown eyes and blue eyes, dark hair and blond hair, is the level of melanin. The only difference between culture is how you were raised. There are individuals who care about the plight of their fellow humans suffering (or ‘having suffered’ which makes it somehow less relevant?) in a far-off land. I recognize that many great people live and die without having proper Wikipedia pages (which bothered you, yet you criticized people hiding behind technology, in blog format, online, with technology… hrm odd).

I think any help that is sent, any awareness that is made, though it be flawed, though it be troubled is moving us in the right direction towards total equality, love and peace. I don’t believe in race Abagond. I believe is a social structure that’s outdated.

Your blog post needs some work, imo. You contradict yourself too much.

Kony needs to be brought to justice through a court. He needs to stand trial for the crimes he’s committed. He does not need to be hunted down in the middle of the night. The international community needs to show him how human beings should be treated.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 06:14:07 Deb

An old, but still relevant link I hoarded a while back: http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-son-of-africa-claims-a-continents-crown-jewels

@Peanut…you remembered quite correctly about Patrice Lumumba

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 06:36:05 sam

Typical white american “But I’m a good person” poop. Where were these helpers when Kony was at the peak of his powers? Nowhere. So whats the fuzz now? To make white americans feel good about themselves. And yes, follow the money, once again. Why only 30% goes to the charity? Why not 100%?

As for american military assistance and global reach, show me a one place after WW2 were american soldiers have brought peace and liberty and freedom and true democracy to the people in the whole world.

Also, so called american expertise: I find it personally very funny when american soldiers, sorry “advisors”, go to say Afganistan to teach those guys how to fight a war. There is american hybris at its peak. Any afgan under 40 has lived all his/her life at war, since 1978. American advisor may have, if he has been real busy, about 12 months worth of combat experience, and if he is a real veteran he may have had 24 or even 36 months of that. Then he goes to tell how to wage a war to a guy who has lived in a war for 35 years, since he was born

As for working quietly, the britts are doing it all the time around the world without any news flashes or any hooplah that follows americans all over the place. Also the french are using their foreign legion for similar jobs all the time all over the place but then again, you hear about their deeds seldomly.

And lets be clear here: this guy is bad, no doubt. But like the commenters there pointed out, so was Charles Taylor and he was assisted by the USA at least on some stage. So were the taleban and Al Qaida, who were funded and created by the USA when they were known as mujahedin and fighting communist USSR. Gulbuddin Hektmatyar, one of the early mujahedin leaders said already in early 1980’s that first they take care of USSR and then it is USAs turn. But, hey, who cares?

I also find it extremely hilarious when ever these Hollywood shows are put up that these same guys do not give a doo doo about the child soldiers on the streets of Big City USA. Oh no, they just call them gangbangers and HC gang criminals and lock them up. And yet, those kids are living the same nightmare as any child soldier in Africa but only few blocks away from the residences of the White Millionaire Saviours.

Perhaps it is not so media sexy to try to save the child soldiers at home, you know. It is not so cool to walk down the street to a ghetto and talk a kid called Frank who is touting a AK47 and is high on drugs. Standing along side of gangbanger on front of the local Seven Eleven is not so cool as it is to gear up in jugle costume and shed tears in savage foreign land, Tarzans jungle chirping around, for a photo session. It is much cooler to save a small big eyed african girl and take her in to ones arms (what a photo shot!) than go to a rotten rat infested school in some inner city USA and pick up some kid there.

It is way more cool to fly on white UN chopper above a savage continent in search of the child soldiers haunted by witchcraft and black magic, than spend ones millions to build a decent school in inner city back home for those kids. That would be easier but also not so good show. There is no exotique. No beautiful setting. No exitement and “danger”. It would be just, well, like helping ones fellow americans, and whats the point in that??

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 06:49:36 malkia

I have spoken so much on this I do believe I am fatigued by it.

I live in Kenya, FYI and BTW Uganda is not in Central Africa but is in East Africa. Jason Russel should get his geography right!

I have heard all the arguments on this video but the one that angers me the most is “well Africans never did anything”. Yet it was African soldiers that fought Kony for 27 years. Then Rwanda is thrown in. Last I checked, all countries pulled out their peace keeping forces save for the Dutch and I think the French who were there solely to protect the white people (aid workers) in Rwanda and even then they were only a few hundred of them. The bulk of the work was done by African peace keeping forces who stopped the bloodshed.

AID and interference into African affairs will not fundamentally change the continent. I worked for an NGO for a while and let me tell you what easy money did. It made people who were once self-sufficient and innovative in times of hunger and famine, sit around and wait for hand-outs. In some parts of Africa, there has always been drought and famine, its part of nature but what’s happened now is that people now would rather wait for cheap corn from USAID rather than find long-term solutions.

My biggest complaint about aid and this KONY 2012 video is this, it takes away African governments responsibility and responsiveness to take care of their own people. For those Americans reading this, when Katrina happened who did you blame for the slow response? Your government. All we are trying to say, is that by taking away people’s right to engage and ask their governments why they let such horrible things happen, you solve nothing.

How do you help? Its called empowerment. I would like to see more civil rights groups in Africa, teaching citizens on empowerment and how to engage their governments effectively. Empower them to fight their own battles. Let us solve our problems.

Why are white people so obsessed with Africans anyway? Or should I say Africa? Why don’t I see this type of compassion for the black people who are your own citizens. Why care about black people a world away when you don’t even care for your own fellow citizen on the street?

Sorry for the long post.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 06:56:26 malkia

I will leave with this quote from TMS Ruge a Ugandan working with the women in Gulu affected by the LRA. He wrote this blog post which a lot of Africans agree with and this stuck with me the most and explains my angst about KONY 2012

“Let me be honest. Africa is not short of problems, epidemics and atrocities. But it is also true that it is not short of miracles, ingenuity, and a proclivity to surprise. We as Africans, especially the Diaspora, are waking to the idea that our agency has been hijacked for far too long by well-meaning Western do-gooders with a guilty conscious, sold on the idea that Africa’s ills are their responsibility. This particular affliction is called “white man’s burden” in some circles.

And so to you we send this solemn pledge. No longer are we satisfied with the status quo. No longer will we look to the West and the East for a saviour to come. We here claim our political struggles as our own; our short comings as our own; our unrest as our own; our dissidence as our own; our broken infrastructure as our own; our diseases as our own; our uneducated as our own; our corruption as our own; our unfed children as our own.

We have to be given due courtesy to at least try to develop capacities adequate enough to address our issues. We will never develop that capacity to do so if IC and others think selling Action Kits delivers utopia. It didn’t change our way of life when IC started, and it certainly isn’t going to change our reality when the clock expires on December 31st.”

http://projectdiaspora.org/2012/03/08/respect-my-agency-2012/comment-page-4/#comments

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 07:25:14 Ace

@ Andrew, and maybe Dave, etc.

I bought the kit. So did my family. We got the shirts, and we plan to take part in the event on April 20th. So I’m not someone you can dismiss as just a “hater”. I actually plan to put time and money into Kony 2012.

I think the fact that you’ve decided to treat Russell as a hero shows the inherent problems with this. He is NOT a hero for doing this. You don’t do this to be a “hero” and show how great you are. You do it because you genuinely feel it’s wrong for children of any color to suffer. You don’t wait until there’s potential rewards involved before you see them as people. This is not about him, or “white America’s generosity”. This is about Uganda, and when Ugandans are pleading for help, people are suspiciously absent until it’s time to show off how generous and “much better” white people are. Neither of you seem to acknowledge that there are other organizations who have been working in countries like Uganda for years, with no resources, always in danger, risking their lives. They don’t get fanfare, and they don’t expect accolades or grateful “darkies”. They genuinely want to help. I am not saying Russell doesn’t want to help. To me he seems pretty genuine. However I am willing to accept that people have been fighting this battle long before he was.

It’s disingenuous to call Abagond and Brothawolf out for being understandably concerned about the Kony 2012 movement. Abagond has done numerous posts about the people who slip through the cracks of mainstream society and their “caring nature”. Andrew said America cares about 3 people being killed by a serial killer? Not if they aren’t white girls. The usual response when 30,000 African are being killed is to shrug and say “It’s not our country”, or “good, less Africans in the world”, unless a white man says to care. Abagond has done so many posts about little children of color who have been beaten, shot, tazed, or set on fire, while you two were surprisingly absent in your outrage then. Now you say he doesn’t care about 30,000 people, and have the nerve to imply that white Americans are more concerned about them than he is? That’s just disgusting. Actually, you’ve just proved one of his points. You care when you can “keep score”.

