h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Referring to the portrayal of white south Africans as "talentless murderers", your reviewer claims: "thousands of people were shot in the streets or tortured to death in police custody over the period of white rule". I see no source cited for this sweeping accusation. Mention is made however of the Sharpeville incident as "One of the worst examples was the Sharpesville (sic) Massacre in 1960"

Now I don't want to sound insensitive, but "only" 69 rioters lost their lives at Sharpeville that day. Everyone will agree that that is 69 too many, but as "one of the worst" it still leaves you with a long way to get to the "thousands".

What is a well documented (if not oft repeated) fact, is that the thousands who really died, were moderate blacks whose lives were taken by ANC thugs, often in the most brutal way. It was part of their terror campaign to make the country ungovernable. Refer to the necklacing of black policemen, civil servants and other perceived collaborators. Do you remember Winnie Mandela? Also read up about their low level civil war with Inkatha.

But there are even bigger ironies in this song. This supposed world traveler has been to all these weird and wonderful places, but has never met a "nice (white) South African". They were clearly too undemocratic and too racist for that.

Somehow though, the narrator was quite happy with the regimes he encountered in places like Peru, Mali, Burma, Nepal, China and Mexico. The author of the article manages to point out the irony in respect of Burma but "trouble" in the land of the 2010 Olympic Games? Not a whimper, not by the songwriter and not by the reviewer... Through exaggerating the sins of South Africa he much rather still attempts to justify the double standards meted out to South Africa throughout the Eighties.

PS Incidentally, Breyten Breytenbach has since returned to South Africa where he is a vocal critic of the racist regime currently in power...

Ah, a nostalgic for the apartheid regime.

Have a look at the findings of the truth and reconciliation committee for the gory details on deaths and mistreatment during the white rule period. You easily get to four figures...

Most of the ANC direct action was of an economic nature. The conflict with Inkatha was very bloody, no doubt.

As for the double standards, well, many of the regimes that you referred to were not nice during the 80s. However, none of them took racism to the perverse level that the apartheid system got to. Sure I could have pointed that some of those other countries did not have perfect human rights as well - but that would have made for a long and boring article.

Finally, nobody says that the ANC regime now is perfect. It's just many times better than what came before...

sprout

"Nostalgic" nogal. Your rushed attempt in setting up a strawman begs the question as to why you are so afraid to engage the points raised? And if the so-called "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" is your best argument, I needn't go much further than pointing out that you are clearly not familiar with the term "vae victus"...

But for the record, I never supported those idiotic Nat monkeys* and am not blind to observe the world around me - not then and not now! So, even though I don't appreciate being seen as an Apartheid apologist, I still feel the need to point out what is fair.

You reckon "many of the regimes" I referred to were also "not nice" during the 80's but that these, such as China, did not take racism "to the perverse level that the apartheid system" did. Now I might be too sensitive here, but don't you think it is still pretty impressive what they managed to get up to in Tibet? Don't you reckon their dealings with the people of Tibet should maybe also qualify them for being just a tad "too" racist? Then, and now? From what I gather from the Dalai Lama, they're still pretty much up to no good over there...

Not to lose out of sight for a moment that all objective observers most definitely don't see them as being democratic. Not during the 80's, and still not now! You should do yourself a favour and google Tiananmen Square if you think Sharpeville was bad; even the Chinese govt figures are more than double the Sharpeville casualties, with some independents making it up to 50 times worse.

But today, of course, China has massive economic clout. These guys represent an economic (and nuclear) powerhouse nobody can afford to ignore; or mess with. So, even though they probably harvest more dissidents for body parts daily than the total number of opponents ever killed by the old SA regime, it is still not going to translate into international sanctions or even a simple song like the one under discussion. Au contraire. The hypocrites actually reward them with everything from preferential trade agreements to the 2008 Olympics!

