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

I am considering writing an entry on crime levels, basically comparing South Africa to european countries and possibly the states as well.
any opinions, critism, etc. welcome

Hi Snoeker!

I thought I'd pop by for a visit, being another South African (almost) and all. And your journal certainly caught my attention!

Crime, yes, well. It certainly is a problem. But it is really fair to compare South Africa to developed European countries where 90% of the people are middle class, educated, and the beneficiaries of free and adaquate social services like health care and retirement income, a system that has been largely financed by corporations and a tax-paying population that has been employed and electorally franchised for the past fifty+ years?

Any comparison to crime in Europe or the US or Oz would seem to me require a in depth comparison of their 20th century social and political structures as well. I think you will find that these countries do not have a recent history of denying basic human rights and dignity to 90% of their populations. Not that they don't have their own sins, against minorities, mind you.

It might be interesting to compare organised crime here to that in Hong Kong, Russia, Eastern Europe and certain South American countries, and the role that organised crime plays in the hijack and burglery rates we see (or aren't allowed to see!). Also very interesting would be a history of "the culture of lawlessness" in South Africa - it goes back farther than you may think!

So yes, go ahead and do your piece on SA crime, but please for gosh sakes don't let it be a whinge! Pretty please?

Cheers! And I hope to see you around!
Nandi

I hear and agree with you. Really it would be more along the lines of us still having a long way to go in terms of resources, manpower etc. and that we should get better.

And we will, I just know it my bones!