There was a time in this world when you said Uganda people thought of Idi Amin and the Raid on Entebbe, That recollection got reordered earlier this week by a presentation that, perhaps, said as much if not more about the power of social media, Facebook and youtube especially, until this video was all you could see and hear.
There are still those who can defend Stalin and rationalize Hitler and it didn't take long for some to take offense at what they saw as an over simplistic explanation to a national tragedy. Perhaps, and perhaps not. For millions the Lord's Resistance Army could have been the Denver Broncos' offensive line protecting Tim Tebow.
Hyperbole aside, my point is we here in the Land of Way Too Much ain't real good at picking out the bad guys from the quick and the dead when we spin the big wheel and land on "foreigners" (that is, people who are NOT like us). We've seen 'em on TV but we don't visit them and try very hard to not know them either. We're usually pretty successful with that.
It's not so much that we get confused-more that we don't care. This week, based on the traffic to the Kony 2012 video, it may have looked like we did. From your lips to God's ear. By Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest, the next game will be afoot and our momentary interest in perhaps the most evil man alive today will have waxed and waned. We'll be on to the next cause, but don't kid yourself and don't get fooled by the hullaballo-Joseph Kony is a right bastard as a quick read of his CV will show.
Our culture expects solutions in the 48 minutes and thirty seconds an hour's entertainment actually has as a program hour, ideally with credits rolling over happy endings at the top of the hour. This guy and his murderous thugs aren't the Happy Endings type. With them, when you buy the ticket, you get the whole ride. So strap in and hold on. It is a very dark ride.
-bill kenny
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