Invisible Children answers critics after video hit

cbs ^ | 3/13/2012 | ap

[tobyhill]

The chief executive of a group that produced a wildly popular video about African warlord Joseph Kony answered critics Monday, defending its tactics and spending practices.

"I understand why a lot of people are wondering, 'Is this just some slick, kind of fly-by-night, slacktivist thing?' when actually it's not at all," said Ben Keesey of Invisible Children. "It's connected to a really deep, thoughtful, very intentional and strategic campaign."

In an online video that runs more than eight minutes, Keesey acknowledges the sting of criticism since Invisible Children released the video "Kony 2012" last week, becoming an Internet sensation with nearly 75 million views on Google Inc.'s YouTube site alone. The overnight success has earned the San Diego-based nonprofit organization widespread praise and brought heightened scrutiny.

The group has been criticized for not spending enough directly on the people it intends to help and for oversimplifying the 26-year-old conflict involving the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

[dfwgator]

1984’s “Two Minutes of Hate” comes to life.

[tobyhill]

If they are “invisible” then whom are they supposedly helping?

[struggle]

>>”I understand why a lot of people are wondering, ‘Is this just some slick, kind of fly-by-night, slacktivist thing?’ when actually it’s not at all,” said Ben Keesey.

No, actually it is. All the kids in my high school are running around wanting to take up money for “the cause,” when most Ugandans who have commented about the video say that Al Qaeda, et al. are way more dangerous than Kony and Kony has probably been dead for 5 years now.

It’s a coordinated campaign to distract everyone from real tyranny, Obama2012.

[Army Air Corps]

Themselves and their bank accounts?

Make a donation, Keesey needs a new house.

[raccoonnookkeeper]

Production costs —more than $850,000 last year — have been another target for critics. Keesey said those costs are for items like T-shirts, DVDs and bracelets "that fund all of our work."

Sounds like a lucrative T shirt, DVD, and bracelet business to me! Whatever Kony himself may or may not mean, and is he even here anymore?

[swamprebel]

'Is this just some slick, kind of fly-by-night, slacktivist thing?'

I'm betting it's a Soros funded 'wag the Dog', 'Obama 2012', thing.

[humblegunner]

[SuziQ]

I guess ‘raising awareness’ of the brutal practices of this warlord is a good thing. I don’t know of anyone who likes the idea of 8 yr olds being forced into military service, carrying a gun the same height as they. But as far as responsibility for the donations, the only folks it directly affects are the ones who give money to the ‘Invisible Children’ organization.

[Red Badger]

PHONY BALONEY KONY 2012...............

[dfwgator]

“Kony 2012” = “Goldstein 1984”

[tobyhill]

In that case I'm starting a “Hitler2012” campaign. I want to help all those Nazi Yuts that's around 80 years old now. We need to bring Hitler in front of the International Courts (whatever the heck that is?).

[dfwgator]

Of course, “Milosevic 1999” was a resounding success.

[drpix]

"INVISIBLE CHILDREN?"

Not so invisible, if you lift the blinders of the leftwing Media!

See "Why U.S. military in Uganda? Soros fingerprints all over it"(WND)
& "General tells Beck: WND has truth on Soros"(WND).

[massgopguy]

This subject was on WRKO on Saturday. Ugandans in the Boston area were calling in saying Kony has been dead for years and this is his phony brother trying to cash in.

[dfwgator]

I almost wonder if this whole thing is like the Petitions for banning Dihydrogen Monoxide, which are just to show how gullible people are.

[drpix]

CORRECTION:

2nd link POST-14 => "General tells Beck: WND has truth on Soros"(WND).

[cookcounty]

Anybody know when he was last seen?

[dfwgator]

Kony 2012 - Because you’ll believe anything somebody tells you.

[piasa]

Wonder where the concern is about the other terrorist group over there, the ADF aka Allied Democratic Forces. That was a group backed by Iraq. Is it still around?

AQ first tried to get involved with Kony, whose beliefs are a mix of Acholi tribal tradition, Islam and Christianity, and even gave him funding and trained some of his "troops" in Afghanistan [no info on their ages] but then they backed off and turned to aiding the ADF.