Games, incidentally, where the old SA with its limited economic influence and the inverse proportional flak associated with it, would definitely not have been able to compete. Oh, what a wonderfully convenient guilt-trip whipping boy the old South Africa used to be! I therefore bet you anything that its passing is mourned a hell of a lot more by the old colonial masters themselves, rather than by those who stood accused of maintaining that same master's legacy! So even though China definitely qualify as "not nice", to use your words, "dealing" with China is unfortunately not going to address anyone's colonial guilt complexes, is it?

Talking of non-action, whatever happened to the scruffy crowd that used to hang around South Africa House at Trafalgar Square, paying lip service to human rights? I suppose with our "liberation" the world was finally a perfect utopia and they could happily ride off into the sunset...

But don't worry, I'm sure they still love this song!

Jaco Strauss

* Yet another one of them joined the ANC this week. This time is was their chief "negotiator" during the handover of power, Roelf Meyer, who seems to be trying to secure that extra nice spot at the trough.

England - http://www.caribvoice.org/Features/racism.html
Americans - http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/hills/8908/rframe.htm
Australia - http://www.kzoo.edu/pfolio/example/bothell/racisminaustralia.html
Zimbabwe - http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/40

Racism is every where. You guys are like a bunch of children. Tell me - What are you doing toward fixing it? What! Showing movies? That is just promoting further rasicm and hate! Get a life the whole lot of you!

Instead of sitting there and bitching and moaning about it - FIX IT!! Come up with a solution!! Once you have done that then write and show movies about that.

Otherwise I think you should just shut the hell up!!

bazzuDu

Interesting links. I read through most of them, and I agree with the articles.

After your post, I followed up with the other people on the thread. It seems like the South African has realised that he in fact hates everyone equally, and has committed suicide.
The original writer has (after following your enlightening advice) given his life combating racial inequality, made a trip to China and is writing a doctorate on why no sanctions are imposed on them (quick titbit, China has a huge economy, and the masses already have a enemy - in terrorism - to concentrate on).

Seriously, discussion pages are for like minded individuals to debate. Your belligerence and naivety is a bit immature. What's the point in telling people debating to “FIX IT or shut up”???

The "war" on apartheid, was just like the war on drugs, communism, terrorism, governments’ way to sedate the masses by giving them a common enemy. “Racism” will always be a problem as long as we try and maintain a cultural identity; we will inherently exclude and not associate with people who don't "bleat on the same beat"

To rid the world of racism we'll need to eliminate everyone's cultural identity, all speak the same language (I propose Mandarin become one country. Not only is this impracticle, this would off course introduce new as yet unknown problems.

Face it, we live in an imperfect world. Apartheid didn't "hate" black people (otherwise there would've been a genocide, not segregation) and most south africans were agaist the policies, just like everyone is against marijuana being illegal :p Governments are evil, and hate is the common enemy!

Too bad I have only read this article now, so I don't know if anyone
would actually get to read my reply!! But here is my answer to
the "FIX IT" question!! It is actually SO easy - and to think the answer was staring us right in the face!!

Here goes: As from tomorrow this new laws should take affect:

- From this day forward no two people of the same race are ever
allowed to have a baby together again! This would insure that
within 100 year the last person not to be multi raced should be
extinct.

- There should be no visa limits on ANY country - thus helping and
encouraging all existing races to get easy access to a person of
another race to mate with.

- Every person will only be allowed to stay in one country for a
maximum of 5 years - thus preventing this new multi raced nation to
become so used to one place, that they then start discriminating
against another multi raced person from another country - which
will only bring racism back - not discriminating against each other
because of colour, but because of origin!

- Obviously to assist in people being able to fully understand each
other, everyone will have to speak the same language. Since it
would just cause further problems with discrimination choosing one
language that already exists, there will be an equal amount of words
taken from each language existing today - and a new language will
be formed.

- This language is to be taught to and spoken by everyone!

- Since history will ALWAYS come in the way of everyone uniting as
on nation - all subjects regarding history will be taking off the
internet, and everyone will be forbid to ever speak about this
happenings ever again!

QED