No one says white people cannot be genuine in their desire to help people of color, especially ones in war torn countries. Even in the U.S., there have been white people who saw the violence in the South, gotten on buses with black people and have been beaten and shot. There are people now who genuinely want to help people like the Invisible Children and are moved to tears. But when the majority of them needed a white man with a camera to show them the atrocities they’d heard about before in order to genuinely give a damn about it, that’s wrong. Be outraged about that.

Also, not only are white people especially attracted to white heroes versus evil “darkies” (that’s why modern European fantasy stories have followed that formula for a long time), but it seems like many white people are the first to bring up how “war torn” Africa is when it’s time to feel superior, yet they seem so “stunned”, surprised, and blindsided by it when the cameras are on.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 07:30:28 Ace

(Hit post too soon)

Also, when Katrina hit, thousands of black people were put in horrible conditions and left to rot. There were no “action kits” for that, just a bunch of white people laughing and saying black people deserved that treatment. There was no white generosity or outrage. We blamed the government because it was an easy scapegoat, but we ourselves refuse to see our own people in this country as human beings worthy of compassion just based on their skin color. And yet Americans suddenly see Kony 2012 and think it shows how great they are as people that they “care”? About the people and conflict that has been going on for 30 + years and left scores dead or missing?

Even I call BS. And I’m actually buying the actions kits, heh.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 07:40:21 Satanforce

Not every white person who does good by blacks are looking down are them. If people drop the ball and stop following up “the tredies” that’s on them not the guy who sparked the movement. Brothawolf the guy could cure all aids in africa and you wouldn’t give him credit… you are one of the biggest haters on here. Instead of pointing a finger at the whites who do good, maybe you should take a page out of his book, he got it going. so could you.

The problem with your argument (and indeed , the Mighty Whitey trope) is that the white people didn’t do a damn thing. They only show up when the show is over, after the coalition soldiers and the spooks sitting by the door spend decades fighting the problem. Sorry, no white people “did good by blacks” on this one.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:01:23 abagond

From what I understand Invisible Children is better than most White American charities in that part of of Africa in terms of thinking out of the box and listening to what the people on the ground have to say. Yet even THEY do not have any Ugandans on their board. Why is that? And, as it turns out, most of their money is spent on White Americans, not on Ugandans.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:11:24 Satanforce

From the Guardian.

Angelo Opi-Aiya Izama wrote on his blog: “To call the campaign a misrepresentation is an understatement … its portrayal of his alleged crimes in northern Uganda are from a bygone era.” He added that the main problems in the area now are child prostitution, HIV and a mysterious and incurable neurological disorder, known as nodding disease, which has afflicted more than 4,000 children.

Invisible Children’s accounts show it is a cash rich operation, which more than tripled its income to $9m (£5.68m) in 2011, mainly from personal donations. Of this, nearly 25% was spent on travel and film-making. Most of the money raised has been spent in the US. The accounts show $1.7m went on US employee salaries, $850,000 in film production costs, $244,000 in “professional services” – thought to be Washington lobbyists – and $1.07m in travel expenses. Nearly $400,000 was spent on offices in San Diego

From Jebediah Jenkins, their Director of Ideology

Thirty-seven percent of our budget goes directly to central African-related programs, about 20 percent goes to salaries and overhead, and the remaining 43 percent goes to our awareness programs. […] But aside from that, the truth about Invisible Children is that we are not an aid organization, and we don’t intend to be. I think people think we’re over there delivering shoes or food. But we are an advocacy and awareness organization.”

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:29:06 Ace

@ Abagond, Satanforce

That’s pretty much how I feel. That’s personally why I’m so bothered that so many people think Russell and Invisible Children are “saving the day” for people in Uganda, and these same people didn’t give a damn until this very point. It’s like, it’s sad that we need an organization that has to force awareness at all. Why couldn’t those people show any sort of compassion until people like Russell told them to?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:29:53 Ace

Crap, when I mean “these same people” I mean white Americans, not Ugandans.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:46:45 abagond

@ Satanforce

“I think people think we’re over there delivering shoes or food. But we are an advocacy and awareness organization.”

Fucking WOW. I was hoping that quote was an Internet rumour. It is not.

This “awareness” raising is pushing a racist image of blacks and Africans and what the proper relationship between whites and blacks should be – ie, paternalism on the part of whites. For all of Russell’s talk about Facebook blah blah, his message is straight out of the 1800s. Who needs their awareness raised is THEM. Hopefully a Ugandan NGO is working on that. This video is “The Blind Side” all over again. The Action Kit is “The Help” in a box.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 08:52:09 malkia

@Abagond and Ace

Most NGOs and AID organizations don’t really spend quite a grip of the money on those they allegedly set out to “help” and/or “save”. Most of the money goes to administrative and raising awareness costs. Nairobi (NGO capital of Africa) is full of these types so I see it all the time. We call them briefcase NGOs.

People sensitive to the criticisms leveled at the organization don’t answer this basic question; do you realize that IC is campaigning for some form of military involvement in Uganda to capture Kony? Bear in mind that the US did get involved once and it was disastrous.

Who will bear the brunt of any revenge attacks by Kony’s supporters? The Ugandan people. So who should be asking for military intervention, the IC or the Ugandan government? Last I checked, they didn’t ask for help.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:00:57 abagond

@ Malkia

I thought Uganda asked America for help in getting Kony. Was it pretty much forced on them?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:03:34 Satanforce

Hmmmm. , lets do something that no one else thought off… ask a darkie!!!!

http://www.boingboing.net/2012/03/08/african-voices-respond-to-hype.html

So.. what could this really be all about?

I thunk this is the most comprehensive source of rebuttals –

http://boingboing.net/2012/03/07/kony-2012-a-viral-mess.html

Oh, and Abagond, are you going to do a post about the BWE movement?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:03:48 lifelearner

Here’s a helpful blog piece regarding researching charities like KONY 2012.

http://lifehacker.com/5891726/how-to-determine-if-a-charity-like-kony-2012-is-worth-your-money

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:07:39 abagond

@ Satanforce

Yes to BWE. I should do it pretty soon before the links people gave me get too buried in my email.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:22:42 Ace

@ Abagond,

Wow, I did not notice that quote. I must’ve overlooked it by accident. That just seems…so wrong…I don’t know what’s worse: That people NEED to be made aware of this crap…or that someone genuinely thinks the only way to see Ugandans as people is to do so through a paternalistic lens. I think of helping people in other nations as, helping your neighbors (part of my Christian upbringing) with compassion and without fanfare. Why do people feel like they NEED to solve problems in Africa by patronizing and having to treat it like the plot of a “feel good” movie?

@ Malkia,

I also thought that Ugandans had asked for help before. Maybe if Invisible Children worked tightly with Ugandan organizations or people it would be better but I don’t know what to truly think anymore…

@ Satanforce,

Good video and links. It sheds a lot of light. Frankly I don’t know what to feel anymore. I see the merit in something like invisible Children and what social media can do for volatile situations…but what is Invisible Children for if it isn’t to aid the people it claims to?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:34:08 Satanforce

@Satanforce, you realize that Peanut beat you to it with the same video upthread….you’re getting slow…. 🙂

@Bulanik

Yuh Mumma.

Nevertheless, the woman in your video is very pretty for one so dark. Though I do not think that she should have come on the Internet with her hair like that (straighten it at least!), nevermind the work she could have done on her nose, especially with some of that Obama money.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 09:45:37 malkia

@Abagond and Ace

I do not remember seeing any story that the 100 military advisers sent to Central Africa last year in October was at the behest of the Ugandan government. All I read was that Obama had decided to send 100 troops to advise on the capture of Kony. The CNN correspondent in Africa reported last week that when he asked senior Ugandan military officials about the Kony 2012 movement they said “Nice message, 15 years too late”.

This entire conflict is trans-border affecting at least 10 countries in Central Africa a lot of it to do with Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. To say this conflict is complex is an understatement of the year. It has too many interests chief among them being the mineral wealth in that region and now that Uganda has discovered oil…it makes for a murky situation all round.

Is it not ironic, that the US sends troops now when the worst of Kony is over and just a few months after oil was discovered in Uganda? I find it very interesting. Throw in China in Africa and there you go.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 10:05:23 malkia

Plus is just me or does Jason Russell come of as a narcissistic megalomaniac? Too mean? That’s how he comes off in his interviews. When he was interviewed by Piers Morgan, Jason says “I know Kony can hear my voice, and he will surrender”…or something like that. Huh?

