News24 Columnists
Missed a News24 Column? Click here to read past columns from some of News24's finest.
Sport24 Columnists
Missing your favourite Sport24 Columnists? Click here to read the latest views from Sports24.
Search News24
     Columnists : Chris Moerdyk Get News24 on your mobile Terms & conditions 
Homepage
South Africa
Africa
World
Sport
Entertainment
Sci-Tech
Finance
Health
Galleries
 
SA Politics
Zimbabwe
Aids Focus
More...
 
MyNews24
Columnists
Sports Columnists
Feedback
 
National Lottery
UK Lottery
Travel
Competitions
Horoscopes
TV Guides
Classifieds
Food
 
Sudoku
Aces High
Silly Solitaire
Word Cube
Make 24
Golf Solitaire
Battleship
More games
 
Stidy
The Biggish Five
Treknet
 
Newsletters
Weather

Cape Town:
18-23°C

Durban:
24-33°C

Johannesburg:
15-25°C

Weather Page

Traffic
Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape
All regions
Indicators
Rand/$ 9.6400
Rand/£ 14.6400
Rand/€ 13.2200
Gold/oz $855.20
Gold Mining 2290.80
+0.59%
All-share index 22241.44
-2.10%
 
Subscribe and win!
Become a Women24 subscriber and get in line to WIN, WIN, WIN!

 
Afrikaans
English
 

Free speech failure
23/09/2008 08:28  - (SA)  

Want to know more?
Answerit can help.

Chris Moerdyk

I am not the greatest fan of American politicians, most of whom, when it comes to profiteering, conniving and good old fashioned devious dealings, sometimes make our guys look like saints by comparison. But, there are two things that I am starting to admire about them.

One is their election advertising which is all about one-upmanship and can become really brutal at times. And the other is that if organisations such as the Republican or Democratic Party Youth Leagues do actually exist, the party grownups seem to have taught them not to be seen and certainly not to be heard.

The latest TV ad from Barack Obama shows his rival, John McCain, making the remark last Monday about the US economy still being "strong". Superimposed over the McCain remark are news headlines showing the collapse of Lehman Brothers Bank, mounting job losses and home seizures. It ends with a shot of a smiling McCain embracing George Bush with the caption: "How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?"

Now, imagine that ad being run in South Africa by one of our opposition parties and featuring some of the really outrageous thing some ANC bigwigs have said?

Like for example, claiming that the justice system in this country is corrupt, biased, racist and thoroughly useless. And then when a high court decision goes in their favour, they suddenly claim to have enormous respect for the judiciary.

Humour failure

Which suggests that the first thing that would happen, within minutes of an opposition election being run on TV, would be that the ANC Youth League would have a complete sense of humour failure, toys would be thrown out of cots and press statements issued about killing not only everyone involved in producing the ad but anyone else who might think it was true or funny.

The penchant for the kids in our political kindergarten, along with Cosatu and others who seem to have something to say about absolutely everything that happens in this country, to want to kill anyone who mildly disagrees with them, is symptomatic of just how immature the South African democracy actually is.

So immature in fact, that almost all of those political TV spots in America and many of those TV sitcoms, such as Boston Legal that challenge US law and society, just would not be tolerated here.

I find it quite ironic that on one hand our Constitution guarantees that we have more freedom of speech that just about any country including the United States and the UK, but political correctness, immaturity and just plain intolerance means that a heck of a lot of things South Africans can legally say are considered racist, treacherous or heinous because our politicians, pseudo - environmentalists and businesses take things so incredibly darn seriously and personally.

The ANC Youth league needs to lighten up and get their act together. So does Cosatu, big business and all those over-sensitive bunny-huggers to get their whimmies in a froth over all sorts of things that are really quite unimportant when you think about them.

Send your comments to Chris.

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

- News24



What is this?
Yahoo Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance
 
News24 Headlines on your Facebook profile News24 on mobile  


 
     
  Yeah babe yeah!
23/09/2008 08:52
Chris, please send this article to Julius. I will pay good money to see the response on TV. He is like a one man sit-com when it comes to this sort of stuff. He is so funny when he tries to be serious. - Metallica Man
 
  Would love to see it
23/09/2008 08:52
I would personally love to see it happen here in SA. The politicians need to put their beliefs (economic and political) out in the open for all to see, scrutinize / critisize etc. Sure, the race card will be brought out THOUSANDS of times but in the end... It'll make the political parties more accountable for their policies... - Brian
 
