Why does murder bother us anymore? We read about it every day, we see it (if you live in the worst areas) we hear it (again mainly townships) and we smell it (townships mainly where it takes 15 odd hours for the coroner to collect the corpse) so then with this in mind, why does it still bother us? As we all are and have been following the most infamous judicial cases presently; Reeva Steenkamps ‘mistaken shooting (yeah ok, whatever... mistake), Anene Booysens horrific murder and torturous rape and the and the complete and utter sham of judge Cynthia Pretorius and her sentencing of the killers. I only ask as to why it still shocks us because very few of us are actually willing to show real contempt for it.
Yes we scribble frenetically on our key boards about castrating some murderous members of our society, we scream death penalty, we wish they get raped and all sorts of other things. But what do we really do other than sit in our comfortable recliner chairs? NOTHING!! That’s because South Africans have a culture of doing nothing but talk. (apologies for this analogy taking us back) but many white people were against apartheid, yet not many took active actions other than sit in from of the TV and curse at police mowing down civilians. Many black people were against the bombing of innocent lives by the likes of Robert Mcbride and others but still they cursed him from under their breath and did nothing other than that.
Many colored people were against apartheid, but it did benefit them being not wholly black thus how may willed themselves to denounce it... not too many. The same story goes on and on right into current, the reality is that we have carried this couch activist mentality of South Africa for far too long. We believe in a proud and united South Africa but cannot will ourselves to act as we speak. We say crime is rife, but it’s up to COSATU to strike about it.. not us, we’ll happily “support” them from under dim lights and large flat screen TV’s. We loathe the abuse against women, and are happy to the ANCWL strike for all South African women. When we support our farmers we wait for Afriforum to do something about it... and well for the challenge against E-tolls and petrol increases we wait for some other Union to speak on all our behalf. And when the HELL do we ever speak together as South Africans, wel.. besides NEWS24 comments and blogs, we JUST don’t. Because we are a nation of “the other guys will do it”
I have yet to see South Africans voice their disproval in active unison on any issue. By that I mean all races take up the same task and challenge ourselves to take back what is rightfully ours. Afriforum strikes for the farmers and thus majority whites, COSATU blacks as majority, and when do South Africans ever stand together?
All we’re good at is blame it on the past, or the present.. how about blaming yourselves as a nation. Blame yourself for sitting at your TV and cursing at it and nothing else. Blame yourself for being so lenient on the SAPS they have even forgot what it is exactly they are supposed to do. If we stop or have stopped expecting better of them, they too will forget what standards they are to uphold. So go ahead and tell me how the cANCer has failed with this, or the NATS created that... and the whole time you’re sipping on your hot chocolate.
*last week at a breakfast in Midrand, Mike Schussler [economist] had a small debate with Patrick Craven (I believe - COSATU) on the budget. What came out is that no one side has all the answers, but that’s only two people, the NATION which is South Africa does have the answers though. If only the nation would become one.
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