Nelson Mandela RIP

[Ardross]

Great man - just gone - RIP .

 

[granger]

Great man - just gone - RIP .

95. Fair play

 

[Bar the Bull]

A good innings. Apart from the two decades in jail

 

[Desperate Dan]

A truly great and inspirational man.

 

[simmo]

A good innings. Apart from the two decades in jail

Which served a greater purpose one could argue.

 

[Grey]

A truly great and inspirational man.

Without him there would have been no chance of a peaceful transition from apartheid.

 

[Dave G]

Agreed Grey, If he had come out bitter, the history of that part of the world would have been so different. RIP.

 

[Bar the Bull]

In a world of mediocrity, he stood out.

 

[baldeagle]

Without him there would have been no chance of a peaceful transition from apartheid.

Agreed R.I.P

 

[marbler]

Great man. RIP.

 

[icebreaker]

Watching the newscasts this evening, I can't help wondering if the media is hyping up Mandela into something more than he actually was, and conferring his "legacy" with an halo that is not completely convincing.
The elegies being broadcast are bordering on idolatry.

 

[walsworth]

That is the way of the media nowadays, everybody is a "hero" or "superstar" so when someone really is special they go well over the top.

 

[LUKE]

The black Gerry Adams ?.

 

[Hamm]

I assume you are joking?

 

[clivex]

Did he shoot a single mother with 10 kids too then?

A fine man who's quality was his unifying grace.

Icebreaker does have a point though. Not speaking out against Mugabe and the laughable sa policy towards aids has to be seen as a negative. His influence was massive at that time

 

[Bar the Bull]

I like Mandela, but I am getting sick of the media already. Think I will avoid the TV and radio as much as possible for the next few days.

The Adams comment is ridiculous.

 

[harry]

How sad that Gerry Adams is connected to this thread.
When he is deposited first class into hell, then I will be raising a glass in celebration

 

[Aldaniti]

Someone posted this on facebook this morning suggesting that all Mandela has done is reverse racism

http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/dont-mourn-for-mandela/

 

[Grey]

What awful sh1t.

Yes, there is a lot of violence in South Africa and a seriously high crime rate, but to imply that Mandela has been inciting attacks on the white population is disgraceful. Of course there are some poor white people, there always were, but the white population is still very privileged. True, he was a communist but that doesn't make him a villain. He believed that using violence was justified to overthrow the apartheid regime, as most people would. He succeeded in bringing South Africa into a new era with as little bloodshed as possible and with the good will of a majority of all sections of the population.

 

[icebreaker]

He believed that using violence was justified to overthrow the apartheid regime,

Maybe the comparison with Gerry Adams has some validity, then?

 

[Aldaniti]

funny you should say that as the link was under this photo!

 

[icebreaker]

:lol:

 

[Grey]

Maybe the comparison with Gerry Adams has some validity, then?

Certainly not.

The inequalities in SA were far worse and the regime was run on behalf of a small minority. In Northern Ireland, Adams and the IRA were using violence to try and force their will on a community who are in the majority there.

 

[icebreaker]

So does the authorisation for violent resistance depend on the degree of inequality?

 

[Grey]

Yes. The methods used to deal with a problem have to be appropriate and proportionate. The IRA campaign was neither.