Cactus Game Design Message Boards

1) The entire video is kind of an orgiastic celebration of white-saviourdom, which in turn plays on our tendency to discount the strength and agency of Ugandans who are actually fixing this on the ground, but aren't sitting on a $3 million budgetary surplus after they make sexy videos about "helping". Basically, I'm pretty offended that the video and the campaign is unabashedly about white people "saving Africa", when the best thing we can do is try to support Uganda as it saves itself. That's not even presented as a possibility in this thing, and the fact that it's not really about Ugandans seems to be okay by IC and many of their supporters.

2) Their proposed solution to the problem misrepresents both the problem itself, and any reasonable, possible way to solve it effectively. If Kony is arrested, children in Acholiland are exactly as well-off from this campaign as they were in 2006 when he fled Uganda. If the US military arms the Ugandan military (who are only more ethical than Kony by a matter of scale) to do this, they'll have to tramp through multiple long-standing and volatile geopolitical messes where they actually don't have any jurisdiction, and it's possible this will destabilize the area to the extent where it's possible there will be states fighting in Acholiland, not just militias.
Why don't they take this considerable hypemachine and point it towards helping Ugandan NGOs on the ground, who are effectively rehabilitating Acholi communities based on what the communities think needs to be done? The campaign is essentially leveraging a quater-century of horrible atrocities to get people excited about doing something that doesn't make much sense to the people affected.

I can point to Swaziland. Can you guys do that?

Randall, so you're of the opinion that if I choose to give a little to multiple charities instead of a lot to one or two main ones, that I don't have a commitment to the "least of these"? Can you point me in the direction of the Biblical passage where Christ instructed us to "pick a cause and stick with it"? If I'm donating my money responsibly and with a glad heart, I don't see where you're allowed to judge my donation habits and declare them inferior.

I'm sick and tired of the whole "hyped charity of the month" thing.  Pick a cause and stick with it.  If you want to help Uganda, great!  Check out http://ugandanwaterproject.com/ (closest thing that comes to mind).  However, if the only time charity comes to mind is when some cause becomes popular (i.e. Kony), you need to look at your life and see if you really are fulfilling your commitment to the least of these.

(Note: This is not directed at Chronic, just venting my frustration with people in general).