122. The Warlord (Kony 2012)
A viral video sparks accusations of charity fraud and other improprieties while exposing a potentially much darker truth.
Prelude: Efforts to neutralize a brutal warlord in central Africa are unsuccessful.
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Comments (47)
This was one of your best. 😔 very well done.
Oh I hope so much this comments board doesn’t turn in to a poorly articulated, badly punctuated platform for people to support their own agendas! I’ve been listening to swindled since the beginning and looked forward to every episode. Maybe just appreciate the exceptional storytelling and its pertinence in our place in history and save your own agendas for whatever social media you are on. I worry this type of thing will incentivize ACC to retire early from what we love him doing best.
This was... a rollercoaster ride. Thanks for the throwback to the Kony 2012 wristbands that infiltrated my high school!
Lol I agree at times we can be to trusting "meaning Christians" of our leaders as well cuz honestly their r 🐏 in wolves clothing everywhere right in think that's why it's so important to go straight to the source ur self "GOD" n not a man HE will tell U what's HE desires in a way that's personally tailored for U in a way that u could understand n the main way u will know it's HIM HE will never tell u something that harms someone one else n the TRUTH never does that it will more often than not hurt feelings but it will never cause harm I'M SO GLAD U WERE ABLE TO C THAT FOR WHAT IT WAS N GOT IT IN TIME thank u for hearing me out n respectfully having a convo with me
I have no words. Or maybe too many to articulate. My body, mind and soul needs some recovery time.
Jarrett ur comment I can n will respond to because I think ur response is how u have a conversation with someone u may disagree with on a matter NO Sir I don't think any of the things u asked me r Kool in anyway shape or form my point was n is simply this every organization has an agenda or a foundation behind or inbeded in whatever work it does n again if that organization loses its way n commits unspeakable horror's in the process it should b called out for them but if one attempts to save children or feed the hungry or any other worthy endeavor in the name of JESUS CHRIST by some this is unacceptable n I think that's not fair why can't I do any of these things while I tell u why I'm doing them which is in the NAME OF JESUS one can use any other name but that one n it would b Kool so again NO i don't agree with any of the things u mentioned earlier. Thank U for taking issue with what what said in a respectful manner n allowing me to further explain my point n I welcome UR response
It's ok to be Christian and I don't think negatively about all Christians in general. What I will say though Is that religious people tend to be too trusting of those that share their religion. I'm Buddhist and I also have experienced this effect, first hand. I had to find out the sad way that I almost joined a cult! Maybe it was because their leaders were very attractive to me and I was trying to attain a sense of peace that they seemed to have... but at any rate, when I met the other members, it became quite clear to me that I would not be drinking any kool-aid at their house that day! The leaders knew that their followers had unintentionally shown me what was going on there by saying too many quiet parts outloud... Fortunately, because I consume so much True Crime related-media, I was able to dodge that bullet and exit gracefully, but the leaders knew what I then learned and no more words needed to be said. The uncomfortable looks on their faces were priceless, but at the time, it was really frightening because I really had to realize how close to me I had let these predators come... All because of my desire to believe that Buddhist people are probably good
Allow me to introduce myself on this particular episode. My name is Jarrett and I was the News Editor for South Florida Gay News in 2010 through 2012 when we were the most widely read LGBT focused newspaper in the whole wide world. I STILL boycott Chick Fil-A (primarily because of their " good Christian efforts" to unleash a disgusting monster of a supposed man named Scott Lively on the nation of Uganda... But SOMEHOW, the "Kony 2012" video completely passed me by... Even more surprising to me is that I literally formed a 3 person protest (with signs!) outside "The House on C-Street" after I read Jeff Sharlett's book about The Foundation/Family... So its doubly weird that I just now learned from Swindled about the Kony video Christians who were somehow both on the peripheral or in the center of exactly where my activism was aimed at the time... But I guess I shouldn't be all that very surprised as the reason that I am no longer a journalist or editor is because of a traumatic incident in 2012 that resulted in a case of PTSD on my part. There's probably a lot of things I missed from 2011-2013 that I will have to rediscover goldfish-style. Here's to New/Old experiences and the time-tested novelty of them! Cheers!
This was a great episode I laughed like a maniac listening to this in public then almost cried. And then I went down a rabbit hole about nodding disease, anyone else?
This one was an absolute stunner. Terrific work.
Another great episode, ACC.
Wtf…I knew nothing about this aside from the phrase “Kony 2012.” I get more disappointed in humanity daily.
Awesome job ACC🤘🤘
I genuinely was unprepared for 80% of this episode and you handled it so well. That ending was absolutely devastating. Fantastic work.
A brutal story, brilliantly told.
