Quote from Seijurou

🤣 I gotta look that up; also, this 'non-profit' organization for the campaign, appropriately called 'Invisible Children,' are pretty shady with their spending, with apparently $90k of the donations going to staff salaries, and a good portion dedicated for advertisement, not to mention that the ...

Fun fact: You actually have to turn a profit to get nonprofit certification. 90k on staff salaries is nothing. You need that much to keep an organization running. 90k supports about five full-time staffers at under 20k a year, which is below the poverty line in most US states. I flipped through their public financial records several times. With the possible exception of some 17 thousand which goes toward unspecified "entertainment" every year, they're a totally ordinary nonprofit organization.

Freaking out over those figures is really ridiculous. All nonprofits work this way in order to ensure their continued existence, from Invisible Children to the Red Cross to Doctors Without Borders. They're actually required to in order to get the nonprofit license. Not to mention that Invisible Children is very explicitly not a nonprofit which is designed explicitly to aid- direct aid is just something they spend about a third of their money on. Their finances are public, they aren't hiding this. It's an organization which promotes global awareness, and most of the money goes toward that. Given how popular the Kony video has big, it's hard to argue that they aren't accomplishing their goals either. The money is doing something.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of the Kony 2012 campaign.Yes, the video is absolutely sensationalized and some of the methodology is absolutely questionable. Yes, it's annoying how much it has proliferated over the last couple of weeks. However, I'm even less of a fan of people either bashing it because it makes them feel self-important or because they have no idea how organizations actually work and are either dumb or conceited enough to think they stumbled onto serious corruption. It's hard enough for people, idiots or not, to try to be good. Your arbitrary bashing isn't helping.

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he's been on wanted list for a loooong time, but nothing is done. i guess it's true when some people said that america will come only if there is oil.

on invisible childern, why would they made movies and deadlines like that. they don't have the power either politically or militarily to set deadlines like that. it's just arrogant, ignorant, and wasted. the timing may be planned propaganda to pressure pressidential nominee to make promises and campaign on it but it's just opportunistic and seem like it's not working. it did a good job in raising awareness to public but without concerted plan and effort, it's just gonna end up like the occupy wall street protesters

so now we know about it, feel bad, spread the word and then feel good. what next?

Quote from sakura8429

he's been on wanted list for a loooong time, but nothing is done. i guess it's true when some people said that america will come only if there is oil.

on invisible childern, why would they made movies and deadlines like that. they don't have the power either politically or militarily to set deadli ...

Agreed, generally, but the deadline isn't arbitrary. It's set based on UN resolutions that allow action. i.e., if something isn't done by then, we end up so bogged down in logistical red tape that it probably never will be.

I suspect the point of the video isn't necessarily to have Kony arrested, anyway. It's just to sensationalize a serious issue to the point that people actually care about it. If it's part of the dialogue, there will be more donations to all related nonprofits (not just IC) and also a slim chance of international action.

Better than nothing.

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It might be better than nothing... might. As much as misinformation and misappropriation of resources might be good for any cause.
Charlie Brooker explains the whole thing.

The short of it is that they are evangelical christians spending the money making recruitment videos. (and spanking the pavement in the nude)

You are conveniently leaving out other fun facts: Invisible Children refuse to be externally audited, and too much money is going out towards adevrtisement. More fun facts: Kony has been out of Uganda since 2006; there has been peace recently. He has even been defeated. The Ugandan government, who is supported by Invisible Children, is accused of rape & other charges themselves, though. I'd hate to bust your 'neutral' bubble, but yes, nothing is better than something when what you do leads to yet another meaningless war. Maybe sarcasm escaped my previous post, but who the hell didn't know that there are already crimes & poor children in Africa? Also, what kind of 'charity' organizer goes out masturbating naked in public & smashing cars?

Oh, did I mention there are huge oil reserves in Uganda? Go figure.

Do your research before being an ignorant blind follower. I don't care if you feel ashamed for being fooled by this & stupidly shared your videos with everyone you know. You don't get to deny the truth & attack it. Stop being stubborn. Not admitting your mistake is simply another mistake & proof of backwardness.

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Quote from Seijurou

You are conveniently leaving out other fun facts[/url]: Invisible Children refuse to be externally audited, and too much money is going out towards adevrtisement. More fun facts: Kony has been out of Uganda since 2006; there has been peace recently. He has even been defeated. The Ugandan government, who is ...

sigh

Having actively disapproved of invisible children since my first post in this thread, I find most of your accusations in that last paragraph pretty laughable. Someone who launches accusations of not doing research should have the common sense to read through a post before replying to it.

I actually addressed essentially all of your complaints earlier (reread my posts), barring the auditing, which is a misnomer- they don't have an external auditing board like many other nonprofits do. There's a big difference there. The government can decide to do its own audit if it suspects foulplay. They just don't play into the same audit pool as a number of other nonprofits. This is, again, a common practice for nonprofit organizations. Not necessarily a good one, but a common one.

If you're dumb enough to not do research yourself (despite your laughable claim that I'm the one who hasn't), and just rely on biased aggregate sources, then yes, your conclusion is totally acceptable. It is not, however, the whole picture, and is simply an unnecessarily negative perspective. I don't really care if the organizer is insane, and frankly I don't care about spending 'too much' on advertising. The net result is still that we've entered a dialogue about a largely overlooked issue. The organization behind it doesn't make an ounce of difference.

On Uganda: Oil reserves, as well as Kony himself, for that matter, are ultimately irrelevant. If you think this would ever actually lead to international action, you're an idiot. It's an awareness project, masquerading under an activist message. The international system isn't flexible enough to be incited by random internet drones. Heck, the US government isn't susceptible to the bereaved whining of random internet drones. So look at what was actually accomplished instead. Yes, people knew that there were wars and starvation in Africa. Less people cared prior to the video. Are the ethics questionable? Absolutely. But the net result is positive.

