Steven+L's+Op-Ed+Article



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 Issues of the Media: Kony

Recently millions of people have joined the cause to stop a man named Joseph Kony. This man has been accused of child abduction, rape, murder, and countless war crimes. Now about nine years ago there was a small organization that was created to stop this criminal and recently out of nowhere, people have just started protesting and raising awareness nonstop. Now don’t get me wrong. I have so much respect for those who are actively trying to help bring this man to justice, but I do have a problem with those who are just in it to be part of the band wagon or who are blindly following this new popular group.

At Foothill, during tenth grade English, many of us had a whole unit based on the child soldiers and their brutal masters. We spent hours reading, listening to power points, and watching videos on all the horrors these children had to go through. I’m guessing most of you have forgotten about the unit. Now out of nowhere a man with a cause posted a thirty minute video clip on YouTube and now all of Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr are ravaging with posts about stopping Kony. Now I respect the support and awareness given towards this situation, but most of the people who are protesting piss me off. Now it appears that most of you who are protesting are mainly doing it to join the band wagon. Yes you know that what Kony is doing is terrible and wrong and that it must be stopped. But really? After watching a 30 minute video clip you’re willing to almost die for this cause? No. You’re being over dramatic about this and trying to fit in and look like a good person. In other words, stop being fake. Watch, I predict that this whole thing will die down fairly quickly after the big demonstration ends on the night of April 20th. People are just so hyped up about all this and keep posting statuses about how this man has to be brought into justice which is all great, but so many of you don’t know anything about this cause at all. Do you really know anything about the organization? Have you spent even a minute researching anything? After watching a 30 minutes video on child soldiers, people are donating money, protesting on the issues, and creating an uprising without question. Doesn’t it frighten you a bit that a well organized propaganda video clip can bring millions of people to fight for a cause? I mean thank God that they’re all fighting for a good cause, but what if this was something else? It appears to me that people are so easily affected and brainwashed by propaganda and are making radical decisions based on the little knowledge they have on the subject. So let’s say that many of you are supporting and donating money and raising awareness towards the “Make Kony Famous” cause. Well here are some of the flaws with this campaign that you might not have known. Did you know that our donations are going to the staff’s salaries or the fact that the organization has a radical desire to use military force? Have you taken into consideration that once Kony is taken into justice there will be another man leading the child soldiers and then after he is killed or taken prisoner another man will take his place? Look at Al Qaeda. We killed Bin Laden but the terrorist organization still lives on because there are so many lieutenants who are master minds at devising destructive plans. Many people believe that once Kony is captured all the child soldiers will be free and happy. No. Killing is their life and what they know best. Many of them feel no misery anymore and even if they go to rehab, they want to kill someone because it’s a habit. If we send the Ugandan army like how the Invisible Children organization so strongly proposes, they’re not going to be fighting men like Kony. Rather they’re going to be shooting at kids anywhere from the age of six to seventeen or even older. The situation isn’t as simple as arresting the world’s number one war criminal. Media is hyping up millions of people worldwide, but many of them have not even considered what to do after Kony’s arrest.

Now again, don’t get me wrong on this subject. I fully support what everyone is doing raising awareness and trying to give a voice to the children who don’t have one. But if you’re going to be supportive, learn the facts first and know what you’re fighting for inside and out before thinking about dying for a cause. The media has an infamous reputation for blowing up an issue and giving false information and propaganda can lead to people fighting for a cause while only knowing the cover stories. So take the time to research what you’re fighting for.