Alan Ibanez

Communication 101-102
Mrs. Hollenczer
16 November 2014
Kony 2012. I remember when I was a sophomore in high school and the video
went completely viral. Many people at my school bought the merchandise that was
advertised on the the video. Many heated discussions happened on the hallways
with some people agreeing and believing everything they saw on the video, others
were simply insulted by how the documentary was used as propaganda.
Do I think the problem is real? I think that the story behind the video is true
at some extent. The video does say that Kony is criminal and based on evidence he
has abducted children to make them part of his army. But the video does a great job
at getting people hyped up. The delivery method, which was youtube, gathered a
lot of attention and within days a large number of people from all ages were aware
of what the video was depicting. People believed it all the way and supported the
cause without doing research on their own.
The video is approximately 30 minutes long and throughout the whole video
you can see the use of pathos. The video raised awareness through emotion rather
than logic. Some images were graphic leading people to believed that it was
completely true. The director did a great job in controlling the facts in a way that
worked well for him; sometimes the facts were exaggerated and sometimes really
vague.
Do those that have said that this persuasive message was overblown have valid
arguments? Absolutely yes. Not anyone disagreed with the video. It was officials
and experts that dissed the video. They have knowledge in the situation and even

though the disagreed with some points from the video, they also agreed with what
was true. It is ethical to bring awareness about a situation but it is so wrong when
facts are omitted or overblown.