Nelson Mandela dies aged 95

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

RIP.
 
The mood here is pretty sombre & all of the radio stations are playing tribute songs. Pretty emotional stuff... :(

Hamba Kahle, Tata... Rest in peace.
 
Shaun
And yet some people still see him as a terrorist.

Sad news indeed, may he RIP.
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I have unfortunately seen some of the vitriol towards Mandela both alive and now that he has passed away. I don't doubt there was and is still black on white violence in SA, but I don't think Mandela was the cause for it, I'm not saying it's right but I would say a lot of it has to do with the anger from the native African population towards apartheid rather then the ANC or Mandela directing native Africans to kill Afrikaners. The worst part is some of the people are basically making implicit arguments that things were a lot better when apartheid was in place (by saying how there was a lot less crime, problems etc. before Mandela came into power - more on that later), yeah maybe for white people there but for anyone black it was the dumps.

I've noticed a pattern with regards to colonization, being that the native (usually non-white) population is oppressed and subjugated, which in turns leads to dysfunction such as high crime rates, use of alcohol, drugs, etc. among them. After the racist policies that kept them down were lifted, this dysfunction carries into society which then leads to the predominantly white population to show anger towards them. Other than South Africa, there are two other places I can think of where the exact same situation happened:

Australia: The White Australians from what I've heard from friends visiting there seem to be very racist towards the Aborigine population, which suffers from high crime, substance abuse, poverty, etc.

Canada: Lots of disdain towards the Native Canadian population which too show the same forms of dysfunction as in Australia and South Africa.

Although not native to that particular country, I think the situation with African Americans in the US also shows a similar situation, and it's not secret in the world many non-black Americans see blacks there as criminals, drug addicts, etc.

Basically, I feel the problems seen with non-white races in certain countries are not because of racial inferiority as some people would imply, but the result of the effects of Colonialism. In the case of South Africa, I would argue the problems you see there are the result of Apartheid still rather than black racial inferiority, and I think you are uber racist and don't see the big picture if you think reverting to Apartheid will some what make the country better as a whole.
 
I think Mandela's legacy is helped by the fact that when he took office in South Africa there weren't enough government funds for him to implement his ideal fix-all system of nationalization and broad government welfare. He was forced to take a more mild approach toward welfare, though it was extended considerably under his lead.

However, I already have to assume that history books will mention nothing of socialist practices and widespread scandal. I'm not sure if I should simply accept the idea that the ends justified the means in this situation. I'm a fan of the big picture. Either way, he did help improve the social situation drastically.
 
He was a truly Great Man. In my top 5 along with Sir Winston Churchill (even with his faults), and JFK (for trusting his own judgement at humanity's most dangerously critical moment).
Every divided society should learn from Nelson Mandela. (My beloved Northern Ireland included).
 
'it always seems impossible until it is done'

My favourite quotation from him

RIP
 
R.I.P Mr. Mandela :(:(

From 1918-2013, 95 years on this earth and in his lifetime trying to bring peace and unity to his homeland of South Africa in a very troubled time of hostility and grief, being thrown inside prison, but he prevailed and brought peace and justice to his people and is loved and will be missed. :(

Mandela among King Jr. JFK, Malcom X, Steve Jobs, Enzo Ferrari, Carroll Shelby, Paul Walker and numerous people who passed that I admired and respect.

Hamba Gah'le Madiba, Hamba Gah'le... R.I.P.... You'll be missed. :(
 
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