Did you also hear he wants to make a movie out of this? Sounds like Jason wants to make he and Kony famous!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 10:17:11 Satanforce

id you forget the full stop after “pretty”?

No, I am just saying that it would be better if someone more presentable made a rebuttal. The women in your video looks like a homeless Klingon, and her nose looks like it is pregnant, with something. The same thing was (correctly) said about Michelle Obama, whose arms and skin make her look more suitable for working on a plantation, than a courthouse.

If we want to get our message across better. we should use more presentable spokeswomen, that at least look like Nikki Minaj, Beyonce, Rihanna or Justin Beiber, not these masculine she-apes.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 10:48:03 abagond

@ Satanforce

“If we want to get our message across better. we should use more presentable spokeswomen, that at least look like Nikki Minaj, Beyonce, Rihanna or Justin Beiber, not these masculine she-apes.”

Sorry, but you are way off on this one. The main thing wrong with her video is that she is not a white man. You know, like Jason Russell. Did you learn nothing from all this? White people know best. The IQ tests prove it, as pointed out by the great Negro scientist James Watson.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 11:03:53 Satanforce

Sorry, but you are way off on this one. The main thing wrong with her video is that she is not a white man.

I know. I know. But we cant always depend on the white man to save us. That is why we need a steady supply of quadroons and octoroons to aid our causes.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 11:22:44 abagond

@ Andrew

I think racism does play a part in this story, so I am right to point out the race of Jason Russell, Invisible Children and others. If you are going to make a racist video, then people are going to notice your race.

In the post I gave Russell credit for the good he was doing, so I did not paint him completely as a bad guy. But I take all that back. He is just plain evil. I am sure there is some nuance that I am missing, but for now that is where he stands in my book. Maybe Further Revelations will redeem him. I have an open mind.

I pointed out the 30,000 as a career total because the video shows Kony as if he has an army of 30,000 children. I also pointed out Russell’s lack of a Wikipedia article because he was not the hero he painted himself as in the video. The video is misleading and that needs to be pointed out.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 11:37:31 sam

“Is it not ironic, that the US sends troops now when the worst of Kony is over and just a few months after oil was discovered in Uganda? I find it very interesting. Throw in China in Africa and there you go.”

There you go! Where were the great white american soldiers when Kony was at his peak? No where.

– But hey, they got oil down there!

– What the fKKK??? Hey, US must help the people of Uganda now!! Right now! Before the fkin chinese beat us to it!

– Yeah, but what do we say? We just can’t say those n*****s that sorry, we are here to steal your oil!

– Don’t worry! They got this Kony guy over there, we’ll use him.

– Hey, wasn’t he pretty much done by the locals?

– So? We just set up this Kony2012 shit and sell that to those Hollywood fruitcakes and they take it from there, and once that is done, we send in our special forces, CIA operatives and guys from the oil companies to check it out. And if it looks good, we establish permanent military base in there.

– Yeah, like we are there to assist and support the people of Uganda and democracy and shit like that.

– Yeah, lets do that! It always works. Like, we get support from our own people when we are delivering freedom to the darkest Africa and save all those poor bastards there.

– But if that doesn’t work?

– Well, there is always the somali pirates. And some jihadist group over there. I mean, how many americans know the differece between Uganda and Somalia? We say our national security is at stake there, like we help the ugandan people to prevent their land to become an Al Qaida training camp or terrorist state or something like that. That always sells anything!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 11:45:27 abagond

@ BadWolf

The correct course of action for someone who truly cares about Uganda is to find out what UGANDANS want to do and help them do it, to let THEM make the decisions. They have charities too. They got brains and know their country way better than some whites guys from California. Even more important, Ugandans have to LIVE with the consequences of their actions – people like Jason Russell do not. It is not their home. The LRA is not going to burn down Russell’s house, rape his wife and carry off his children.

Taking the word of some white guy who comes out of nowhere with a slick video, and a misleading one at that (even apart from its racism), is not a wise move no matter how you cut it.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 12:01:01 abagond

@ Sam

I think it is highly unlikely that anyone at Invisible Children secretly works for the CIA. The CIA would never do that. Or take an interest in anyone setting up a radio network in the very places that need to be cleared out before the oil can flow.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 12:06:52 abagond

@ Satanforce

LOL!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 12:53:06 Ace

So does that mean that if I want quick grad school money and instant “light-side points”, I should inject myself into a situation, sell some t shirts and make a film, and then ask for a movie deal based on my lack of melanin? I could really totally claim to save an entire country and take down a despot? Move over Lawrence of Arabia! I’m now “Africa’s Ace: The Last Rwandan”!

I’m thinking, what if we really all worked this way? It could be so great! I mean…think of the possibilities. We can save the horrible, violent country of Africa! They NEED US! We’re just so great and colorblind and awesome that we can make their lives better with our whiteness! Then we can make “Blindside 3D: Black to the Jungle” and then slavery didn’t happen! We must save the Ugandans from Idi Ami…I mean Kanye…I mean Kony (is that his name?)! We totally didn’t know about anything going on there till now! Atrocities!? Who knew!? Only Africans commit atrocities you know. We should know. What is this oil you speak of? Totally a coincidence! When it’s done we can safely say we’ve done them a service and they should be so happy! Their lives will be affected forever, and they’ll always be reminded of our lovely white American generosity! We care…unlike their own people. We should know after all. We bought kits.

*camera off*

Okay now to go make a youtube rant about black people and how they can’t do anything for themselves. I’m totally not racist…I bought a kit.

Wait…are Ugandans giving actual statements and rebuttals of Invisible Children? How cute…they think they’re being “people”….

………

Okay so Is that the gist of what’s going on?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 14:13:09 Deb

malkia..you are so on point here! – http://youtu.be/L20uNqJtYYo

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 14:39:57 Nom De Plume

There is an interview on Youtube where CNN’s Piers Morgan is asking the founders about the criticism they received. They said roughly 1/3 of the money they took in went toward making the movie “amazing” and “powerful.” Another 1/3 is for t-shirts, vans that tour college and high school campuses and the website. The remaining 1/3, they claim, is for the cause. I was turned off by the interview. The filmmakers seemed more excited about their movie going viral than they were about any good that could result from it. There seemed to be, IMO, an element of exploitation. .

There is another website (Kony2012) that appears to be affiliated with the “Invisible Children” web site. There are pictures of Zuckerberg, Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates, Bono and George Clooney. No surprise there.

I recently caught a snippet of an interview with some Ugandan official regarding the “movement.” He said that Kony left the country years ago with a small following. He also said that some folks love seeing Africa as “the dark continent,” and will go out of their way to bring attention to all the bad things while leaving out the good. I’m inclined to agree.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 15:11:42 BadWolf

Dear Abagond,

I agree with your general critism of Kony 2012 but then you have to apply it to white people and America. For a person who seems to oppose stereotypes, you don’t mind doing engaging in them. The beginning of wisdom is ignorance but you seem to have it all figured out.

But on the good side you’re proactive and good at getting the heart pumping.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 15:57:30 abagond

@ BadWolf

I think Jason Russell is racist and so is most of the board of Invisible Children.

As to White Americans who join the cause some will be doing it for partly racist reasons, some not. I covered the difference in this post:

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/well-meaning-whites/

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 16:29:41 FG

“Africa as a violent hellhole.”

To be fair, many Americans of all colors as well as many living outside of the US tend to buy this “stereotype.” There is a very very big grain of truth to it.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 16:32:00 FG

… just ask the Irishman Bono!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 17:07:49 malkia

@FG
54 countries in Africa dude. One civil war currently being waged in the south of DRC. Most nations on the continent are peaceful and fyi 6 out of the 10 fastest growing economies are in africa.

But since its such a hell hole please tell your leading publications to stop whining about china on the continent. You know since we have nothing to give the world, kindly ask all these white people running away from europe to the continent to leave this violent hellhole. Am looking at all these southern europeans all over africa.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 17:56:19 Satanforce

54 countries in Africa dude. One civil war currently being waged in the south of DRC. Most nations on the continent are peaceful and fyi 6 out of the 10 fastest growing economies are in africa.

But since its such a hell hole please tell your leading publications to stop whining about china on the continent. You know since we have nothing to give the world, kindly ask all these white people running away from europe to the continent to leave this violent hellhole. Am looking at all these southern europeans all over africa.

