Tag Archives: invisible children

8 Things To Know About Invisible Children Founder Jason Russell

Julie GersteinMarch 19, 2012 //
On Kony 2012
The problem with paternalism. Read More »
Kony 2012
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Political Sex Scandals
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Perhaps by now you’ve heard about the trouble Invisible Children founder Jason Russell found himself in last week: Amidst all the controversy and criticism surrounding his “Kony 2012″ video, Russell was detained on Friday, after witnesses spotted him naked and masturbating on a street corner in downtown San Diego in the middle of the day.

Russell was taken into custody and placed in an involuntary 5150 mental health hold (the same one Britney Spears was placed in) after several callers reported him dancing and pounding his fists on the ground, beating on cars, screaming and yelling incoherently. No charges have been filed against him.

Given the spate of criticism and discussion around Invisible Children and the KONY campaign, we thought we’d see what we could find out about Russell himself.

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Holy Crap! This Is What Invisible Children Spends Its Money On

Julie GersteinMarch 16, 2012 //
On Kony 2012
The problem with paternalism. Read More »
Kony 2012
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Homeless Hotspots?
On this gross SXSW stunt. Read More »
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Whoa dude, my secondhand embarrassment for the brosephs over at controversial nonprofit Invisible Children just went through the roof. A friend showed me this video they made in 2006 (remember, that’s not that long ago when you look at the clothes they’re all wearing) to promote a day of action on behalf of Uganda. It’s … really, truly, mortifyingly bad. There are dance numbers and cheesy special effects. And absolutely everyone is white. [YouTube]

Invisible Children, “Kony 2012″ & The Problem With Paternalism

Julie GersteinMarch 8, 2012 //
Kony 2012
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Yesterday I posted a video from non-profit Invisible Children aimed at bringing Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony to justice. Titled “KONY 2012,” the 30-minute spot has become an unstoppable viral sensation this week. Seemingly out of nowhere, the video’s popped up everywhere, on tons of friends Facebook pages, on Twitter and on countless blogs. That’s the stated goal of Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell, who made the film as a way to bring attention to the actions of Joseph Kony and hopefully help arrest and bring him to justice.

Admittedly, I posted the video yesterday without knowing much about Uganda, Kony or Invisible Children — and though I watched the video in its entirety, I can’t say I was a huge fan of it. Still, I thought, this is probably worth sharing. It’s 30 minutes out of people’s lives, and it’s worth it to spread the word about the plight of child soldiers in Uganda and the unjust, unnecessary war of terror Kony has been waging there.

But that was yesterday. Keep reading »

Must Watch: “Kony 2012″ And The Plight Of Uganda’s Child Soldiers

Julie GersteinMarch 7, 2012 //
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Joseph Kony is the leader of the Ugandan guerilla group the Lord’s Resistance Army. Kony has been waging war in Uganda for nearly 30 years — fighting a violent and brutal campaign to establish a theocratic government in Uganda. The worst part? He regularly abducts and recruits children into his army, often forcing boys to kill and maim their own families and forcing girls into sexual servitude. Since its inception in 1988, it’s estimated that more than 66,000 children have been forcibly abducted and required to fight for the LRA and more than 2 million people have been internally displaced in the conflict.  Keep reading »