  Absolutely agree
23/09/2008 08:52
Apart from a select few people in the ANC, there are a bunch of jokers vying for power; people who earn no respect whatsoever. And can somebody tell me why there IS a Communist Party here? Communism has totally failed in practice, where it counts. W. Germany staggered when it took on the debt burden of poverty-stricken E. Germany. China has only blossomed when Mao exited. Yet our big-mouth guys here still try and call the shots. Ludicrous. - doug
 
  Free Speech
23/09/2008 08:53
Chris, best article I have read in a while. Free speech in this country only applies depending on who is speaking ... - Silver Surfer
 
  Too true
23/09/2008 08:55
Indeed, Chris, indeed. Speech might be free around here but it isn't without it's price. You can't say anthing without being labelled as everything from a racist to an environmental destroyer. Unfortunately the powers that be are childish and that immaturity permeates most levels of society. - Raymond Hocknell
 
  So true
23/09/2008 08:55
So true. The ANC can steamroller every one else enforce their ideology. Looking at SA the government portray that they have done a good job on the economy but take the crime derived VAT away and the true picture emerges. Zapiro sure rocks - Jet
 
  Nothing stopping them, Chris
23/09/2008 09:00
I think it would be very positive for our democracy if opposition parties showed the will and nerve to launch a campaign like the one you mention. Sadly, none of them show signs of being the dynamic, multi-racial party we need to take on the ANC. - VG
 
  Free speech
23/09/2008 09:03
Great column Chris.Looked up "Youth" in Wiktionary and got "period of existence preceding maturity".I think that say's it all for our bunch here! - Pierre
 
  Free speech
23/09/2008 09:04
We are not the USA, but for Africa we are miles ahead. Where else in Africa would Zapiro cartoons or statements by the likes of Bullock & Jon Quelane be freely published. We need more of these to stir the pot. - Iceberg
 
  froth
23/09/2008 09:06
Sounds like your whimmy is in a bit of a froth! - meg
 
  Chicken...
23/09/2008 09:08
I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say 'unimportant'? I would argue that politics and the future of the country count as moderately important. One thing I enjoy about the international media is that they (generally) aren't afraid to challenge the lies they see. Sure, they mostly run as a pack, and they can get hoodwinked by the government on occasion, but if someone in power is lying outright, or being an absolute idiot, they're not afraid to headline it. - CrisisOfFaith
 
  McCain&Julius
23/09/2008 09:11
i saw McCain speaking about two weeks ago, he finished by saying "stand up and fight" which to me is the same is little Julius saying "we will kil for Zuma". McCain glorifies war, he is a risk to world peace, little Julius glorifies violence, he is a threat to peace in SA. - Phillip
 
  Freedom of speech
23/09/2008 09:14
Chris, it does not matter to the ANC about freedom of speech. They got one rule since 1994 which is to break up all systems that the white regime has put together prior to 1994 and replace it with their own. Look at escom, Education, Municipalaties, service levels at any goverment department. The major factor in all their systems is corruption. They will never love the judiciary. - Manie
 
  Free speech
23/09/2008 09:19
If one follows the rationale of th likes of JonQ, then we must believe thatonly whites can be racist un-PC or treacherous. The ruling party and its allies may say what they wish under the guise of empowering the people without somuch a a slap on the wrist.Then the bunny huggers add their 2c worth and f*ck up the whole mix. Somewhere along the line,true freedom of speech died - Sean
 
  Not happening any time soon
23/09/2008 09:37
The day that that happens, everyone really will have a chicken in the pot and a brand new merc outside. Intimidation tactics are the name of the game these days. The slightest challenge to the "regime", and the image of "racist, rebal, traitor" arises. These acusations can easily ruin somebody`s life. Its up to the main party leaders like Zuma, to take a stand and put Malema on a leash. He is the only one that can. Until then Malema is free to do and say what he likes. - Deano
 
  Chris Moer
23/09/2008 09:46
This is a very rich article, that comes from the pen of a white south african. Julius Malema mentions the word kill white people go crazy. The former apartheid government never spoke they acted. Go ask any family who had their loved one killed by apartheid forces. You are such hypocrites - kino
 
  Stupidity
23/09/2008 09:49
True, true, but: ?There is no arguing with stupidity? (with apologies to a certain German Philosopher). - Andre
 
  Let the Satirist Loose
23/09/2008 09:51
I have often wondered, especially since Zapiro's famous cartoon, what would happen if a "Jon Stewart" is let loose on prime time TV. - George A
 
