Quote:
Originally Posted by Flabbibulin
Its not good if you are making the assumption that the organization only exists to raise and send money to these impoverished nations. I haven't looked at their mission statement, but I believe a core value of this charity is raising awareness and bringing attention to the tyranny that exists in countries like Uganda- to do so costs money. If they are presenting themselves as an organization whose sole intention is to raise funds to be sent overseas, then yes, 31% is not great.
|
That's fair, in many cases. However, the manner in which awareness is raised is problematic. Because of the delivery method there is no room for a fulsome treatment of the issues at stake. To be realistic, it's questionable to what degree people would even be able to grasp the magnitude of the ins and outs of Ugandan local and regional civil society and politics, and the effects various types of intervention might have. But in this case the treatment is at its MOST superficial. Essentially, they have provided a villain, and cast the problem in this region as being tied to that villain - i.e., removing this man would solve the problem and make things measurably better. This is proposed to be accomplished by overwhelming force, i.e. military options. Would this actually improve conditions in Uganda? I have no idea. I am not an expert. Nor are the million or so people who may end up voting with their wallets in support not only of the Invisible Children's presented perspective on the region, superficial as it is. They may well be paying to make the problem considerably worse. This is an area, let's not forget, where the provision of medical supplies and food can itself have disastrous effects on local economies and lead to profiteering and exploitation. A well-meaning attempt to clothe people can destroy a local textile industry. How can a 30 minute video effectively account for the effects of a military intervention to a point where people can ethically support such action?
I mean there is something really really troubling about this whole thing in that I feel for the vast, VAST majority of participants it's more about being part of the movement than helping people. Buy a bracelet, show you're involved and aware - even if that awareness is vague and ill-informed. Ever since this thing showed up on my facebook feed, I feel like someone should be quoting Pope - when it comes to problems in Africa people really need to drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring.