I know; I'm at it again.
If you've watched the Kony 2012 video, you need to hear this woman's response. She has verbalized perfectly everything that doesn't sit well with me about this. It's a woman from Uganda explaining the situation there. You might be surprised at what she has to say.
"I think we need to have sound, intelligent campaigns that are geared towards real policy shifts rather than a very sensationalized story that is out to make person cry, and at the end of the day we forget about it... If you are showing me as voiceless, as hopeless, you have no space telling my story. You shouldn't be telling my story if you don't believe I have the power to change what is going on."
The church spends millions each year on humanitarian efforts in Africa. Seriously. Go to lds.org and search "humanitarian aid in Africa". Hundreds of articles will pop up, dating back to the 70s, that show that a lot of us are already part of an organization that is doing something. Our tithing dollars and other donations are spent helping people in African countries all the time. And unlike those "charities" everyone is so excited about sending money to, the church won't keep 70% of the donation for themselves.
Do I think the people of Africa deserve peace? Yes. But one viral video is not going to change what has been going on for centuries. Let's trust those whom we believe have been called by God to decide what's best for them.
