If you haven't been living under a rock for the past week, chances are you probably heard of Kony and the campaign to stop him. Here are some basic facts you need to know about Kony and the Invisible Children charity:
Joseph Kony is the leader of a rebel group in Uganda called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
The LRA kidnaps children from their homes. They make the boys into child soldiers and the girls into sex slaves.
There is a new charity called the Invisible Children that aims to raise awareness about Kony. They made a video (see below) about Kony's actions and their effects on the people of Uganda, and how to get involved in the charity (which obviously requires donations)
Here is the half-hour video on Kony by Invisible Children:
Okay, so you watch the video. You see the high-tech editing, the high definition images, and you think, "Wow, this is amazing." Then you see the little blond guy, and Jacob crying, and you think, "Aww that is so sweet!" and you feel really bad for a while. Then they show you the ways you can get involved, and how YOU can help to stop Kony. It makes you feel special, like anything is possible, and you immediately want to get involved. You go onto the Invisible Children website, you make a purchase. Simple. And then you start thinking, "Wait, is this charity actually legit? Will the money I paid go directly towards stopping Kony?"
And that's when you realize that you mightn't have been thinking straight. They have captured you with their marketing skills. You remember the start of the Kony 2012 video. Jason said it himself, right? "The next 27 minutes are an experiment." What kind of brainwash is that?