i've noticed that there's times where i'm reading something - p much regardless of the reading level - and i'll hit this sort of mental snarl during/after a particular sentence. like, not because it said something offputting, but because the sentence structure or a bit of phrasing hits me oddly for reasons i can't pinpoint. and even if i get the jist of what was meant and think the writing's just fine i'll have the compulsion to reread the sentence something like ten times over just to be absolutely sure i'm parsing it right i can't remember if it's always been like this, but i definitely started noticing it around college. annoying >_Oa
OKAY SO I BS'D A PAPER ABOUT JOSEPH KONY FOR LIT CLASS WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK
SERIOUSLY I NEED THIS TO PASS SO PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT
For any movement to go from a simple idea to a common word, it takes two things: drive, and a backing force. Sure, if you have one, you can get some things done, but not as much as both. Drive, inspiration, intent—all of this is enough to spark anything, but without others to carry the word, kindling to hold the flame, it falls back into ashes. And just as much as you need a spark and kindling to build up that bonfire to char up some trash, it was needed to have an insane number of people pick up and pass along the name Kony to get the force going. Still, however, this man is still out there. Still kidnapping, still raping, and still ruining lives throughout central Africa. The situation is looking better, with all of the government support Russell has gained, but even that is starting to shift precariously closer to the edge of ending. The whole point of his video was to bring this tyrant to common knowledge, because without notoriety it would just be another blip in the “oh something terrible is happening in Africa, why should we care because our lives are so privileged” radar. To get the help necessary to ensure that Kony does not make it to the new year, it will take all of the power gained by the KONY 2012 movement, and more. This power, along with the drive of the group’s coordinators and the help of the US government.
The video, KONY 2012, is responsible for the vast majority of the help the movement has gained. This is one of the rare examples of using the internet for good, rather than petty evil. While some of the video is cringe-inducing with the mildly insulting notion of “other countries need American help because they can’t function,” it does pull at the heartstrings of anyone watching. Crying children, dark cutaways to the villain, and sharp contrast shots to put into sharp relief the pain and agony being felt by other people that you, the viewer, could end by lending a hand. No one wants to feel guilty, and almost everyone wants to know that they are doing something good, so it was only logical. So, of course, within days the likes and shares of the videos jumped all the way up into the tens of thousands. Within a week, it hit millions. That quick of a spread throughout any medium is impressive, and it goes to show just how important this issue is. If each time a like or share was added, that added another person into an army against Kony, this man could have been caught months ago. Maybe that was in fact the case, but not an army of guns and grenades, but an army of voices, calling for this man’s arrest. A loud enough chorus can spur even the most stubborn mule into action.
Naturally, there could not be any action if the initially voice didn’t speak out. Jason Russell, driven by a shocking personal experience, decided to use his considerable cinematographic skills to spread the word. Once he gained a strong enough voice, others saw fit to join him, adding their voices to the cause. Without these men and women, this endeavor would have been worthless. Even if the collective internet had still heard of Kony, without leaders to corral the forces, it would have amounted to a lot of startled crows squawking at passers-by. That, getting all of the efforts to be a concentrated force, was almost a superhuman act in and of itself. The levels of effort, time, and pain they all must have gone through are simply baffling.
Their efforts appear to have paid off, at least in fractional results. Most everyone knows about Kony, though whether the average person is truly that informed is debatable. Though, does the level of information really count if the force the group is exerting does good work? Ask that of the hundred or so American consultants pushing on with the hunt for Kony is central Africa right now. It’s a solid bet that they would give you the barest of affirmative answers, before returning to their ever so important work. And the reason all of those soldiers are over there in the first place? Because hundreds of thousands of people, young people even, have gotten up and stayed, demanding for something to be done about the atrocities that barely have anything to do with their personal lives. The results of this demanding are simply astounding. After hearing the shouts of the people, the US government responded with a firm “yes” and sent help. Not a massive force, but when working with such a delicate situation—one where, at the barest sign of outside help, the ringleader switched tricks to hide from the spotlights—a massive force is not what is needed. And the US, despite how lauded for being showy this country tends to be by outside observers, gave exactly that.
So it can be said that, to the author of this essay, it is definitely within the bounds of reality that Kony will be down for the count by either the end of this year, or within the first two months of the coming year. Of course, it could all come down to how well Russell can pull attention to his cause. Given how much traffic the original KONY 2012 video is still racking up, and the rapidly growing number settling in on the new MOVE 2012 video that has just recently been posted, saying the cause is in a safe setting is not too far from correct. Each member of that cause is just as responsible for the success of this venture, and it appears that each and every one of the bit players of this movement are working themselves just as hard as the leaders, and that is a combined voice of millions that no one would want to fight.
