I get sick of people always wanting to be right, I love the fact that you watched the videos, and were willing to agree with what we were saying. Again, I literally think your a great guy.
Shit man, I'm sorry. damn Internet and its lack of vocal inflection. Thanks, I like to think I don't totally suck and you're not so bad yourself. I see this video like I see politics, millions voting who never did more than watch commercials to inform their decisions. I'm glad to have seen those two videos none the less. More info is never a bad thing... unless you let it trick you into thinking you are fully informed, of course.
You're. Its fucking you're for you are. Your is a possessive. I'm not a nazi about it at all but seeing it over and over in the same thread, fuck.
This is a tough one for me, since the company I work for is very close with Invisible Children. They've been around longer than we have, but they've done a lot to help us, and they're sort of like our "older brother" in the non-profit world. Unfortunately though, I don't know much about IC. I work from home and actually don't have a whole lot of interaction with the people I work with, so I haven't had any first-hand experiences with Invisible Children. So on one hand I feel like I'm closer to the situation than some, and on the other hand I feel like I'm farther from the situation than some. All that to say, my feelings on this are on a personal level. I'm not thinking about his cause or the controversy around it in this situation. I'm thinking about the real person who had a real mental breakdown a couple days ago. If the world would step back and just let him be a person for a minute, and not his company, then maybe we could all stop laughing at his suffering. Feel however you want to feel about what his company does, but can we please give the man some grace and understand that mental health is a serious issue? If my brother had a mental breakdown in front of the whole world, my heart would be completely broken for him. I wish we could have that same compassion for someone in the limelight as well.
"The only way a youtube video could get more viral is if susan boyle and the catbin lady teamed up to eat shit out of one cup." http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VpuB11d0Gog
I don't find any joy in watching someone lose their marbles especially in the public sector. Regardless of who he is or what he's involved in..I hope he gets some help. Obviously something is not right when you lose absolute control like that.
something seems weird to me when i read a bunch of articles saying he was under the influence of something, then the next day a press release comes out as mental exhaustion?
Wouldn't you prefer to spin it to exhaustion from all the bad people to I was really drunk and/or high and jerked off all over cars in public? One plays much better for sympathy and to keep the cause not looking tainted.
Regardless of how you feel about Jason Russell, his motivations, or the campaign as an entirety, I don't think you can fault Invisible Children as an organisation for what they are trying to do. There are innumberable other needy causes worthy of our attention as a concerned public [which we should be] but the simple existance of many does not equate to inaction towards all. The worst thing we can do is be indifferent, but doing nothing out of helplessness is not solving anything either. In their follow-up video to the Kony 2012 campaign, IC has addressed much of the criticism the early viral spread attained by focusing on hard facts and real routes of change. I am not saying you need to contribute financially, or join them, for at least the previous deluge of media coverage has shown the knowledge in and of itself is a powerful thing. So, in this vein, why not take the 20 mins on your commute home, your coffee break, or while your food is cooking tonight, to watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Ue6REkeTA&feature=player_embedded#! I am not here to preach at anyone, and I hope everyone has their cause they can identify with and work towards in some small way. Be it research into medical treatment, BDS campaigns, equality, international human rights, mental illness, whatever - we are not powerless. To emphasise this point, I would suggest watching this (maybe not the most inspirational, but nonetheless effective) TED talk by Larry Brilliant: http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_brilliant_wants_to_stop_pandemics.html
Yeah, but... IC STINKS as an organization: http://boingboing.net/2012/03/12/kony-2012-invisible-children.html And in case you aren't up to speed on the state of things for gays in Uganda: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12295718 I am here to preach that anti-gay evangelism sucks...
Like I said, I don't really care what IC does/is/gets their money from, I am more just suggesting that we all need to have a broader view of the world, and in that respect, the message is there. You are totally right of course, and people need to question these types of things. Honestly, the evangelical power and lobby groups in the US are one of the scariest things I see affecting the political (and by consequence the social) landscape. Sadly, this has reprecussions outside your borders. I will probably come off as a leftist/socialist/communist nayerdowell, but that's just fine with me. The rhetoric that is spouted by the right is abhorrent to me, and anyone that thinks these ideals line up with 'freedom,' individual rights,' and 'democracy,' needs a harsh check of reality. Anyway, sorry for the rant Mike, not directed at you in any way.
No, no sweat, man; after I posted that, I felt like I should posts a sorry to you... I was afraid I came off like a smartass. I admittedly have a GIGANTIC chip on my shoulder for organized religion, and mega-monied "Christian" (as I like to say, these people's antics would make Christ puke) Right evangelism makes me sicker than anything. I know that your post was intended to be encouragement against people feeling jaded or disillusioned by this one high-profile crash and burn of a campaign, especially for people who bought into at first, and I think there's really something to that. I hope that this incident has just made people more wary and more willing to take the time to do their own investigations of charitable groups, no matter how admirable their cause may seem to be, no matter how compelling their presentation. I'm gonna watch that TED talk now!