@havocc: Ironically, misinformation and misappropriation of resources is the basis for a number of high functioning governments, and arguably the methodology that won the cold war. Thrashing around in the dark can occasionally have a surprising effect- not that I'd ever advocate it. Your point is valid, but the 'awareness' aspect extends beyond invisible children alone. Other nonprofits are going to mine this issue for funding now, and it's not like invisible children does nothing anyway.

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Quote from Creshinibon

I suspect the point of the video isn't necessarily to have Kony arrested, anyway.

I need to do research? How ironic. Even a person with the least amount of intelligence knows that the claimed objective of the video is what is stated in it: to arrest Kony by the end 2012. Relying on baseless theories does not make you look smart, but actually shows you for the moron that you are.

Quote from Crenshinibon

sigh

You'd better.

Quote from Crenshinibon

Having actively disapproved of invisible children since my first post in this thread, I find most of your accusations in that last paragraph pretty laughable. Someone who launches accusations of not doing research should have the common sense to read through a post before replying to it.

And the idocy shows itself again. Did I ever say that you claimed to like Invisible Children? No, I even mocked your neutral attitude. However, there is something called reading between the lines; you should learn it. What I did see is someone who looked like he wanted to change his mind after realizing that he fell for what is basically a scam, but trying to cover his ass with some philosophical crap to look smart, although it is not working. Now you are just hanging between two ropes.

Quote from Crenshinibon

I actually addressed essentially all of your complaints earlier (reread my posts), barring the auditing, which is a misnomer- they don't have an external auditing board like many other nonprofits do. There's a big difference there. The government can decide to do its own audit if it suspects foulplay. They just don't play into the same audit pool as a number of other nonprofits. This is, again, a common practice for nonprofit organizations. Not necessarily a good one, but a common one.

Oh, yeah? Where did you address that Kony hasn't been in Uganda since 2006? What about the oil reserves? The bad government in Uganda? Huh?

I don't know, I see a lot of 'barring' there. Try reading more than the first two sentences in a paragraph before barking out some hypocritical bullshit, ok?

Quote from Crenshinibon

If you're dumb enough to not do research yourself (despite your laughable claim that I'm the one who hasn't), and just rely on biased aggregate sources, then yes, your conclusion is totally acceptable. It is not, however, the whole picture, and is simply an unnecessarily negative perspective. I don't really care if the organizer is insane, and frankly I don't care about spending 'too much' on advertising. The net result is still that we've entered a dialogue about a largely overlooked issue. The organization behind it doesn't make an ounce of difference.

'I don't care if the gang leader is a murderer. I don't care if the members are rapists. If people know that it is happening, all is cool. The criminals behind it don't make an ounce of difference. I know my research, yo, 'cause I'm a pimp.'

What a dunderpate.

Quote from Crenshinibon

On Uganda: Oil reserves, as well as Kony himself, for that matter, are ultimately irrelevant. If you think this would ever actually lead to international action, you're an idiot. It's an awareness project, masquerading under an activist message. The international system isn't flexible enough to be incited by random internet drones. Heck, the US government isn't susceptible to the bereaved whining of random internet drones. So look at what was actually accomplished instead. Yes, people knew that there were wars and starvation in Africa. Less people cared prior to the video. Are the ethics questionable? Absolutely. But the net result is positive.

Summary:

'Kony is irrelevant to Kony 2012.
Oil reserves are just a convenient coincidence.
Nothing will actually happen because of this, including on April 20, except people realizing there are problems in Africa.'

Man, I don't even need to respond to this foolishness. You dig your own holes quite well. Looking forward to your next rant.

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the debate is heating.. hell I don't even understand a quarter of it.
I'll stay being the passive ignorant that I am.

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@Seijurou

Y U SO MAD?

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Funny you would say that, considering I was called 'self-important,' 'dumb,' and 'conceited' by someone I didn't even talk to and who didn't choose a side. Oh, well, I guess he wasn't brave enough to make it a direct name-calling.

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Quote from Seijurou

Funny you would say that, considering I was called 'self-important,' 'dumb,' and 'conceited' by someone I didn't even talk to and who didn't choose a side..

From where I'm standing, it just looks like he was being general.
No need to get so butthurt over it.

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Do I really need to explain? There is something called 'indirect insults,' sometimes a cowardice way of attacking someone (like in this case), which was obviously the intent of his entire post, particularly the last paragraph. I figured that you would take his side, either way, but if you touch fire . . .

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What's it called in old Bugs Bunny cartoons when Bugs is being attacked by a pip-squeak villain whose throwing windmill haymakers, but none of them connect because Bugs is keeping him at bay with a stiff arm to the face? I tried to find it on TVtropes, but couldn't. You think there'd be a trope for this...

Hmm? Oh, just mumbling to myself. Pay it no mind.

So hey, about that public masturbating leader dude. Is this supposed to be a publicity stunt? I hear it worked wonders for Paul Reubens too.

Quote from Badkarma

So hey, about that public masturbating leader dude. Is this supposed to be a publicity stunt? I hear it worked wonders for Paul Reubens too.

Might be, or he might just be genuinely crazy. Either way, it worked; nothing like a scandal to get the media crowding. People just love to get some dirt on someone.

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What's it called in old Bugs Bunny cartoons when Bugs is being attacked by a pip-squeak villain whose throwing windmill haymakers, but none of them connect because Bugs is keeping him at bay with a stiff arm to the face? I tried to find it on TVtropes, but couldn't. You think there'd be a trope for this...

This one?

"It is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."