Multiple Perspectives on Every Story

Another article of interest if you are following the great Kony 2012 discussion:

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/newsworldnation/953133-227/kony-2012-two-sides-to-being-a.html

An excerpt of particular interest for discussion:

Writing for The Huffington Post, Michael Deibert, author of “Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair,” also slammed the video makers, saying they had depicted military intervention as a panacea.

Deibert wrote that after a failed attempt to get Kony not long ago (supported by U.S. advisers), the warlord’s army counterattacked against villages in the People’s Republic of Congo, resulting in the death of hundreds of people and the kidnapping of 100 children. “What is the system of protection that Invisible Children advocates for communities such as these, put in the line of fire by the military operations the group advocates?” Deibert asked.

Responding on the group’s website, the video makers conceded that they “sought to explain the conflict in an easily understandable format, focusing on the core attributes of LRA leadership that infringe upon the most basic of human rights. In a 30-minute film, however, many nuances of the 26-year conflict are admittedly lost or overlooked.”

Rebecca Rosen, writing in The Atlantic online, said she hoped the obvious flaws and outpouring of criticism of the video wouldn’t turn off the millions of young people who have watched it. “It would be a terrible outcome,” Rosen wrote, “if those who initially pushed the video along were discouraged by this experience from further engagement, overlearning the lesson and believing there is no positive way for Americans to engage in the world abroad.”

This is a scary thought to consider - look at all the attention this video has gotten. Look at how many people have been outraged and moved to do something. Is the video flawed? Of course. The point is to get Kony's name out there, not provide a history lesson. To appeal to many people, specifics were overlooked. I completely agree with what Rosen writes, that "it would be a terrible outcome if those who pushed the video along were discouraged by this experience from further engagement". There is always a positive way for us to help - hopefully Kambala will have some specific insight for us on Monday!