Kony 2012: Actuality or Overdone?...

Many of you have seen this controversial video, Kony 2012 by Invisible Children. It is about the ruthless African warlord and leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony. It is to bring light to the alleged murderous acts him and his followers have been making since the 1980s. Acts such as; forcing children as young as seven years of age to become soldiers, young girls being sold as sex slaves, the brutal murders of villages, and the displacement of millions. The video has gone viral and blown up the internet world with more than 60 million views in less than a single week. It is a video that has caused millions of people to question the world they naively live in.

As inspiring as the video is, there are critics. Critics claim the video "manipulates the facts and ignores the Ugandan military's own rights abuses in its war with the LRA." And a 2011 Foreign Affairs story accused the non-profit organization of "exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA's use of innocent children as soldiers."And others claim that most of his acts against  the Ugandan people has decreased immensely in the past decade, presently he is more of a threat in The Democratic Republic of Congo. And even other critics continue on to state that Invisible Children is "wasting donor's money."

To some of you it may have been a simple thirty minute watch and a click of a button to share on Facebook. Isn't there so much more that we can do? This video is not the whole story, this is years of history wrapped up in a generalized thirty minute story. I encourage each of you to not simply watch the video; you must read more, study more, learn more. In order for our country and society to make a difference, we need to be educated. I encourage all of you to learn more about this man, beyond the horrifying and inspiring video. Learn more about what has been happening in Uganda for decades. I am not saying I disagree with the video, but I am challenging you to do dig into this controversy. Become educated on the happenings in not only Uganda, but all of Africa. You must learn both sides of the argument and make your own educated opinion of the video and its accuracy. You can do your part and be involved. Don't simply share this on Facebook or like it on YouTube; take action today.