Yes, but it is because of the white people that the Africans are able to progress! The level of heat in the African continent has caused the black mind to be unable to use technology or understand mathematics. And remember, those economies are growing only because they are coming from a level of zero!

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:01:09 FG

@Malkia,

Social and economic conditions definitely appear to have improved recently in much of Africa, including Uganda. I think the African masses deserve most of the credit for this, as opposed to the Bonos and Jason Russells of the world.

This would be consistent with my contention that the problems afflicting a country or region should be addressed primarily if not entirely by the native inhabitants, because they are almost always the ones with the best understanding of the issues involved. Americans should focus on American problems, Britons on British problems, Ugandans on Ugandan problems, and so on.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:09:57 truthbetold

Sorry to be late to the party…busy morning.

At the white commenters; answer this:
Why is any TRUE observation of white America automatically seen as hateful and inciteful of the entire white race? You know, we have no voice outside of this blog and others like it. We vent to family and friends who will listen but society doesn’t care to hear what we have to say.

We’re invisible. Probably to your satisfaction.

All we’re saying is that we’re sick and tired of the Mighty Whitey saviour, I know what’s best for the dark ones complex.
Listening and looking at the propaganda, (and please don’t kid yourselves, that’s exactly what this is) , you’d think that:

1. Africa is a country in need of dire help from the world.
2. Africans can’t help themselves at all and are sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for a hand out.
3. All black men in Africa are drug lords, rapists and unable to feed their families.

Little do most of us know: If ANY of those things were true, to the extent of the propaganda, Africans would have all died off by now.

Wake up.
You’re being brainwashed.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:17:05 sam

@abagond: Well, ok. They want to have plausible denial, but perhaps as contract agents? 😀

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:41:24 brothawolf

Truthbetold,

The thing about white brainwashing is that it’s used to make white people feel good and better than everyone else. Plus, it makes them think they are basically good people with very little flaws.

It’s like a drug that gives you a pleasurable high. It’s a feeling so good you can’t part with it. You become addicted to it and are willing to maintain it whatever it takes. That’s why you hear mostly white people support Kony 2012 calling Russell a hero. He gives them inspiration and motivation to help the poor, weak and helpless people of Africa from (you guessed it) an evil darkie.

Part of the brainwashing includes the “white man’s burden” of helping out other people whites think are worse off than themselves. That is nexus of Kony 2012, Save the Children, and any other movement or commercial where white people are seen as the ones pleading the public to help the ravaged inferior peoples of Africa, Southeast Asia, or any poor region of color.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:43:55 brothawolf

Also, the concept of being invisible is something white people want deep down. They don’t want to see us or Africans having a voice of their own or a will of their own. They prefer us to be silent and let them do all the work because they think they know what’s best for us.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:44:59 brothawolf

And the moment we open up our mouths to protest, that presents a big problem for them.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:53:14 truthbetold

@ Brothawolf

If whites are truly superior, why the fear of us even having a voice?
Noone white person could EVER answer this question, not even Doug.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 19:56:32 Ace

@ Malkia,

I remember talking to an young African man. He used to complain about how people in America all automatically thought he was stupid and helpless because he was from Africa. The gist of what he was constantly being lectured about was:

-That Africa was just this terrible “country” and how

-He should feel fortunate that he was allowed to be in this great country instead.

-They all seemed to think he was some uneducated kid the school handed a cafeteria job because Africa’s a “hellhole”.

-Invisible Children proves they care more about his people than Africans who are actually there or experience it do.

This guy happened to be studying math and engineering with a 4.0 gpa and was only working in the cafeteria for some tuition assistance. He’d always say, “Africa’s not a monolith.”

@ Brothawolf,

Dare I say many of the people who want to “help” those “poor”, “weak” people of Africa think that black people here just as inferior? I get the impression it lets them think they’re stuff doesn’t stink so they’re coming from a place of “goodness” when they’re snotty to people of color at home.

Maybe it’s a smokescreen? People in Africa and black Americans are a part of a universal hive mind, so maybe they think that if you “help” the former, the latter will overlook anything you do to them?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 21:14:30 Jay from Philly

Welcome to the world of the guilt-ridden white liberal! Who do you think gets fired up over this video or movies like “The Help” or “Dances With Wolves” or “The Last Samurai” or “Avatar” or that-movie-stars-a-mid-level-actor-about-somebody-coaching-a-school-of-ghetto-kids-to-beat-the-WASP-prep-school-in-some-kind-of-competition?

These are the same people who are always crowing about celebrating diversity and forced-school bussing who live in the whitest section of town. They take a break between the yoga class and the trip to Whole Foods to suck down a mochalottafrappacheeno at a fair-trade coffee shop with free Wi-Fi to type onto the laptop about how racist the cop stop-and-frisk policy in the city they never go to is because most of those caught carryin’ are Young Black Men.

The only PEOPLE OF COLOR they know are1) Their Black studies professor in college 2) the Mexican landscaper where they work 3) the owner of that great new Indian restaurant and 4) The Korean guy who runs the organic dry cleaners they drop their laundry off at. And no, they are not going to get why Abagond doesn’t appreciate pleas like Kony 2012. It makes them feel good to express outrage and isn’t THAT what’s really important?

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:22:42 truthbetold

Jay

While I agree with most of this, what makes you think it’s guilt?
I believe it’s an egotistical saviour complex that they aren’t aware of.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:37:09 brothawolf

@Truthbetold

If whites are truly superior, why the fear of us even having a voice?
Noone white person could EVER answer this question, not even Doug.

Exactly. It just shows that their claims that they are inferior is just to mask their insecurities. They know how they got their privileges and power, and they fear that one day the tables will be turned on them which is part of the mantra of the Tea Party movement regarding Obama’s election.

Instead of owning up to that truth, they will dehumanize the group. That is a sure sign of their sickness.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:38:31 Ace

@ Jay,

Funny, I have that same impression, but with the added white “do as I say, not as I do” mantra.

@Truthbetold,

I also think it’s that savior complex but I think it’s mixed in with a little paternalism. I’ve seen missionary articles about the Romani people and Mexican immigrants that take the same tone as stuff like Invisible Children.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:39:24 brothawolf

For once, I agree with almost everything Jay from Philly said. Is this a sign of the apocalypse? I’m scared.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:41:05 Jay from Philly

truthbetold,

Because they don’t know the difference between “egotistical savior complex” and “guilt”. Like when some city on the West Coast with no Black people passes a resolution apologizing for slavery.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 22:54:39 kittyem

@Peanut. It was Mobutu Seseseko who was imposed on the people of Congo by US and Belgium, one of the worst politicians ever in Africa. But the idea was as you say: to undermine Africa’s capacity to determine her destiny. Former President Lyndon Johnson detested Lumumba so much that he once called him a “motherf…” The bottom line is most white people prefer to see black people as indignant objects of pity rather than capable and dignified peoples.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 23:20:14 DarqBeauty

I was just watching the young gentleman on Anderson’s show. The interview was very “me” oriented. All in all, it was very telling. I recommend you all check it out.

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on Mon Mar 12th 2012 at 23:53:40 beccadatbish

uganda is probably doing damn good thats why the bad publicity

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 00:17:10 Jay from Philly

@ Ace

“white “do as I say, not as I do” mantra.”

That mantra doesn’t compute in their minds. It’s ALL abstract to them—that poor neighborhood in the nearest city might as well be in Uganda because they are never going to go there and the thought of will never cross their minds.

I had this discussion with someone about the importance of school bussing last week. My point was Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, KS was so kids could go to their neighborhood schools. The person I was discussing this was this told me that continuing court decisions in favor of bussing were needed because neighborhood schools were defacto segregated and students needed to be bussed across town in order to integrate schools. He then pronounced bussing a success for the way it broke down barriers and integrated communities. I replied did we really do that? Bussing caused white flight and suburban sprawl. He changed the subject.

The irony of this was we were talking while we walked through the community where he lived, an affluent suburb home to a prestigious private college. With the exception of one Black guy working in the co-op supermarket and two Asian international students, I was the darkest person I saw.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:05:43 BadWolf

Another rule in life: never attribute to malice that which can adequately explained by laziness or stupidity.

Next shoe: Kony 2012 is going to be on the evening news

Expectation a rousing round of laziness and stupidity on the evening news

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:21:29 truthbetold

@ Jay
You seem…different. Is real or a farce?

