213 replies to this topic

[charger77]

GFB, on March 7, 2012 - 16:37, said:

charger77, on March 7, 2012 - 16:12, said:

Well put GFB.

Get yourself a cone at Charlie Browns on me.

Haha! Thanks... I could actually go for one right now. If you wanted to meet me there we could discuss the merits of hitting and scheduling in the NHL.

I'm half tempted to take you up on that if I wasn't still numb from the filling I just got.

[crashcarson15]

If Invisible Children didn't spend the money that they do on raising awareness, they wouldn't have raised anywhere near the 32% of funds that go to Africa.  IC's still an awareness-building foundation above all else at this point.  Most people still hadn't heard of Joseph Kony (despite the President's statement) until the last two days.

Now that that's out there, let's see how Invisible Children's percents change.  I'm willing to bet that in the future, more than 32% of the money will actually go to Uganda.

[Brass]

[RedSox44]

I hate, hate, hate the way that people who have been with IC since the beginning are being thrown under the bus by people like "OH UR ONLY BANDWAGOING TO LOOK COOL LOLOLOLOLO!!!!11one11!1!11eleven!1!11!!!"

I am not bandwagoning. People are, yes, but ffs a lot of people have been in this since the beginning, and a lot more people have joined the cause in full force, because what Kony is doing and has done is wrong, not to look cool. I guarantee most of the people who have joined up with IC because of this video would've still joined the cause even if it didn't have this connection to "coolness".

Lights Out, on March 7, 2012 - 16:39, said:

RedSox44, on March 7, 2012 - 14:43, said:

The whole point of the Kony 2012 movement is to make him famous

Nitpicking here.... but wouldn't you want to make Kony infamous? Famous would imply that he's well-known for positive reasons, which is clearly not the point of this movement.  Not trying to be a dick, but I've noticed that one of the taglines for Kony 2012 is "Make Him Famous" and it's really annoying my inner grammar nerd.  It could also work against Invisible Children by sending the wrong message, so I guess it's worth pointing out.

Hey, I'm just using the phrase that IC has been using for awhile; they want Kony to share the same level of "celebrity" with people like George Clooney.

[crashcarson15]

I've never done anything with Invisible Children because it's "cool."  I've supported Invisible Children and planned benefit events for the past three years because I want to help these kids that have gone through so much.

If you can give me another charity that's done as much to help prevent the LRA's advances and helping to rebuild northern Ugandan schools as Invisible Children has, I'll gladly support them.

[footballfiji]

crashcarson15, on March 7, 2012 - 19:28, said:

I've never done anything with Invisible Children because it's "cool."  I've supported Invisible Children and planned benefit events for the past three years because I want to help these kids that have gone through so much.

If you can give me another charity that's done as much to help prevent the LRA's advances and helping to rebuild northern Ugandan schools as Invisible Children has, I'll gladly support them.

Problem 1: Kony isn't even in Uganda any more.

Problem 2: You are funding two things with Invisible Children: Filmakers and other Guerrilla Leaders. These are the guys who run IC:



Problem 3: Probably put best by Chris Blattman, a political scientist at Yale:

Quote

“There’s also something inherently misleading, naive, maybe even dangerous, about the idea of rescuing children or saving of Africa. […] It hints uncomfortably of the White Man’s Burden. Worse, sometimes it does more than hint. The savior attitude is pervasive in advocacy, and it inevitably shapes programming. Usually misconceived programming.”

[BLUELANDbeliever]

I feel both GFB and RedSox44 have very valid points. Lets marry them and put it this way:

While things such as the Kony 2012 movement can be considered 'hipster' or 'clique-y', programs like these are great to jump start groups about other world issues. The key point we all need to take from this is to not get caught up in the passion you read, watch, hear, and feel about the cause and throw cash but to make an educated decision on whether you want to commit your hard earned money to this cause. I for one took the high road and researched the 'top dogs' of IC as well as looked up their spending figures and any credible business articles i could find. I have donated $50 thus far and am considering a monthly donation.

SIDE: GFB, are you from Almont?

[footballfiji]

BLUELANDbeliever, on March 7, 2012 - 22:57, said:

I feel both GFB and RedSox44 have very valid points. Lets marry them and put it this way:

I have donated $50 thus far and am considering a monthly donation.

Awesome. Maybe $19 of that will actually go to Uganda. When it does it can be used to help fund an army that used the same "children soldiers" as Kony.