  Brilliant!!!
23/09/2008 09:58
Definitely one of your best articles yet. We have the freedom to talk but are slapped silly when we do. Freedom? - Driade
 
  Hard to Seperate the Wheat from the Chaff.
23/09/2008 10:00
Thats the problem with the ANC and it's satellite minions. It's hard to separate the good politicians from the hordes of idiots. Immature and mindlessly inflammatory speech drowns out the reason and good governance that does exist in the organisation, (somewhere). It's a real pity that catering to an extreme and sometimes thoughtless populace, takes precedence over good government. - Shaun
 
  Not democracy
23/09/2008 10:00
Nice article, but "is symptomatic of just how immature the South African democracy actually is" - can we really call this a democracy if we don't have choice? there is either democracy or there isn't. - Anon
 
  Humour
23/09/2008 10:01
Chris, I think virtually everyone agrees with you, but no one has an answer. Only when the majority population mature sufficiently and learn to understand satire, irony and general humour will such campaign techniques be useable here. - CBloggerT
 
  Confused
23/09/2008 10:04
Interesting article, but I'm not sure what environmentalists or 'bunny-huggers' have to do with anything? Pretty odd axe to be grinding in a post about free speech in the context of politics.... - Aragorn Eloff
 
  Great Column
23/09/2008 10:07
thanks for a great read! I would love to see those kinds of ads... Bring it on! - Roms
 
  I Agree Chris
23/09/2008 10:08
It is pathetic to say the list, this heppens when you have people who don't have a clue about remarks and authentic matters. What do you expect from HEAD BOYS they want to treat politics like looking after COWS AND SHEEP. - MM
 
  Well said.
23/09/2008 10:09
"press statements issued about killing not only everyone involved in producing the ad but anyone else who might think it was true or funny." Couldn't help but laugh at the above quote. - kam
 
  Africa Style
23/09/2008 10:14
We have Africa style democracy and freedom of speech. You can vote for anyone you want as long as its the person we want in power. And you can say anything you want as long as its what we want to hear. If you do not do these things we will kill you. Democracy and FOS are just words on this continent that have no real meaning whatsoever. - Simon
 
  Free Speech Ha
23/09/2008 10:16
Free speech is subjective. And in South Africa you have the freedom to say what you like- depending on who you are. Eg, if you are from the 'alliance', you may say ANYTHING you like, however, if you are not, your freedom is very limited. - Mark T
 
  Freedom at it's best
23/09/2008 10:19
chris great article however i smell the rat,this is just an intro to a mimicking country,will see,let the exodus of ministers be finished first,Positive! - Silo's
 
  Freedom of Speech
23/09/2008 10:20
America and Britain at least still have two strong parties vying for power. What do we have here? Past experiences have proven that one party states = dictatorship! Strong opposition parties give people the choice to choose to show those in power where the real power is. - Trish
 
  I Agree Chris
23/09/2008 10:27
It is pathetic to say the list, what do you expect from HEAD BOYS who are clue less about remarks and authentic matters. They want to treat politics like COWS AND SHEEP puching them to the direction they would want them to go for their own gain. - MM
 
  ANC TERROR CAMPAIGN
23/09/2008 10:27
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was not 'PUSHED' no she was "SHOVED". Anymore of JZ cronnies want a job, "Vice President" up for grabs. This place sucks with its idiot politicians. We are the laughing stock of the world thanks to the ANC. Can't wait to see what joke happens next. - Nick
 
  Excellent
23/09/2008 10:38
Excellent Chris. It appears that freedom of speech only applies if you are not white in this country, but god help you if you white and you critise anything a person of colour does, the race card is played everytime. Notice how when the Agriforum youth sent the ancyl a book on poliytics for dummies they were labled racist... - Tim
 
  Excellent
23/09/2008 10:41
Excellent Chris. It appears that freedom of speech only applies if you are not white in this country, but god help you if you white and you critise anything a person of colour does, the race card is played everytime. Notice how when the Agriforum youth sent the ancyl a book on poliytics for dummies they were labled racist... - Tim
 
  Free speech my foot
23/09/2008 10:47
i mean really.the american election are a joke.you are just being selective i understand but there is nothing to be amdired about US election where the satorial elegance(or lack of) can make or break your campaign.i mean really - khotso
 
  Brilliant!!!
23/09/2008 10:50
Definitely one of your best articles yet. We have the freedom to talk but are slapped silly when we do. Freedom? - Driade
 