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:32:16 truthbetold

@ brothawolf

Just a thought. If white brainwashing is done to reinforce the notion of nobility, perhaps that’s why the brainwashing, such as this mock-u-mentary, continues.
Don’t you find it odd that when people of colour actualy go to another country, speak to the locals, ask questions about their culture and put together a film, the end results are drastically different?

What does this say about the hidden motive?
Spike Lee speaks of this extensively.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:40:07 lokey

Thanks to your post we (me, my GF and her relative) had a BIG blow up yesterday which I ended up being called racist and bigot for posting the video of the Ugandan chic (posted above).

The debate turned into a heated argument in which names were called and “40 acres and a mule” were ridiculed and “they should have used the chance to go back to Liberia” mentioned. I am deeply disturbed. They don’t even know what lasting multi-generational effect the collapse of reconstruction had on Blacks.

When I mentioned white-privilege they ended up saying that since they were poor while growing up they did not have white privilege. I tried to explain that it has nothing to do with poverty, rather it has to do with psychology (at that point both of them were telling that “Hey, we have psych issues too (depression) )”. They simply cannot grasp the issues with negative portrayal. Here is an example that they gave me as a counter: “Since most serial killers are white, I must have been psychologically damaged because they always look for white people after a serial killer strikes”.

I must admit that I have an intense dislike of the British media and the ruling class hypocrites in general. The dehumanizing and condescending way they portray my country of origin which btw is India which btw was colonized and looted by these “gentle”men. I have been quite vocal with my protests at home and it increased once I saw the dehumanization and defacing of a poverty stricken Indian portrayed in Slumdog Millionaire (a movie which she loves). They dont seem to realize the psychological damage that colonialism does. \

In my very emotional moments, I had told her that I hoped the Indians make sure their defenses turn any country that tries to colonize it again into a nuclear parking lot. For that I was repeatedly called anti-white racist (for hating Britain), and later changed into Bigot (because hey, there are brown and black people in Britain too). I am disgusted.

Infact, I came to realize the generational effect of a civilizational shock (such as getting colonized or invaded) when I was reading this book as a part of attempting to recover from depression:
http://www.amazon.com/Children-Trauma-Rediscovering-Your-Discarded/dp/1558740147

This book describes the struggles of Native Americans and why so many of them turn into self destructive behavior for no fault of their making.

All in all. I am pretty depressed. I told her the relationship is over if she does not understand this part of me. I dont have many hopes that she will, but I love her.

Anyway, just thought I would let you know. Thanks for this post, again 😦 😦

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:48:00 BadWolf

Okay a little better than I expected but notable for the lack of facts

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 01:48:55 lokey

correction to the above:

The dehumanizing and condescending way they portray my country of origin which btw is India which btw was colonized and looted by these “gentle”men.

should be read as

The dehumanizing and condescending way they portray my country of origin (India which btw was colonized and looted by these “gentle”men) was a constant anguish during my childhood, because it did not quite match the ground realities. Thankfully I was mature enough to see through propaganda and bull$hit and know it for what it was.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 02:02:18 BadWolf

Dear Lokey,

Better be prepared to have India nuke China because that is the big looming fight they are preparing for not the US or the UK. India is trying to build closer relations to the as a matter of fact India has started to move to the NATO catalog and ipthe US has done more military exercises with India then any other military.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 02:06:56 lokey

This might be OT 🙂 I am aware of that. But the relationships are on mutual (and equal terms) and not as a client state. (although this has nothing to do with anything we argued though 🙂 🙂 ).

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 02:15:29 brothawolf

Truthbetold,

Just a thought. If white brainwashing is done to reinforce the notion of nobility, perhaps that’s why the brainwashing, such as this mock-u-mentary, continues.
Don’t you find it odd that when people of colour actualy go to another country, speak to the locals, ask questions about their culture and put together a film, the end results are drastically different?

What does this say about the hidden motive?
Spike Lee speaks of this extensively.

It’s highly possible that’s the reason why this mock-u-mentary was spawned in the first place. When POC do something as what you’ve described, there is a silence so deep, it’s rare that you’d hear about it as much as if it was made by whites. There is indeed a hidden motive.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 03:43:42 Joe

Write on Abagond!

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 03:48:17 lokey

brothawolf

Do you know of any documentary done entirely by a POC? I would like to watch it. I need to understand 🙂

I watched some part of the Congo documentary (pretty hard to watch and could not stomach it for more than 6 minutes). Although I am yet to see a white lead in that story, I still suspect its the white narrative. I will update after I manage to watch it entirely

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 05:00:35 brothawolf

Lokey

Not entirely. I only know a couple off hand that were produced or directed by POC like “Turn Off Channel Zero” and “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.” I’m sure there’s more but they escape me right now. There are talented filmmakers of colors out there. I know that for a fact.

I look at it this way, some of the most popular documentaries about POC have been produced and directed by whites from an independent scope. So, I ask myself, “Why are some, if not most, documentaries done about POC are done by whites who are in charge of the film at some level? Where are the independent films done by POC about POC? And would they get treated with the same recognition?”

(If anyone has answers to those questions, please answer.)

It’s one thing to have whites presenting a more honest look at race relations through film, but it’s another if most of what your see comes from that perspective and no one elses even if it’s from a grassroots level. In a way it also buys into the white savior trope in a more liberal way.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 05:09:28 brothawolf

@Ace

Dare I say many of the people who want to “help” those “poor”, “weak” people of Africa think that black people here just as inferior? I get the impression it lets them think they’re stuff doesn’t stink so they’re coming from a place of “goodness” when they’re snotty to people of color at home.

Maybe it’s a smokescreen? People in Africa and black Americans are a part of a universal hive mind, so maybe they think that if you “help” the former, the latter will overlook anything you do to them?

Do tell. I won’t be shocked if they do think that way about black Americans and Africans. I think it’s a dual-view with the same premise. Whites in America see black Americans as criminal prone, unintelligent, and violent that need to be locked up extensively or punished severely by America’s so-called justice system. On the other hand, some see black Africans (the children especially) as helpless, unintelligent, hungry, disease-ridden, and victims of their own people that need to be saved by America. All are seen as basically sub-human.

Note that they only care about the children and not the whole damn family.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 05:48:23 lokey

My brief and rough attempt to annotate the video with the hidden psychological meanings (angle braces ” are psych comments)
————————————————————————————–
first impressions:

impact of social networking …

woman (wife (??) ) delivering child ..

dad … son bonding ….

dude stating : “i want him to grow up in a better world than I do” … errrrr wont the parents in Africa also have the same concern????

jacob (kid in Uganda) compared to own son ….

Jacob, broken english, extreme danger. Brother’s neck cut. BUT this footage is PRIOR 2006 (well.. they mention earlier that this was long before).

Child crying for sometime, saying he wants to die…

Dude saying :”we are going to do everything we can to stop that dude!!!”

Dude with his kid: “Bad guy vs good guy, we gonna get them bad boys!!!!”

Again : 30000kids (over a 30 year period [not mentioned] )

Old dude: Stop Kony solve all problems … reallyyyy?????

Two Ugandan people saying: “Any friend of Uganda come help us/ Mindless slaughter”, “International force, first rescue and then justice” –> Implying “We are helpless and you are all powerful”–> But alas, no one knew… NOW even if everyone knew about it, WHAT is the (rather ominous) solution?

Tried washington, said people not interested ( which means elites not interested 😉 ). So they started a community… umm okay…..all of a sudden this sudden rush to save flows. “we got loud”

15:08 IMPORTANT: passing mention that Kony spread out of Uganda. No mention that he now covers an area the size of Britain and his man strength is less than 250. He is no longer a mess creator in Uganda (which he claims to be relatively safe).

“we were determined to stop cony and rebuild what he destroyed” ?? QUESTION HOW… awareness alone wont do it? SO what are they REALLY asking for??? “rebuild schools”, radio awareness station, jobs… all good hmmmmm.. savior complex, but that does not solve the problem. its the economy!

16:20 — 17:05: Bunch of youngish mostly girls and guys with very low melanin content helping all charged up.

17:07: “WE WILL FIGHT WAR” — WTF?

17:17: Victory dance (feel good/have fun parties) ensues?

17:30: This is how the world should be like [Sydney, London, etc fly by]

17:45: Power of people, influencing congress!!!!!!