[rainmaker17]

BLUELANDbeliever, on March 7, 2012 - 22:57, said:

I feel both GFB and RedSox44 have very valid points. Lets marry them and put it this way:

While things such as the Kony 2012 movement can be considered 'hipster' or 'clique-y', programs like these are great to jump start groups about other world issues. The key point we all need to take from this is to not get caught up in the passion you read, watch, hear, and feel about the cause and throw cash but to make an educated decision on whether you want to commit your hard earned money to this cause. I for one took the high road and researched the 'top dogs' of IC as well as looked up their spending figures and any credible business articles i could find. I have donated $50 thus far and am considering a monthly donation.

Move to Austin and you'll see how out of hand it can get.  I'm all for charity, but the self-congratulating, smug, over-talking hipster crowd gets old in a hurry.  It will be in full force Friday when SXSW begins.

[BLUELANDbeliever]

footballfiji, on March 7, 2012 - 23:21, said:

BLUELANDbeliever, on March 7, 2012 - 22:57, said:

I feel both GFB and RedSox44 have very valid points. Lets marry them and put it this way:

I have donated $50 thus far and am considering a monthly donation.

Awesome. Maybe $19 of that will actually go to Uganda. When it does it can be used to help fund an army that used the same "children soldiers" as Kony.

Wow. Way to be a complete negative asshat. Done with this thread.

[footballfiji]

BLUELANDbeliever, on March 7, 2012 - 23:23, said:

footballfiji, on March 7, 2012 - 23:21, said:

BLUELANDbeliever, on March 7, 2012 - 22:57, said:

I feel both GFB and RedSox44 have very valid points. Lets marry them and put it this way:

I have donated $50 thus far and am considering a monthly donation.

Awesome. Maybe $19 of that will actually go to Uganda. When it does it can be used to help fund an army that used the same "children soldiers" as Kony.

Wow. Way to be a complete negative asshat. Done with this thread.

You earned your money. You should have a right to know where it is being spent. I didn't resort to namecalling, neither should you. Stay and have a reasonable discourse.

[Drew22]

[footballfiji]

[GFB]

I promise this will be my last post on the matter, but my issue with Invisible Children (outside the "Look at me, I'm charitable!" crowd I mentioned earlier) is this: an organization with the end of "raising awareness" is really only half a charity. I believe a charity organization should work like this:

1) See a problem or a need.
2) Aware others of said problem or need.
3) Provide a solution to the problem.
4) Execute the solution and fix it.  

For this example, I will use my favorite professor from college, Ted. While Ted was on a service trip to Mexico, he was surprised to see that the kids there didn't have the necessary school supplies to continue their education. As an educator, it broke his heart. Then he remembered his years of school as a kid, how on the last day he would clean out his locker and throw away old pencils, used notebooks, etc. and how it all went to waste. So when he got back, Ted decided to start greenLockers (www.greenlockers.org for anyone looking to investigate it). Basically he would get large green bins and set them up at schools, so when locker clean out day came, instead of throwing away your used school supplies you had the option of donating it to those less fortunate. The discarded supplies would then be distributed locally first; internationally second. There is a video at his website that explains the process more in-detail in case you are interested in learning more about it. But because this is not about my professor Ted, that's all you really need to know for the purpose of this thread.

The point is, Ted saw a problem, spread awareness, created a realistic solution, and executed it. Now, Ted is a saint, and he has gifts for service that I (or most people for that matter) frankly don't have. Asking everyone to get involved in such a personal way in unrealistic. However, I think the purpose and plan of how greenLockers operates as a small, non-profit organization is a very good and realistic example of how these organizations should work.  

Invisible Children does a fantastic job of steps 1 and 2; but it falls too short in my mind on steps 3 and 4. Is this their fault? Probably not. There is no simple or even complex solution that Invisible Children can implement on their own to end such a terrible war in a place as grief-stricken as Uganda.

Like charger said, when I give to a non-profit organization, I want my money to make a difference and help fix the problem. If someone associated with Nothing But Nets came up to me and asked me for a donation, I would know that my donation is going to help get a mosquito net to someone and stop the spread of malaria. If someone associated with charity: Water asked me, I know my money is going to help get clean water to someone who needs it. But if someone from Invisible Children comes and asks, I have no idea what that money is going to; all I know is that there is little chance it goes toward actually fixing the problem because as an organization, they have no way of fixing it.

Don't get me wrong, awareness is very important and it's easy to spread. Tweet, post to Facebook, write a government official. That's all perfectly noble. But a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to create awareness is not one that I wish to support. There are other organizations such as Africare or AMREF USA who could directly help those affected by the Ugandan war with a much greater possibility that your donations will actually and physically help those who need it.

