If you haven’t heard of either, you haven’t been online lately, especially online news.  Come April 20th in a month, people will make sure that you hear of them.

That morning, I’m going to wish 3 dear friends of mine, Miss Chan, Daph and Cherry Happy Birthday 🙂

After that, I’ll go on to my other social networking accounts and link to this post, which I never do … I’m still wondering if it’s going to be a public post.  We’ll see.

I first heard about Kony from a twitter video link sent by my cousin on March 7, 2012.  I’m definitely not of the Facebook generation because I resisted RTing it, liking the video, sharing it.  I needed to find out more before I came to any conclusion.  Why?

I’m a filmmaker myself … well, at least I was once before.

I know how easy it is to drum up emotions through editing seemingly meaningless images and sound clips together.  When a cute little toddler wants to squash Kony, you can’t help but feel you can too.  So I tread carefully when it comes to call for action videos, especially ones filled with bravado that rivals Braveheart.  Didn’t you want to be a Scott when Mel Gibson yelled out, “They can take our lives but they can’t take our freedom!!”  You see where I’m going here.

So I’ve been reading as much as I can about Joseph Kony and the organization, Invisible Children.  Here are some of the links, if you’re interested:-

1. Just another view http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble
2. Invisible Children’s response but not official http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/
3. Here’s the official http://allafrica.com/stories/201203080906.html
4. Who is Kony http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kony
5. Yet another view http://chrisblattman.com/2009/03/04/visible-children/
6. No one is perfect, especially when a magnifying glass is on you http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/16/kony-2012-campaigner-detained
7. If you can give it, always be prepared to take it http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story Life is never fair.
8. Both side now http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/anti-kony-video-campaign-draws-criticism-uganda-15885083#.T2iNzmJKrfJ

In summary, Kony is an asshole.  Seriously, I’m up for anything to stop that dude.  Hey, I’m up for anything to stop any asshole.  I just have to remember that every asshole has a story and he has one too.  Does it justify his cause?  Not in my opinion.  If you cut into my lane while driving because your wife was curt with you this morning.  I’ll let it slide and hope the rest of your day goes better.  When you hide behind children for your own cause, Lord help you because you shouldn’t be afraid of the military that is after you.  You should be afraid of ever being in the same room as me.  Ask my husband and he may make a video to save you from me but children, for crying out loud … makes me hope to get in a room with you just thinking about it … I’m not sure of much but Joseph Kony, I am sure you will meet your maker one day.

Invisible Children.  Here’s my thoughts, they are like most American organisations I know about and I do not mean it in a critical way, they just are.  As a supporter, just know who you are supporting, if you do and choose to support them, power to you who give these causes what they need to keep going.  If you don’t know much about them, you owe yourself to find out and make an informed decision.  I did say before life is complicated.

For me, thank you Invisible Children, I would have not known about Kony otherwise.  Much less delve into him as much as I have in the past couple of weeks.  That is the key objective of their Kony2012 campaign, creating awareness and I believe it has achieved it with me  On April 20th, I will make an extra effort to help out their cause, they may not be perfect in how they run (no one usually is) but their heart is in the right place. When it is appropriate I’m going to keep sharing about Kony even after April 20. If possible, I would like to see if there is anyone helping these children’s rehabilitation, I would like to create awareness about that and see if they can get help too.  I have tried to search but I can’t find how I can help these children rehabilitate back into normal life.

The opening of the film is true, there is nothing more powerful than an idea.  Here’s mine, I’m going to keep from developing asshole behaviours myself.  That’s my pledge, it may be hard for me to catch assholes but I can stop being one myself.  Also, where I can, I’ll try and help children everywhere and anywhere.  Oh yah and animals too 🙂  On my little island home, I may not be able to affect the ongoings in the US or Africa but I can help some children right here in Singapore.  One of my favourite is Club Rainbow, so as you spread the word about Kony, feel free to give a hand to these kids too.

For the record too, I’m not going to go all Rambo and hunt the world’s most wanted.  Just in case, you never know the ideas people get from reading my sometimes exaggerated opinions filled with bravado.