  Re Communism
23/09/2008 10:57
With the reference to Communism in a previous thread, I am reminded of the Russian proverb popular under Communism: 'If I stand up, I earn 1000 kopecks a month. If I lie down, I earn 1000 Kopecks a month. Why stand up?' So true, and it's why Communism brought nothing but poverty and poor service except for the few top head honcho's. And our local idiots still try and proclaim it as valid. - alan
 
  I agree 100%
23/09/2008 11:04
I wish Julius would read this article. Unfortunately, SA isn't a democracy, it's the ANC way or no way. It would be hillarious to see the ANC split - imagine the chaos and division then? As if we are not already, we would be the laughing stock of the world! - SMG
 
  why?
23/09/2008 11:12
why do we, whom has much to loose, have to suffer because South africa's population is too dumb to realize what is acctually happening. The world is going into an econimic crisis and you are angry about freedom of speech, Im angry coz SA does not have a leader that know's his face from his arse. If we would have an american president, he would tell everybody in the ANC, DA and every party to go F*@k themselves, Welcome to South Africa get ready for WAR - herman
 
  Agree with Aragorn
23/09/2008 11:28
Although I 100% agree that this country should be able to debate more robustly and with more tolerance for other's viewpoints, I am with Aragorn on how the "bunnyhuggers" etc. got to be compared to Julius? - Lejane
 
  @Kino
23/09/2008 11:29
What the article says is true - if a white person said they would kill anyone who stood in the way of Helen Zille there would be immediate horrified response from the ANC. Your response is more of the same. What you're effectively saying is, "How dare you respond to these comments that were made?". Also, not only white people got upset by Malema's threats. I assume by your response that you think it's OK to go out and kill anyone who disagrees with a particular opinion and that it's ok for Malema to act as if he's the one running the ANC while apparently paying no attention to the youth. As for the rest of your comment, what about those of us whose loved ones were murdered by the terrorist forces of the ANC and other organisations? Don't try to pretend that the organisations fighting apartheid didn't commit atrocities. - CTheB
 
  What SA needs...
23/09/2008 11:29
Is our own Barack Obama. - RadCFA
 
  Apartheid
23/09/2008 11:29
I lived through it. HATED IT. Fact is, if we ever think about it, NO ONE WAS HAPPY. Apart from the aggresor. Now, we have a chance to make amends, and all the fools out there must keep harping on it. What happened to forgiveness? How do we heal, if we chose to SHOW HOW DESTRUCTIVE we can get? Get a life to those living in the past! - DRE
 
  Free... dom?
23/09/2008 11:49
Kino?? Did any thought go into your comment? Oops, you must be one of Julius "soldiers". Sorry, I wont say anything against your people anymore... Now where is my passport!! - Any_Nick
 
  stand up for yourself then...
23/09/2008 12:02
i think the difference between sa and usa politics is that the opposition in the usa is not afriad of he ruling party. for some reason white south africans are afraid of challenging something that a black south african says because they are scared of being perceived as racist. white south africans are just as south african as black south africans and if you have been deluded into thinking that your voice doesnt matter and you are a second class citizen then it is your own fault. man up! - jo
 
  Freedom
23/09/2008 12:05
The ANC is marking the boundaries of our perceived 'freedom'. - steven
 
  bunny?
23/09/2008 12:24
I agree with some of what you say, but as a proud bunnyhugger i am confused by where your note on 'oversensitive bunnyhuggers' in a froth has any relevance in an article on free speech? Especially relating to a violence promoting Malema.. - toni
 
  @ Kino
23/09/2008 12:31
Most whites hated Apartheid & were ashamed to be S.African. It was the National Party who ignored a referendum result in the 80's where we voted for democracy - so don't be so quick to hurl insults. The ANC are hypocrites - they fought for freedom & now that they're in power, they deny true freedom to others. They threaten/abuse/manipulate anyone who criticises them & are as corrupt as the old National Party government. You & your kind are supposed to be better than this, so start acting like it. - Saffa
 
  Democracy as it should be
23/09/2008 12:33
South Africans do not vote on issues but rarther on the colour of candidates skin.There are half wits in Parliament who should be working on farms rather than voting on issues effecting our lives.Laws should be passed allowing you to vote only if you are over 30 yrs and or have a University degree. This will immediately disqualify people like Julius Malema and his thugs. - ricardo
 
  hahaha
23/09/2008 12:37
Chris, we are still infant politically.Remember where we come from as the country.It will indeed happen,but not now. - kgauzen
 
