YouTube Stars!

Here's a new post by popular guest blogger Anna! It is about the viral video that was made to bring attention to Kony and the reactions to that video.

Anna's YouTube channel is Annaconda1984.

Visit her channel and watch some of the 300+ videos she has uploaded. Anna has over 20 Thousand Subscribers and about 1,781,486 Total Video Views!

My favorites include Anna's singing duet with KrisShred and her compilation with 18 YouTubers reciting The Raven by Poe.



Now, here is Anna's article!

There are two ways in which a video can go viral: gradually over time, as an evergreen or overnight.



An example of the latter is the short documentary Kony 2012 by the invisible children, a group of activists trying to raise awareness about the situation that was going on in Uganda and has shifted to neighboring countries. The villain of the story is Josef Kony the Ugandan head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who has been abducting children by the thousands for the past 27 years, forcing the boys to turn into family slaying child soldiers while raping the girls. Kony's aim was to create a theocratic state, using religious extremism to gain control. The invisible children aims to spread the word in order to get Kony caught by the end of the 2012, with the intention to popularize him so that he is recognized and captured easier. The goal is to do this with the help of 20 celebrities with strong media influence and 12 politicians as well as by asking for viewers to spread the documentary or make their own responses and posts to raise awareness.



In his video The Misguided Nobility of Kony 2012, Dan Brown (pogobat) criticizes the short film for its lack of balance "between (the) ethos, logos and pathos" which "good arguments always (have to) have". He points out that the video is based to 90% on raw emotions and we are not given enough background on the war itself.



Furthermore davidchilderley and many other youtubers call it "a propaganda film" (Childerley) and point out the dangerous nature of what it can lead to. Childerley emphasizes that Kony is portrayed as "the boogey man" to justify a "gentle if not forceful invasion" that those making donations are unknowingly supporting. Skeptics also say that USA needs an enemy, it was bin laden before, it is Kony now and it might be someone else in the future.

According to multiple sources only 30% of the money that is donated actually reaches the people there. It's mainly supporting the local army who is criticized for using similarly abusive methods as the young soldier troops under Konys force. The people criticize the 2012 movement for its "conspiracies, scams, irregularities in the accounts on the charity involved".



Brittneysofficial, says in her video, the reality of kony 2012,
"That unless you're willing to put on a uniform, take up a gun and go and fight in africa, you're doing nothing for the kids. Awereness alone is not going to feed these kids save these kids. I do not know for a fact that if I give money to this project, it will end up in those kids hands I will never know that my dollar reached a child in africa." If you are planning to make a donation think twice and inform yourself better dont just blindly follow the cause. If you feel like contributing to the cause by spreading the word you are welcome to do so but do so not as a sheep but research into the matter and be an individual.

Labels: Annaconda1984, Brittneysofficial, davidchilderley, invisiblechildreninc, kony, kony 2012, pogobat

posted by KennyCrane at 3/14/2012 11:01:00 PM