Philosophy
So the Kony campaign about which I reported recently has been making the news everywhere, first because of its viral popularity, and then because of questions of sincerity, possible embezzlement on the part of its executives, questions of a hoax, impracticality, sweeping generalizations of a more complex problem, the evangelical Christian fundamentalism of its spokesman, Jason Russell, and most recently a psychotic episode involving nudity and public disorder.
And because even HIV wishes it could have gone as viral as the Kony campaign, those, like me, who posted the video, liked it on facebook, tweeted about it, etc. are now experiencing an uncomfortable dose of cognitive dissonance and are turning into the predictable cynicism and the hindsight bias we tend to feel whenever we feel we've fallen for a scam.
So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the funny video below (because it really is worth posting), but also to offer my two cents about what this lesson might be able to teach us about the way human minds are wired and the likely and predictable mistakes we are likely to fall into. But first the video:
Are all the things being reported about Russell true? Let's assume they are. Are the non-profit Invisible Children and its executives profiting from this campaign? Let's assume yes. The mistake many people seem to be reaching given these two possible facts is a logical fallacy known as tu quoque: assuming that because this dude and his organization are possibly engaging in shady and less than forthcoming tactics from which they might be benefiting, that therefore we should stop caring about what really matters: Kony!
Tu quoque is a distraction for which we fall all the time: the realization of hypocrisy makes us focus on the hypocrite instead of his message, but two wrongs don't make a right, and even a hypocrite can have something worth listening to. The fact that this Russell may be a douchebag is a completely independent issue from whether Kony is forcibly recruiting child soldiers and engaging in crimes against humanity, or from the question of whether he should be stopped. In case you're still not sure, the answers is yes to both.
So, while we may have our problems with Russell (and really more with ourselves for letting ourselves get 'duped', whatever that means), we should nevertheless exert whatever pressure we can on our political leaders so that Kony can be brought to justice, and so that the people he has so ruthlessly terrorized can finally start getting a good and peaceful night's sleep...
So, if you don't want to feel duped (as if this were all about you...), maybe don't buy the kit (and contribute to this questionable organization), but you can still download it for free and spread the word about the real issue at hand: Kony!
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Philosophy
The Kony Campaign Backlash
And because even HIV wishes it could have gone as viral as the Kony campaign, those, like me, who posted the video, liked it on facebook, tweeted about it, etc. are now experiencing an uncomfortable dose of cognitive dissonance and are turning into the predictable cynicism and the hindsight bias we tend to feel whenever we feel we've fallen for a scam.
So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post the funny video below (because it really is worth posting), but also to offer my two cents about what this lesson might be able to teach us about the way human minds are wired and the likely and predictable mistakes we are likely to fall into. But first the video:
Are all the things being reported about Russell true? Let's assume they are. Are the non-profit Invisible Children and its executives profiting from this campaign? Let's assume yes. The mistake many people seem to be reaching given these two possible facts is a logical fallacy known as tu quoque: assuming that because this dude and his organization are possibly engaging in shady and less than forthcoming tactics from which they might be benefiting, that therefore we should stop caring about what really matters: Kony!
Tu quoque is a distraction for which we fall all the time: the realization of hypocrisy makes us focus on the hypocrite instead of his message, but two wrongs don't make a right, and even a hypocrite can have something worth listening to. The fact that this Russell may be a douchebag is a completely independent issue from whether Kony is forcibly recruiting child soldiers and engaging in crimes against humanity, or from the question of whether he should be stopped. In case you're still not sure, the answers is yes to both.
So, while we may have our problems with Russell (and really more with ourselves for letting ourselves get 'duped', whatever that means), we should nevertheless exert whatever pressure we can on our political leaders so that Kony can be brought to justice, and so that the people he has so ruthlessly terrorized can finally start getting a good and peaceful night's sleep...
So, if you don't want to feel duped (as if this were all about you...), maybe don't buy the kit (and contribute to this questionable organization), but you can still download it for free and spread the word about the real issue at hand: Kony!
- Mitt Romney And Richard Grennell: Is There An Obligation To Stand Up For Your People?
The Richard Grennell flap has me thinking. Mitt Romney hired a gay conservative who worked under John Bolton in the George W. Bush administration to be his spokesperson for foreign policy matters. Grennell is open about his sexual orientation. ...
- Is Campaign Finance Reform Dead? Should It Be?
Getting elected means getting your message out and that means advertising. Advertising means money and that means donations. In the decision Buckley v. Valeo, the Court asserted that money was speech, political speech is protected by the First Amendment...
- Obama's Birth Certificate And The Republican Trap
Barbara has a discussion at Mahablog about the latest in Right-wing smears: We?ve been watching this happen for years now: Some juicy bit of disinformation appears on a far-right blog or forum, and within hours it goes up the rightie media infrastructure...
- Who Do You Feel Sorry For?
I feel sorry for former Maryland Lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townshend. Before George "Macaca" Allen's implosion took him from shoe-in to laughing stock, she had a firm grip on the title of "worst political campaign in the last decade." I...
- Apparently Mitt Romney Can't Stand Half Of All Americans, And Most Of Them Are Conservatives And The Elderly...
You may have heard a few days ago that Mother Jones released a devastating series of videos showcasing Mitt Romney talking to a bunch of rich buddies and donors, and saying what he REALLY thinks about poor people when he doesn't know there's a...