A Chill Went Down My Spine...
The following are my thoughts on two articles that I've recently come across by Shane J van Rensburg (@nubbi777), an Afrikaaner from Polokwane, South Africa, which really shook me up to speak out against his hate speech.
WHAT EXACTLY DID WE STEAL FROM YOU???
This article addresses his views on the occupation of South Africa by what he terms "settlers". His whole blog is devoted towards highlighting the superiority of the white race over the black race, and blames this for all the social ills in South Africa.
Death/rape/torture threats from retarded savages!!
His reactions about the comments submitted on his blog articles.
Here goes...
It's not often I take to publicly offering my opinion on this kind of matter, because often such comments are made by rather misguided and ignorant people. We always watch TV programs, mostly from countries such as the USA, about cults or sects of people who perpetuate hate speech because they think they have that right, but these programs are not normally about hate speech that is happening so close to home, (well, at home in this case).
In the first article I read, Shane starts off by calling black people "idiots", which sets the tone of his state of mind in this and many other articles on his blog. I can understand his frustration at all the social ills in South Africa at the moment, such as crime, corruption, bad governance, murder, rape, xenophobic attacks and racism. I am black and have experienced some of these things so I too am very concerned about them. Unfortunately he is contributing to the problems himself. I am a black person (emphasis on PERSON), and I agree on some of the issues he raises, but these issues are not only limited to Africa or only places where black people live. In as much as we can be frustrated by the bad things we see going on in the world, we cannot solve anything by being part of the problem.
Where I think he starts to exhibit his ignorance is where he calls the black race inferior. Yes, when foreigners started to settle in Africa there was no infrastructure, mines, roads, libraries, hospitals, universities and the English language etc, but that does not mean that these things would never have become. Every civilization has undergone its own evolution and development. Even if Africa was in the "stone age", as he says, did the rest of the world not pass through the Stone Age as well?
He then calls land ownership a western concept. I don’t know why he thinks this because any civilization started off as nomads or hunter-gatherers until they found that they could settle in one place and grow their own food and rear animals. Shane also attributes the advancement of certain technologies to the West or white people, eg the use of minerals and metals. That may be true but it does not mean that the African civilization would not have developed the same or even better technologies as well.
The rest of the article does not warrant much more comment except that Shane seems to derive a lot of pleasure from calling black people derogatory names, all to exemplify the "superiority" of his race. In fact it's rather ironic that he refers to "Money, capital and the pivotal mechanisms of the wealth that allows you to breathe, eat, have children, live a rather healthy productive and fulfilling life...". For whom does he want all these things?
The second article is his reaction to some of the comments made on his blog about the content of his articles. Some have resorted to calling him names and even threatening his life. I considered commenting on some of the articles but decided not to for two reasons. One: it's no use debating with someone of his character. One would end up stooping to his standards. Two: He deletes comments that he does not like and only keeps comments from his loyal group of followers. He's convinced that he will succeed on a crusade to get the rest of the world to sympathize with his cause but I know some Afrikaaner people who do not hold his supremist views.
So I decided to post on my own blog as a voice speaking out against something which I truly believe is wrong - THE ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY HATE SPEECH AGAINST OTHERS OF A DIFFERENT RACE, CREED, SEX, RELIGION, ORIGIN, REGION, BACKGROUND or on any other basis. No particular man or woman is superior to another.
The truth is that the issues concerning crime, governance, corruption etc are of concern to all of us, whether we're black or white. But the truth is also that Shane J. van Rensburg of Polokwane, South Africa blames these issues on others when he is in fact contributing to the problem himself. We would all like to see the end of these issues, but this can best be done by offering plausible solutions rather than attributing them to another race and calling them names. I'm not going to call our sweet, big Boer brother names, nor am I going to threaten his life. He has a right to air his views, he has a right to have a blog, he has freedom of speech. All I'm going to ask him is whether he has really devoted his life to this cause under the "misguided" premise that he is of a "superior" race, or does he want to contribute towards positive change in this world by highlighting the issues he's concerned about in a constructive manner which allows solutions to be hammered out. When he's at the end of his days, will he feel satisfied that he has lived a life of "wealth that allows you to breathe, eat, have children, live a rather healthy productive and fulfilling life..."? Is he going to leave a legacy that will live on long after he has expired? Will he be able to say that he exercised his freedom with responsibility or will he be just another grumpy old man, full of hate?
As for myself, I'm grateful that Shane attempts to highlight issues which are of concern to me and everyone else that resides in South Africa, although his attempt, in my opinion, is overshadowed by his hate speech. It may be in retaliation to the hate speech by the ANC or other political parties but not all black people are supportive of this. By doing this he actually becomes part of the problem.
I'm also thankful that Shane has shown me the kind of character I never want to have. I want to promote principles that support equally of all under the sun.
Lastly, thank you dear Shane, for reminding me that there's still a lot of work to be done in this world in order to make it a better place for all to live,... even the Afrikaaners.
UPDATE: On the passing of a world icon, Nelson Madiba Mandela, I have written a post celebrating the life of a person who lived for the enhancement of lives of all people to make the world a better place for all that live in it. Click here to read it.
UPDATE: On the passing of a world icon, Nelson Madiba Mandela, I have written a post celebrating the life of a person who lived for the enhancement of lives of all people to make the world a better place for all that live in it. Click here to read it.
Be blessed,
Sam Maramba
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