SA Rocks

This is something that has been on my mind alot. Driving to work today a Golf GTI kept harrassing the road, not me, everyone. She was driving fast because she had a fast car. She ended up nowhere with a beat-up-skedonk driving past her slowly.

Now this brings me to my point. The only reason she was driving that fast was because she was in a GTI. If she didn’t have the GTI she probably wouldn’t want to drive that fast. In the same breath I firmly believe in a gun-free world/South Africa.

Yes people kill people, but damn guns help hey!

Does having a million Rand mean that one should be using it, spending it, driving a fast car? I don’t know. But I think that extravagance is fast becoming a way of life in SA and I am not so sure I like it.

I am all for having money, spending money and using money. But extravagance that is blatant and “showy” really grates me. Arrogance is something that I struggle to deal with, like the woman in the GTI this morning. She strikes me as the type who if she had a gun she’d use it because she had it. And that worries me.

I have often pulled out of debate, discussion, fighting, arguing or swearing at motorists because it’s never just a simple throwing of words or gestures. There is always that possibility of more.

Is a gun-free SA possible? Is it necessary? Should we be taking a harder line on this topic? I think we should. How can you hijack someone without a gun? It’s possible, I’m sure, but much more difficult.

Popularity: 8% [?]

I am watching the Carte Blanche documentary about crime in SA. I have been told that this documentary was showed on British television last night.

My impression: The doc is sensationalist, just look at the title: South Africa, Murder Most Foul. The host is trying too hard to make SA appear to be a war zone all day every day for everyone in the entire country.

The documentary is effective, real, eye-opening, effective and true. It is not everyone’s truth.

Quotes like “Violence has always been a way of life in SA” are bullshit and misleading. The author only talks about guns, drugs, and gangs. This is all that he can go on about. It is more complicated than this man is letting on.

Desmond Tutu was interviewed, great move on the docs behalf. He adds humility and a softer face to the issue.

One of the focuses of the documentary is the murder of Brett Goldin and Richard Bloom. Their execution-style murder was horrific, shocking and unacceptable. This documentary has definitely done one thing right and that is share the exposure. I am extremely glad that Jon Blair chose to put a wide variety of people from various backgrounds in the documentary. Crime affects more people of colour in SA that whites. That is a fact without a doubt (I don’t have statistics) and I think that very often white people complain and the world believes that the violence in SA is black on white. But this is not true, it happens, but it is not the only kind of violence and is definitely not the most widely seen violence.

I am torn about this sort of documentary. On one hand I don’t want the world to see this sort of publicity. It is bad for our image, it is not entirely true and not entirely representative.

On the other hand I don’t want anyone in the world or in SA to say that they never knew that people were dying, being murdered, raped and molested. Let the world know that there is a crisis in our country and maybe they can make a difference because the issue is fast become (has become) too much for our systems to manage.

Did you see the documentary? What are your thoughts?

UPDATE: The documentary is almost over. I am moved I must admit. I am upset by what I have seen. Not because I wasn’t aware of the extend of the situation that our country finds itself, but because I have let myself forget much of it for whatever reason or not. I am not blind or ignorant and the documentary has made me feel that this blog and initiatives like it are necessary now more than ever. We need to stand up, expose the wrongdoings and make things right. Even if it is one person at a time or one mindset at a time we need to try.

One thing that I would like to do more of is hands on work. I want to get out in to the country and make a physical, visible difference. In that respect I think I am falling somewhat short considering my privileged position.

UPDATE: SA Murder Most Foul will be broadcast tonight (Sunday 7 October) at 9pm on DStv Channel 150.

Popularity: 9% [?]