  Immature society
23/09/2008 12:42
Reading the previous responses, I can only say that it is not only our democracy or politicians that are immature, it is our society. Even in the responses, it's about race, not about the issue. However, there is an interesting read in the New York Times today, about race / racism and the current presidential election in the US. - Cornelie
 
  @kino
23/09/2008 12:45
and yet another ignorant moron who automatically associates whites with the previous government purely because we're white.Need I say more...? - BT
 
  ANCYL
23/09/2008 12:46
Remind me again why there is a ANC Youth League, (whose members are mostly over 30 yrs old, ha, ha). Any reason they can't be members of the "regular" ANC party? - Honky Tonk Man
 
  Snivelling Little Children
23/09/2008 12:51
@ khotso: Come on, address the issues. The point so aptly made in this article is that much of our local political landscape is immature in the worst way. It is like many of our "politicians" don't quite know how to work this "democracy" thing. A reliable indicator of childishness and incompetence is when someone cannot accept or stand up to criticism. Which describes many of our ANC bigwigs. - CitizenX
 
  DRE
23/09/2008 12:55
DRE, don?t come and lie to us. If you hated apartheid so much what did you do to appease it . I think you are one of those who treated blacks as baboons and now because it suites you, you want to tell us to get over it. We lost families, we lost our loved ones, big men were killed spiritually because of apartheid. How can you forget seeing your 40 year old father being instructed to undress in front of a bunch of white kids who were even making fun of him. Some had the guts to poke his buttocks with sticks. And maybe you were one of those kids. Immoral bunch of idiots!!!! - CB
 
  Apartheid & Kino
23/09/2008 13:03
Kino, you like your likeminded compatriots - and with that I don't mean every person of colour dummy... I mean people who process their thoughts in the same manner choose to ignore the valid points of most of the letter, and focus on 'that' bit again. Start seeing the bigger picture numbskull! No matter how hard we try to implore donkeys like you to think further than that, you stomp your feet on that dead horse named apartheid. Save our Souls! - SOS
 
  Trish hit the nail on the head.
23/09/2008 13:08
So - so right, Trish. In order to have a true democracy, we need a strong opposition to ensure that the power stays with the people and not with the corrupt few. In all NON-ANC had to align forces, we may just pull it off - Neil G
 
  Yeah right!
23/09/2008 13:18
It is very refreshing to be living in a first world country again. I thankfully no longer have to listen to the drivel that the SA public gets fed from a so-called democratic government on a daily basis. Here you have your say eloquently, and if someone disagrees, they reply in a dignified manner. None of that arm-swinging, clenched fist diabtribe. SA is going one way and that is down, down, down. Good luck to those who remain and could the last one please switch off the lights? - AMB
 
  ITS ALL OVER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
23/09/2008 13:25
Trevor has resigned? Cry the beloved country. - Nick
 
  Question is
23/09/2008 13:32
Do you think the majority of SA agree with this article? Do SA on the ground like the USA way of running elections? During the apartheid era why you guys did not cry for the USA way of doing things? Jugde anc by the no. of votes nextyear - Brown
 
  You give Julius too much credit
23/09/2008 13:56
He must enjoy reading articles like yours and I am sure it helps his ego enormously. Julius Malema like Zuma is a media creation. They are good for a quote and controversy and hence he sells papers. If we had ignored this idiot, his comments would be useless as they are. Please stop creating another megalomaniac. Zuma is enough already. We sometimes push the envelope of Freedom of speech and americans are not as tolerant as you claim. - L van Heerden
 
     
This comments facility is now closed.
 
 
 


About us | Advertise | Contact us | Job opportunities | Press Releases | Site map

Back to top
 Jobs
Management Accountant
Gauteng - Johannesburg
Pharmaceutical / Biotechnology
Chip and spry foreman
South Africa
Building / Construction / Skilled Trades
Safety officer
South Africa
Building / Construction / Skilled Trades
Cobol Developer
Gauteng
IT / Telecomms
Linux Specialist
Gauteng
IT / Telecomms
 Sponsored links
Life Insurance
Car Insurance
UK Lottery
First for Women
Your Homeloan
Bid or Buy
Medical Aid
Loans & Credit Cards
Compare Quotes
Life Insurance for Women
Audio, TV, GPS & PS3 etc
Car Servicing & Repair
Win up to R1000 free!