18:50: They forced Barack Obama to interfere!!!! (100 troops.. so what, it was just a throwaway token)

Statement by dude: “Not for self defence but it was the right thing to do”

20:17: Boy escapes.. US is after him… Kony is ohh so scared of the 100 soldiers …

20:34: If we dont keep pressure up, we will lose after coming so close

22:15: Uganda needs military advisors, and tech (but Kony aint in Uganda 🙂 🙂 ). for that we need to show interest, for that we need $$$$$

22:18: Kony’s name everywhere

23:55: Going after culture makers/policy makers

24 – 27:00 April 20th is the rake in the money day. After which either these dudes will have enough support for the elites to attack Uganda and destabilize it. Or the pyramid scheme extends for one more year (maybe ???) Also note the illusion of POWER 🙂

28:00 appeal to the younger gen folks, trying to start a revolution.. again bringing justice to Kony seems a little to artificial for a big propaganda war like this one. Something fishy 🙂 🙂

29:00 –> Idea whose time has come… WHY? Who decided it? Because of FB or because of getting a good propaganda maker.

30:00 –> three things you can do: Support, network, give me money give me money give me money 🙂 🙂

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 06:56:21 dave

my thing is this….. Americans have a little more power to stop this guy. I don’t understand something. The american government rarely does anything to help Africans in need. It seems like the world policemen(america) only does something when its financially beneficial to special interests. Like we helped Kuwait during the gulf war…… why. Not because of what was sold to us, but because of national and special interests. They could have given a shat that kurds or whoever were dying.

I look at this guy and he made a promise to a kid and wanted to keep it. Whether or not he is genuine I don’t know. It seems he is. and he did the impossible and made something happen . I don’t know the whole story but I was sold by the video. Maybe I’m being naive and this guy has some hidden agenda, but why would he leave his family, go to Africa, sacrifice time and money for nothing. He couldn’t have come up with such an elaborate scam.

Look at WE ARE THE WORLD most of that money was stolen from gangsters.

Maybe he is using some of the money to live and travel and get the word out. But I just don’t think he’s dirty.

It seems like many on here are looking not at the mans good deeds but at his skin color(evil white american) and assuming alot.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 07:11:31 dave

@Jay from philly, my neighbor, I agree with you and the notion of rich whites looking down on blacks, and at the same time preaching equality and diversit,y and not wanting to interact with blacks, while judging poor whites who have had bad experiences. You are preaching to the choir.

However just because a white person helps blacks , who happens to fit that mold, doesn’t mean they are doing what you say. You are prejudging them. The rich whites who destroy white ghettos and replace them with projects and section 8 housing for easy money from the welfare system isn’t the same as this man. Will he ultimately profit some from it probably, but as long he has his heart in the right place and isn’t greedy and pays himself for his time and travel that doesn’t make him an evil rich white fat liberal. Maybe he’s just a good guy, trying to do the right thing. We need more like him.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 07:23:55 dave

The other thing is this . Do you know this man personally? How the hell do you know he doesn’t befriend American blacks. Then you take this story and then attribute it to all white americans because of this one example. RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 12:54:15 Matari

– Lokey

I think your concerns are valid. Given the history of America it wouldn’t surprise me at all to learn that this “movement” is a CIA backed front, partnership or a mechanism for the recently created United States Military African Command (Africom) to further destabilize and/or to create a *reason/excuse* for going into an *oil and mineral rich* nation/region in Africa for the long term purpose of exploiting this wealth.

The US military-political-industrial apparatus has no equal’s when it comes to devising corrupt false-flag operations to further its apparent world domination/imperialistic agenda.

Suspicion and caution is needed here.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 13:30:33 abagond

@ Matari

I agree. This is extremely strange.

We have had celebrity causes like Darfur or Live Aid, but they did not demonize anyone, not even Bashir, the head of Sudan, as utterly evil as he is.

And if America was the sort of country to care about this stuff it would not have sat out the Rwandan genocide or Kony at his height.

And that all this comes AFTER oil is discovered, that is just too much. Sorry, not buying it.

The Facebook and YouTube product placement is Hollywood and Zuckerberg – he probably put up most of the money for this video. But the demonization of Kony and the idea of building mass support for policy – that is Washington all the way. Since when do NGOs push for militarization? Is that like normal?

Viral issue politics could be some kind of side-effect of the Internet, but, right, suspicion and caution is advised.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 13:34:55 abagond

@ dave

“The other thing is this . Do you know this man personally? How the hell do you know he doesn’t befriend American blacks. Then you take this story and then attribute it to all white americans because of this one example. RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!”

Where did I “attribute it to all white americans”?

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 14:17:28 Doug1

Why the hell is Kony America’s responsibility to hunt down, now or in the past?

He isn’t.

Next.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 17:41:05 Kwamla

At last!…A clear account of just what this Kony 2012 is all about…Simple – Uganda has discovered new oil reserves to rival those of Saudi Arabia. The US needs a covert military pretext for going in to acquire these with full public support. What better way than this?

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 17:56:55 truthbetold

@ Kwamla

Excellent work!

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 18:21:46 lokey

Matari, Abagond

From a psychological perspective (ignoring the background issue), this documentary could fit into a textbook example for Chapter4 and 11 of this classic book (I dont know it was this site that introduced me to it):
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html#SECTION4

http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html#SECTION11

This documentary plays its target demographic like a piano. The target demographic is young, usually white, kids who have hormonally motivated and culturally imbibed to do something and desperately want to be relevant.

The immediate goals are one (or both of the following):
1) To make as much money as possible.
2) To create chaos in northern Uganda (which has been relatively peaceful)

Important thing to note is that there are reports that the Ugandan soldiers aren’t that much better than Kony. infact Uganda and Rawanda has been known to do the west’s dirty work. So arming them wont make life that much better for the kids.

However what scares me is the target demographics. These are young impressionable kids. They are being taught that the Ugandan’s problems cannot be solved by Ugandan’s. It needs theirs (mostly white western life). These are the leaders of the future.

This video is evil. It plants the virus of “it is ok for western interference in Africa because they cannot help themselves” belief into young impressionable minds.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 18:57:17 dave

@abagond I was responding to not you personally but multiple commenters. I should have been more specific. Alot of people have used “some” whites or “most” whites while others just say “white people do this” Most white people don’t do anything to this magnitude. Like this video or not, the guy did put his work in. Most people in general , black or white, don’t go out of their way to help Africans, that’s just my opinion.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 19:05:24 lokey

dave,

It is true that most white people dont do anything of this “magnitude”. It is also clear to me at this point that if a POC has to make anything of this social-impact magnitude, he would have to try a 100 times harder.

However the magnitude of the video extends in dimensions other than “education”. This is propaganda for interference in a different country and also dehumanization AND trivialization of the Ugandan people who can be in a much better position to KNOW and DO the right thing for themselves. These people will be sidelined now and their voices drowned.

This video also has a future cost: The young generation will be biased to think that the Ugandan’s are helpless without “some form of help” from the west. They would also be biased to think that the Ugandan military should be armed more and that IS the solution (regardless of what a Ugandan on the ground thinks).

Dehumanizing, trivializing Ugandans and providing a feel good factor for teens out here. Evil, dubious and amazing at the same time 🙂

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 19:09:22 lokey

Hit submit too fast.

These teens will be tomorrow’s leaders, who will try to do the same thing believing they are doing “good”, and the cycle of interference and mindless violence will be continued.

This movement is evil, period!

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 19:18:22 dave

Well lokey maybe you are right. But maybe the man behind the movement had good intentions and policy makers have seen the popularity…. and are using it as a way to sneak into Uganda. Next send troops and oil companies on our tax dime. It doesn’t profit us. Has all that oil in Iraq profited us, last I saw the cheapest gas was $3.79. But that hasn’t happened yet , even if it is the ultimate evil plan, that is all speculation.

But again if that does come to pass, it won’t be “most” white people profiting if that is true. It won’t even be our government. It will be the top 1% of these Fat oil companies.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 19:27:11 lokey

dave,

Whatever be the man’s intentions (I don’t care what they are). I see the movement as planting this into the mind of young teenagers and future leaders:
“They cannot help themselves, we HAVE to help them”.

Tomorrow in case Uganda becomes much better than it already is these young teens (who would be leaders then), would still trivialize the Ugandans who made it possible and claim credit that it was because of “Us helping them”.

This is nothing but blatant dehumanization bordering on racism, planted as a virus into the young generation.

It also could be an attempt by the Fat Cat oil companies to destroy Ugandan self-determination

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 20:38:40 Doug1

Kwamla
At last!…A clear account of just what this Kony 2012 is all about…Simple – Uganda has discovered new oil reserves to rival those of Saudi Arabia. The US needs a covert military pretext for going in to acquire these with full public support. What better way than this?