Now, to RedSox and CC15. I never called either one of you bandwagoners or posers. I'm thrilled to see other young people who want to change the world for the better. However, I want to ask you to really consider this question: why are you so passionate about this one, specific problem? Yes, I know what the easy answer is... because it's hanus, because of the children, because of Kony, etc... But consider even just the three problems I've previously listed: malaria, clean water, sex trafficking. Not only do those three problems have a much larger impact on the world and affect many, many more people than the LRA war does, but they also have much simpler and available solutions that allow you to directly change the world. Yet, you seem to be so focused on this one issue where there is very little that any of us can do, when there are so many other problems and ways you can help. Why is this? I'm not saying to quit being involved in Invisible Children and spreading awareness about it... in fact, I would urge you to continue to do so if you believe in its cause, because obviously you do. What I am asking is that you take a long look at supporting Invisible Children in such a large financial manner when there are plenty of other organizations dealing with bigger problems and actually helping those in need.

And to end on a lighter note, here was one of the... ahem... "charitable" ringleaders of IC from my campus:



Classy.

[Bradbury]

Invisible Children has released an official statement regarding all of the press they've gotten recently, both positive and negative. It seems to address every concern I've either read or thought of in the past 48 hours.

LINKY LINK

It's quite lengthy, but it's well worth the read if you're willing to learn more about the organization.

[CS85]

It's a good read, for sure.  I just wish they didn't reference Ke$ha at the end of it, much less call her a "poet."

[GFB]

Bradbury, on March 8, 2012 - 03:28, said:

Invisible Children has released an official statement regarding all of the press they've gotten recently, both positive and negative. It seems to address every concern I've either read or thought of in the past 48 hours.

LINKY LINK

It's quite lengthy, but it's well worth the read if you're willing to learn more about the organization.

While that was nice of them to address their doubters, it still doesn't change the fact that the organization:

- Still only allocates roughly 33% to actual aid to Uganda (or, as they put it, their three-pronged attack!)
- Continually chooses advocacy over aiding those people affected (at some point this has to change, right?)
- Has the goal of ending the LRA, but they have no solutions in place to actually stop him (and no, documenting his crimes does not count.)

What they do have right is that we are all on the same side: we all think Joseph Kony should be stopped. Absolutely. However, I have made the conscious choice that I am going financially support organizations with more capacity to make a difference actually fixing problems, not merely promoting them. (Which sorta takes us back to the beginning talking about boasting in one's charity... )

[CS85]

All fair points.

See what happens when people are able to have a rational conversation?  It's nice.

[crashcarson15]

And as I've been saying, I feel that Invisible Children has finally made the breakthrough to be something everyone's aware off.  This is where I'm calling on IC to stop being more of an awareness-oriented organization and more of an aid-oriented organization.  I think many of our concerns are the same on the subject no matter which side you're on, however, I feel that up to this point, IC's approach has been appropriate.  But now it needs to change.

I'll still argue that without the awareness part of Invisible Children, the charity wouldn't have raised anywhere near the third that goes to Africa.  It's generally given more aid to Africa, but now is the time to shift from a "three pronged attack" to being an organization that focuses on relief and rehabilitation.  I've known all along that Invisible Children's had these three approaches and I feel like it's been appropriate to here.  But now it's time for IC to change.  Everyone's aware of Joseph Kony at this point.

The ball's in your court, IC.

[crashcarson15]

footballfiji, on March 7, 2012 - 22:54, said:

crashcarson15, on March 7, 2012 - 19:28, said:

I've never done anything with Invisible Children because it's "cool."  I've supported Invisible Children and planned benefit events for the past three years because I want to help these kids that have gone through so much.

If you can give me another charity that's done as much to help prevent the LRA's advances and helping to rebuild northern Ugandan schools as Invisible Children has, I'll gladly support them.

Problem 1: Kony isn't even in Uganda any more.

Problem 2: You are funding two things with Invisible Children: Filmakers and other Guerrilla Leaders. These are the guys who run IC:

Yes, I know Kony isn't in Uganda anymore... I've worked with the organization for three years now.  I don't need educated on the conflict.  Kony's LRA is still abducting kids, largely in the Congo.  I support the Schools for Schools and Legacy Scholarship Fund Programs that Invisible runs to help students in northern Uganda recover.

No, I'm funding filmmakers so more people are aware of the conflict.  Without Invisible Children's films, people wouldn't know about Joseph Kony AT ALL.  I'm also funding, at a 37% clip, programs that alert remote villages when the LRA is near, programs that send former LRA members to school, and programs that provide jobs for them.  I know what I'm supporting.  Don't try to bend the truth to make your point.