If you are concerned about it being a conspiracy of misinformation, it is not. Perhaps it is not fully informed as to the political & other nuances of the situation, but it is not a made-up situation. The LRA has been a known issue for years. Some experts are commenting on the video saying that they are glad at it raising awareness but that it does not show the true complexity of the political, military, and cultural situation. Nonetheless I think the awareness spread by the video is a good thing for those who don't know. Joseph Kony IS an international war criminal. Unfortunately he is only one of many. Most cases that the ICC in the Hague want to try are of African leaders. Anyway, I just posted a wordy facebook status about this, since it is going viral on facebook. I will provide a quote of it as-is below. Feel free to comment:
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"So, I finally watched the Kony 2012 video that's been making it's way around and I do think the campaign to raise awareness and action is a worthy one. I think to put a perspective on it, the following article which consults a journalist who wrote a book on the situation in Uganda in 2009 helps:
http://tinyurl.com/7tsfws7. I'm no one to judge the video's content if I am not involved in the campaign though. Hollywood has made awareness-raising videos before like "Blood Diamond" and "The Last King of Scotland" (a true story of Uganda's former dictator Idi Amin) also.
I think the article above does hit on a transcending and practical message though: "One of their core messages is that all children deserve to be safe from harm, regardless of where they live." This is on the scale of importance of international human sex trafficking IMO, which is another huge issue. And activism may actually be one way to respond if you can dedicate yourself to it without reserve.
Notice also though in the Kony 2012 video (at 12:17) that it shows that the ICC in the Hague who is seeking to try international war criminals in a court have at least 27 people on their list, among whom Muammar Gaddafi was #24. It's more than just a "Kony" issue, it's a social justice and human rights issue. The real message, I think, is that social issues won't expire after 2012, but human life can expire if mistreated and unless injustices can be somehow stopped.
And actually you can apply this to any part of the world that is being influenced by evil people who wield power, and as a student of history I have been appalled to learn how many evil rulers there really have been all around the world within the last 100 years. Knowledge of these things is the first step, but even if a new awareness of these essentially HUMAN issues does not lead you to decide to take up some specific international cause, you can at least apply the golden rule (Luke 6:31) to everyone you meet with a renewed attitude of respect and love for your fellow mankind, showing people the dignity that should be bestowed on anyone who is God's creation. Prayer also is a mighty weapon of war, and God is called the Lord of Hosts for a reason.
Such are my possibly unworthy and uneducated thoughts on the issue, but there you have it. I would normally save this for a blog or a forum somewhere but since it's going viral on facebook....
"
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~Josh
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