Lol hay gentleman I think that's who I'm speaking to in case u haven't noticed that's the beauty with these platforms we all get to have our OWN opinion homophobic biggest it doesn't matter to me what I think ik I have no issues with gay or any other PERSON that falls under that umbrella but I am a follower of JESUS CHRIST so if it's any BEHAVIOR by me it anyone else that goes against that belief I'm not ashamed to state my position just like u R Obviously not ashamed to state URS cuz just like me it's ur right to do so U or no one else is going to bully or name call or shame me into some sort of submission so enjoy n support the podcast as I do let's stick to keeping our comments towards the show n not one another. N if u choose not to do so WATCH THIS is ur right to do so but that's what I'm going to do going forward last text from me on this matter Enjoy the Podcast
Holy cow. That’s a lot of unhinged words to announce you’re a bigot who justifies his bigotry by his Christian fanaticism. Buddy, if you’re going to keep posting a full wall of crazy talk, at least punctuate and write like an adult, por favor.
Listened to this twice now and the last line has stuck with me both times. I feel like the last ten minutes recontextualises some of Jason's actions/intentions regarding Invisible Children into something even sadder. Maybe he subconciously saw a lot of his own unspoken trauma in the way Kony used religion to control and abuse those children? I think the writing has given me a lot to think on and all spurred from that one last line.
I would just tell you that from what I have read about the the LRA, they were all there by brute force and no religion was used to manipulate anyone's mind - which seems an ironic thing to say about a group whose leader insists that its all about Christianity... But from accounts that I've read from the collective people most affected by the LRA (including members) they seem to mock Kony right to his face on the subject of religion and they will tell you that their leader has multiple personalities and they are still waiting to meet the one that is Christian... just food for thought.
Covert evangelism is isidious. Overt evangelism from the same “good Christian” scum who groom and sexually abuse children…fucking disgusting. Thank you Concerned Citizen.
YAY my day is made!
Thank U for taking the time to read Hershel
One of your best episodes. Fantastic work!!
"Spilling his invisible children all over the street," "the most aggressive downward dog you'd ever seen," -- OMG, the one-liners in this episode are pure gold. But overall, this is terrifying (ie: The Family and their influence). Damn. This episode truly does have everything.
When it got to that part, I *almost* went to Google to find out whether or not this dude was cute... and then I smacked my own hand and kept listening... sans visual reference.
I was not expecting the guy running around with his cock out lol. Bout died laughing 🤣 good work man, as always. You could probably do a dozen episodes on Jim Inhofe. That shit in Picher, OK still blows my mind.
Concerned Citizen I'm having trouble with narrative of this episode. Are we as Concerned Citizens looking for embezzlement? Are we looking for a religious cabal to funnel money into a scheme? Your writting narrative, to me, follows the unreaveling of a ball yarn that culminates in a destination. I'm trying to find that in this episode. I'm will always be a Concerned Citizen, yet this episode has confused me. And any that reads this buy DeFormer music
The way you write is just as confusing if not more.
Apologies to Stefon but THIS EPISODE HAS EVERYTHING. (But I won’t spoil it.) Jason should take notes to see how you actually simplify a complex situation.
Huh I'm sorry brah not with you on this one every single org has an agenda to u not screaming about the the alpha bet soup n their agenda to spread into our schools n everyday life or their push in the courts so so what if they're pushing Christianity along with there movement this is America everyone has the right to disagree with the opinion of another as long as we do it respectfully n nonviolently . Usually I'm witcha brah but this one totally not at all
Did you... did you listen to the entire episode?
Gd thank you for this
22 minutes in and I've lost how many times I've turned inside out. My anxious 2nd hand peeps...I feel you.. But duh I do not trust you nothing personal 😽
“Inside out”? “2nd hand peeps”? Say wha??? Can we get that in English?
This was a roller coaster. Thanks for the episode, awesome as always.
African nations are so chaotic. Mainly due to colonial era issues and human nature.
Hell yeah. 2012 was a good year. Lol
Scary how much influence they have/had on politics.
I was like WHEN KONY for real so excited
Well done once again!! 👏
What a Swindled™ twist. If there's one (of several) calling cards of fundamentalists, it's projection. Incredible storytelling for what ends up being varying degrees of darkness.
Everytime I thought I knew the story well enough, you added new details I never knew. What a wild ride.
Victims and preparators is the theme here. Very sobering.
I never trusted this dude. Definitely got heat in 2012 about not taking it seriously enough.
I can't believe it's been over a decade since this and the internet's gotten worse about this kind of stuff.
YAYYYYYY new Swindled!
I was one of many who was suckered by that flashy campaign. I had heard there was a lot more to this story, but never really dug into it. Cannot wait to give this one a listen.