Many of the black commenters on this board feel free to just make stuff up out of whole cloth or exaggerate beyond recognition. About nobody in the comments except myself and a few other race realists ever puts up any links to back up what they’re saying or show where they’re getting it from.

Saudi Arabia says it has 267 billion barrels of oil reserves. As of the end of 2011 the oil company doing most of the exploratory drilling had found 1 billion in reserves and hopes to find an additional 1.5 billion more in adjoining fields. Far cry from rivaling Saudi Arabia. Further it’s a Brit company that’s got the concession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Saudi_Arabia

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120228-707926.html

Further Uganda’s oil is expensive to extract, waxy, and expensive to refine. It’s a very marginal comer in international oil.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 20:40:47 Doug1

Bulanik–

But the West wants its oil.

Uganda doesn’t have much.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 20:51:37 Tyrone

Abagond:

White folk are willing to send black soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan to save the lives of white arabs who may or may not like them anyway, but can’t do the same for black africans who have no in-bred hatred of americans. None of this ish makes any sense. Africa is more important to the strategic interests of the US and other industrialized nations, because of the abundance of natural resources within the continent. Yet, those in the G-8 and G-20 allow black devils and non-black devils alike to kill black people, rape blackwomen, further the spread of radical islam, chinese fascism, and so forth. Yes, black people have to build africa anew on their own, but let’s not give white folk a pass. All of the chaos that we see in Africa is a direct result of slavery, colonization, and the support of puppet dictators by the United Nations and other world bodies…Ditto! Africa bleeds, Everybody bleeds. If “Mama Africa” is not right, all of the other ish doesn’t matter, because she is the source for everything and everyone on this planet…Bottomline!

Tyrone
Free Aquarius

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 22:09:41 Kwamla

Lol!!!

Thanks Bulanik. Its seems you beat me to this. I was just about to post that same link for Doug1. Who if he’d bothered to check out the video I posted would have found where that quote about “rivaling Saudi Arabia oil fields” came from.

http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/uganda-oil-reserves-to-rival-saudi-arabia/

So…Doug1. It seems its “…race realists…” like yourself who conveniently skip over or just ignore factual evidence, substitute their own factual data and then disingenuously claim a misleading, although currently true, explanation which seeks to hide or ignore important subsidiary information. The type of information most Oil prospectors or natural resource predators, like the US or China, base their invasion strategies on.

Its clear the links to the information you provided fail to tell the potentially more detailed story. But instead of allowing for this you jumped straight into conclusions, generalizing that:

“…Many of the black commentators on this board feel free to just make stuff up out of whole cloth or exaggerate beyond recognition…

Perhaps now you would like to reflect in which other past comments you might have also erred in this respect. Somehow I doubt you will though!

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 23:31:09 Doug1

Some stupid probably affirmative action government employee talking shiite about which she knows not.

Uganda is not remotely oil reserve competitive with Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. Absolutely no proof of that whatsoever.

The level of thought, and critique, and thinking on this blog’s commentariate is abysmal.

And yeah not equal at all. It’s a big step down.

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on Tue Mar 13th 2012 at 23:35:55 Doug1

Bulanik–

Posting a couple of picture jpeg’s of oil possible regions in Uganda indicates much less proves absolutely nothing about how close Uganda’s oil reserves might be to Saudi Arabia’s.

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 00:10:00 Herneith

@Doug 1:

I was wondering when you would show up.

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 00:21:05 Matari

Lokey,

I went to first link you posted. As soon as I saw Bernay’s name, I immediately saw all I needed to see.

Bernay, the Rockefellers and other cultural movers and *shape-ers* would – if they could – insure that people everywhere be transformed into mindless automatons, incapable of critical thinking, just smart enough to do their assigned designated tasks while being fully indoctrinated to the trappings of “conventional wisdom.” I’m sad to say that they have done very well in realizing their goals, particularly in the USA.

— Kwamla, Bulanik and too many others here to name.

I’ve seen too much bogus BS – misinformation – come from Doug1, and his new bud Blif, I can’t take them seriously. On a scale of one – ten, their credibility rating is minus 20! Of course their views are stellar among those who have the misfortune of thinking just like them inside of that putrid, stinking box they live and breathe out of.

Anyway, it’s good that there are some here that have the patience and energy to dispel the endless troll crap being flung around here, stinking up the place.
Thanks!

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 00:43:35 Adeen Danica Mckenzie

Once I read Abagond’s article I actually agree with him in a way.But this article does have some contradictions that someone posted. Anyways I definitely think Abagond should buy part of the profits in this video to make the video more accurate. This is very White American video, I know because my teacher made the class watch it today.
P.S. I believe they should stop Joseph Kony! He has done enough damage to these kids for over twenty years! Why didn’t they stop him before? I guess what happens in Africa just doesn’t matter to most White Americans besides that Kony guy. I help Kony is captured and executed! Yes I said it!

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 05:47:58 lokey

matari,

I hate to induce Godwin’s law here, I usually dont but this idea of propaganda got me looking into Hitler Youth. Here is the video

Please pay special attention to the DAY that these kids are inducted. Some good material for Conspiracy theorists 🙂

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 14:11:22 Doug1

Bulanik–

I linked the WS Journal article. It quotes the oil company doing exploratory drilling (Tullow oil working in partnership with Heritage Oil) there as having found reserves of 1 billion barrels, and expecting to find another 1.5 billion in an adjacent area.

Heritage in a report to its partners talked of Ugandan reserves of 2.4 billion barrels (380,000,000 m3) worth $7 billion as the “most exciting new play in sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade.”[7] However, development will require a 750 miles (1,210 km) pipeline to the coast, which will need $80 oil to justify.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Uganda#Oil_and_natural_gas

That energy department official didn’t know what she was talking about. Some affirmative action hire perhaps?

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 14:18:14 Doug1

Sure with more exploration they may and probably will find more oil, but there’s no vast excitement outside Uganda over the size of their likely reserves.

There’s actually a tremendous amount of oil that’s been discovered, or rather been found to be commercially recoverable by means of fairly new fracking technology, right her in the US over the last five years or so. Shale oil and gas found in North Dakota, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, Texas, and probably parts of western NY (though that state won’t allow exploratory fracking drilling so far).

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 17:33:02 the world we live in

@ Abagond: Excellent post as always!

@ Loki – We are all, I”m sure ,wishing you the best of outcomes for YOU at this difficult time.

To the regulars: You guys are awesome!

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 17:34:55 the world we live in

Oops Lokey, I spelled your name wrong. My apologies.

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on Wed Mar 14th 2012 at 19:40:15 sam

@bulanik:

“Aren’t China, the EU as well as the US all interested in carving up what Africa has to offer?”

Yes they are. Chinese sneaked into Sudan and were in cahoots with the Khartoum government and what happens? All of a sudden the crisis in Darfur becomes front page news and urgent thing in the west, when it had been ignored for a long time. But once the chinese presense became widely known, wow!!!

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 00:11:17 DarqBeauty

Last night, the maker of the Kony 2012 video was arrested in San Diego. He was taken into custody after being found vandalizing cars, under the influence of a narcotic and public masturbation.
Good job Jason Russell.

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 00:33:26 lokey

Cut him some slack will ya?

He was relieving his invisible children on a busy intersection. They have much better chance of surviving in warm SD than in the dense ‘jungles’ of Uganda.

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 00:50:33 DarqBeauty

“He was relieving his invisible children on a busy intersection. They have much better chance of surviving in warm SD than in the dense ‘jungles’ of Uganda.”

*Digs a hole. Lines hole with silk. Climbs into hole. Covers self with dirt while holding a flower. DIES from laughter*

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 01:45:29 DarqBeauty

Here’s some video of his “emancipation movement”.

Courtesy of TMZ.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/16/jason-russell-video-naked-meltdown-kony/#.T2O9_RHCm9M

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 05:25:30 SPORTSBRUH

here is a nice bookend to THE WHITE SAVIOR.

Jason Russell, the creator of KONY 2012 running around naked, drugged out and mentally zonked.

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 05:58:23 Deb

@DarqBeauty…*Digs a hole. Lines hole with silk. Climbs into hole. Covers self with dirt while holding a flower. DIES from laughter*

Won’t join you in the hole, but I certainly feel ya! Lawd, lawd, lawd! {smdh} Thanx for the link. Imagine that, TWO viral videos in as many weeks (and it WILL go viral)!

Just you wait though – somebody’ll be blaming this on “those damned Africans.”

