(To read Part One click here)
I saw the TMZ video of Jason Russell. The images, although disturbing, didn't shake my stance on Kony 2012. I thought: 'Here is a sensitive guy being torn to shreds in a maelstrom of worldwide scrutiny,' and, 'Jason´s back and legs are looking stacked...must be hitting the gym hard for the press junket.'
Yesterday a friend sent me another link that is more troubling. Footage from Innocent Children´s previous films portray Jason as a guy that likes being in front of the camera.....a lot. That in itself is not a huge problem. Everybody gets a social faux pas mulligan. I got two! Late 80´s L.A....before going on casting auditions or out to clubs, I would apply darkener to my eyebrows and chin dimple...what?...why? And as a junior in high school I had the hots for this girl Nina. She lured me to a church disco where I was a big hit until the dance-off, at which point I decided to improvise the robot...how hard can it be? Badbadbad.
The bit about Jason that makes my stomach prickle is his continued need for the spotlight. Is Innocent Children a charity or is it a film production company to fund Jason´s acting projects? The counter-argument could be that he is damn good in front of a camera and should be the face of Innocent Children. Like with most he said-she said´s, the truth is surely in the middle. What complicates this issue is the charitable status of Innocent Children. I didn´t get a cut of the disco cover charge when I unleashed my pop-locking robot. Jason´s livelihood, on the other hand, is asking for money to affect change around the world.... not for brushing up his Hollywood résumé.
Jason Russell is on record for pushing his religion. This is still not a dealbreaker for me. Kony 2012 does not have religious undertones. Nonetheless, if Jason's subconscious agenda is to push god, I am out. To be Good, I don't need God.
I am still behind your work, Jason. Your heart is not in question. It is your involuntary actions that are giving me worry.
My family has sent money to Innocent Children. Thirty percent of that money appears to be landing in Uganda to track a child-butcher that fled to the Congo or Sudan six years ago. Not an ideal strategy. My hope is that Uganda is the gateway to open the discourse on the ground. Phase two will be to cross borders and track Kony down. In that scenario I am still okay with handing over Visa card digits. If even one percent of our donation goes towards smoking Kony out, it is money well spent.
For us, Kony 2012 started around a laptop with my son and three other teenagers. The feelings and actions the video has evoked from Gen Z are indisputably groundbreaking. Jason Russell´s face on a YouTube video did not spark this movement. The prime mover in all of this, the active ingredient, is Joseph Kony. This phenomenon does not happen without a mass murdering criminal that rapes, mutilates and kills thousands of children and orders them to do the same to their parents. Last time I checked you do not get mulligans for child genocide. Let's keep our eye on the prize.
My son, BK, is back at boarding school. We have not had the opportunity to speak about the latest controversies surrounding Kony 2012. This morning I sent links to his Facebook page so he could have a look for himself. Tomorrow night my wife, TLove, and I are going to drop in on the boarding house for a visit. Nothing to do with Kony, just one of our 'I love you' surprises.
TLove is baking up some brownies for all the kids to enjoy while we sit around for a chat. At some point Kony will come up. We will discuss all sides to the story. The goal here...as always....is to provide BK with as much information as possible so he can use his power of reasoning to make an informed decision. And to understand that decisions don´t have to be permanent. We will tell him that if compelling information comes to light he must be secure enough to change his mind. That conclusions can be liquid.
So in the spirit of practicing what I preach, I will give Jason Russell his social mulligan. The work he has done to bring Joseph Kony´s bloodbath to dinner conversations and social action around the world is nothing less than genius. If you disagree, try getting a hundred million people to watch your video. There is more to it than glossing over some facts and gussying up a film with cool graphics. He bottled lightning and for that alone I tip my hat. But, know this, Jason, the pass you just received is for a social mulligan not an ethical one. If it comes out that you duped me and the goodwill and cash from my son's generation, I am coming for you...otherwise I still have your back.