On Kony

I'm sure nearly everyone has seen the buzz regarding the so-called "Kony 2012" campaign by now. Many are fired up. More are skeptical. Some don't care. No matter how you feel, a dialogue has been created.

The concerns are fair. The charity spends over 16% of its revenue on administrative expenses. One can't deny that is a large chunk. Nearly 3% of the expenses are the salaries of the top three in the organization, each making nearly $90,000 in salary. (Although those of you who have lived in San Diego know that $90,000 is not anything to write home about in an expensive city such as it is.)

I have been donating monthly to Women for Women International, which pays its top official (the founder) over $220,000 yearly, nearly 1% of the revenue. Though they pay under 10% in administrative costs and have a higher rating as a charitable organization, that amount is not simply a drop in the bucket. But knowing the story of the founder, her hard work and struggles for her organization to come to fruition, I say she deserves it. Her work changes lives. I'm proud to sponsor my "sister" in Rwanda and I will always sponsor someone, if not multiple people.

The issue of administrative costs brings up a few issues in my mind.

First, in such a capitalistic society as is ours, shouldn't we be happy that three people are able to make their living working to better the lives of others? We applaud people for being inventive and creating a business that thrives. We rationalize multi-million dollar bonuses of oil executive who pillage far off lands for their riches. I know, I know, this is a charity. But in this world, one cannot be expected to work for free (unless your name is Clooney or Jolie). I'm sure these guys spent hundreds of waking hours stressing over this idea and hoping they could create a real solution. You saw the video, it wasn't, and doesn't appear to be, a walk in the park to get people to take notice to issues in far off places.

But I have to admit, to me the whole money issue is really secondary. They spend a lot on things that are not directly saving a child from being snatched in the night and forced to commit attrocities. But here is the piece of this story that stands out in my mind.

We're talking.

People who usually don't talk about issues more important than the weather, are talking.

People who look at the news and the tragedies in other countries and say, "there's nothing I can do," are taking action. However minimally, even with simply posting the video, they are doing something. Even if that's the extent of their activist fervor, they did something. Many of these people have likely never posted or shared with friends a story or video of an issue happening outside their bubble or the extended bubble of US affairs.

Imagine.

Imagine if hundreds, thousands, or millions of people would have spoken up about the genocide in Rwanda in the early days of the senseless violence, before the massacre of nearly 20% of the population of that country.

Imagine if people would have been vocal during the 25 years of violence and bloodshed in East Timor, which resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people.

Imagine if information would have "gone viral" about the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and world powers would have taken action sooner.

Imagine if efforts would have been ten-fold or one hundred-fold to end the mistake that was Vietnam, which saw a loss of lives in the millions for the Vietnamese and the tens of thousands for our soldiers (with hundreds of thousands more physically and mentally wounded).

Imagine if they would not have been silent during the attempted extermination of the Jewish population during the Holocaust. Imagine the world today if that horrible show of inhumanity would have been met with outrage throughout the world.

I'm proud that my friends are talking. I'm proud that millions of people spent thirty minutes learning about what's going on somewhere besides Hollywood. I am proud of every person who took the first step towards real compassion for perfect strangers in a place they have never been and likely will never go.

So keep talking. Keep fighting. If we don't fight against war, we are a party to making war.