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 15:33:10 personinmotion

^^^
That would make a great trailer for Kony 2012! =D

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 15:37:21 JT

I don’t know why but WordPress has changed their login system and it is messing me up. The above post was also done by JT.

Personinmotion is my pseudonym. =)

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 19:35:46 DarqBeauty

@ JT

WordPress has been acting wonky lately. You might have to sign into WordPress again and then refresh the page afterwards. I had that problem the day before last.

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 21:33:11 Herneith

Here’s an update on Jason Russell:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2116184/Kony-2012-video-director-Jason-Russell-arrested-drunk-performing-sex-act-public.html

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 21:50:00 abagond

Russell’s wife said in Herneith’s Daily Mail article::

“While that attention was great for raising awareness about Joseph Kony, it also brought a lot of attention to Jason and, because of how personal the film is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal, and Jason took them very hard.”

I can see that. If I had made the film there is no way in a million years I would have put my son in it. By putting so much of himself in it he laid himself open to cruel personal, below-the-belt attacks, something he is apparently not used to.

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on Sat Mar 17th 2012 at 23:48:18 Matari

“By putting so much of himself in it he laid himself open to cruel personal, below-the-belt attacks, something he is apparently not used to.”

*******************************

Very few whites (relatively speaking) are use to the rougher – harsher realities of life. That’s why when they do encounter them, they out flip out and do some very weird stuff.

On the other hand, imagine the fall out if that person had been black, the pundits, Fox news coverage, the what’s wrong with black people script that would get endless media play … There would be NO understanding, sympathetic, empathetic, touchy-feely moments or concern because they EXPECT us to act like monsters, whereas when they do it, there’s also some logical reasoning that’s ascribed to their negative behavior.

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 06:32:24 mochasister

@ Matari

Yes, this is so true. I saw the video of him flipping out and I did feel sorry for him. But at the same time I couldn’t help but think if he had been a Black man there would be all kinds of outrage. I’ve never understood why whites seem to excuse their poor behavior and then turn around and condemn POC for doing the exact same thing.

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 07:19:33 abagond

The Ugandan prime minister’s response video to “Kony 2012”. Even though it is done by a boring grown-up with no apparent Hollywood or Internet skills, it is still worth listening to all the way through:

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 09:44:31 Satanforce

Joseph Kony kidnapped 30,000 children in 30 years. Jason Russell murdered millions of ‘Invisible’ Children in an instant.

Social Action (from Invisible Children)

Sign the petition in support here
Forward this info/video to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
Order the Joseph Kony Kit here; note Kit comes free if you donate $15 or more per month – however kit supplies are limited right now
Contact your senator letting him/her know you care
Hit the streets on 4/20 (LOL!!!!)
Donate to Invisible Children fund
Pray

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 11:22:31 abagond

^^^ pretty good summary

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 13:29:54 Nom De Plume

@Matari:

On the other hand, imagine the fall out if that person had been black, the pundits, Fox news coverage, the what’s wrong with black people script that would get endless media play … There would be NO understanding, sympathetic, empathetic, touchy-feely moments or concern because they EXPECT us to act like monsters, whereas when they do it, there’s also some logical reasoning that’s ascribed to their negative behavior
—

You are so right, Matari.

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on Sun Mar 18th 2012 at 21:50:26 sepultura13

LMFAO – oh, too priceless!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17409934

On the other hand, imagine the fall out if that person had been black, the pundits, Fox news coverage, the what’s wrong with black people script that would get endless media play … There would be NO understanding, sympathetic, empathetic, touchy-feely moments or concern because they EXPECT us to act like monsters, whereas when they do it, there’s also some logical reasoning that’s ascribed to their negative behavior.

Sad, but true – case in point, the U.S. serviceman who murdered 16 civilians. He’s a local boy and the local press is dragging out the sob stories to justify those murders. It’s beyond disgusting:
http://www.kptv.com/story/17180650/soldier-accused-of-killings-was-family-man

http://www.kgw.com/news/world/143095536.html

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on Tue Mar 20th 2012 at 13:07:51 Norm

I think your blog is funny man but I think you stereotype white people a bit much. I agree with you completely about how white people view Africa, that’s totally true. When you stereotype white people as stereotyping black people it’s only racism from a different vantage point…

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on Sun Mar 25th 2012 at 05:47:54 abagond

Chase Bank contributed $1 million to Invisible Children to help them produce the KONY 2012 campaign, among other programs. JP Morgan Chase is also a major investment banker of Tullow Oil. That’s right, the oil company that needs US military help to pump oil out of Uganda.

Exxon Mobil is now a major partner in the oil drilling operation in Uganda. JP Morgan and Chase Bank are intimately tied to Exxon Mobil through the Rockefeller family with corporate board members sharing positions in both companies.

http://abagond.tumblr.com/post/19880304952/kony-2012s-funders-jp-morgan-chase-bank-and-exxon

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on Sun Mar 25th 2012 at 06:07:03 sam

@abagond: Brilliant! As always, follow the money.

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on Tue Mar 27th 2012 at 13:06:11 anglesanddimensions

This is a MUST-READ if one is to have a clear view about Con-ey 2012: seeing things not as events isolated from their causes, but as part of a network of events leading to other events.

http://landdestroyer.blogspot.in/2012/03/globalists-pull-plug-on-kony-2012-with.html

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on Mon Apr 9th 2012 at 11:06:04 abagond

The sequel to “Kony 2012” is out (thanks Deb):

http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/kony-2012-part-ii-released-with-much-less-fanfare_b36256

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on Mon Apr 9th 2012 at 19:56:03 Deb

No problem

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on Wed Apr 11th 2012 at 16:18:49 satanforce

Ha Haa! We can now see the roots of this guys madness, thanks to the Atlantic.

“The trick is to not go out into the world and say I am going to baptize you, I’m going to convict you, I have an agenda to win you over,” Russell said at Liberty University. “Your agenda is to look into the eyes, as Jesus did, and say, who are you, and will you be my friend? Like he did to the prostitutes, to the tax collectors, to the fishermen.”

Or former child soldiers. Or American teenagers.

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on Wed Apr 11th 2012 at 16:20:06 satanforce

Damn. could you fix my link please? Things screwing with me again

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on Wed Apr 11th 2012 at 17:11:29 abagond

@ Satanforce

I lost your link. Please repost it on a line of its own.

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on Wed Apr 11th 2012 at 22:31:12 satanforce

WordPress anchor tag screwing with me

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/mission-from-god-the-upstart-christian-sect-driving-invisible-children-and-changing-africa/255626/

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on Thu Apr 19th 2012 at 17:35:44 froggio

I know I’ll catch a lot of hate for this; but isn’t IC at least calling attention to the abuse of the children? Yes, they’re calling for Joseph Kony to be brought to justice and yes, too little too late. However there are children who are associated with armed forces and are being forced to do things- whether against their will or as a result of economic or social pressure. I would argue that, even though KONY 2012 may be focused on one man, the hype and discussion it is provoking IS making headlines and sparking an interest in helping these children; regardless of where that interest comes from. I’ve never seen this generation care so much about a cause… isn’t that, at least, a start for a better future? For a generation who has the ability to stop something else before it gets to the ‘money grabbing oil hands’ part of the story?

I don’t believe that KONY 2012 will make a difference in the lives of the people they’re aimed at; as you’ve said, he’s been out of Uganda for 6 years. But I DO believe that bringing social issues to justice in this manner, especially to the technology-savvy generation that is coming of age, is going to make a difference in the long run. It allows them to, as was said, ‘hide behind their computers anonymously’ and still fight for a cause. They are becoming aware of the issues faced around the world, and given the opportunity to make a difference with the click of a button. How many more people do you think will make the effort now; knowing how easy it is to see the results of their efforts? I know more than a few young people who are excited to participate this Friday in ‘Cover the Night’ just because they know it’s a global effort – and they learned about it through facebook. Yes, it’s easy. No, maybe they’re not getting the whole story. But when people get into arguments with them on the street about the validation of their cause, they will learn more. Maybe even *gasp* RESEARCH the cause – and discover that there are other children being exploited. And then… well, who knows? Maybe somehow this will end up changing things for the better. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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on Thu Jun 21st 2012 at 18:55:31 Book Review: Amusing Ourselves to Death | Slouching Towards Kingston

[…] It is the measure of how much action you take based on how much information you have. For example, let us say that you are a white guy that has heard about the plight of some poor darkies Ugandans vi… I think you can tell where I’m going with […]

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