Yesterday was Nelson Mandela's 87th birthday. He is one of the most beloved people on the planet but I don't really know why. I hear people say things like, "He was wrongfully imprisoned and did not seek revenge on his captors."
Let's evaluate the wrongness of his imprisonment shall we?
Mandela was one of the leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) in the 60's. The ANC had decided that in order to bring about the change they wanted in South Africa, they would start targeting civilians. This of course means bombs in banks, restaurants etc. If this guy lived in the US we'd have him in Gitmo by now.
His organization of "freedom fighters" were very active while he was in prison in the 70's and 80's. I remember when all extra-curricular activities at our schools were cancelled in 1986 because the ANC had announced that in order to bring about the change they wanted they were going to kill white children. These are the same people who sang "kill the farmer, kill the white man" at Walter Sisulu's funeral.
After his relese from prison in the early 90's Mandela promised jobs, homes and running water for everyone if the would vote for him. I was in South Africa last summer and saw that he had delivered on none of the three. While serving as president of South Africa his three best friends were Momar, Fiedel and Yassir. Hardly the company a great humanitarian would keep.
So let's see Nelson for what he really is; a master politician. A man who is able to manipulate the masses at will.
6 comments:
Ah, don't forget that our home town is now the Nelson Mandela Bay, and the University of Port Elizabeth is now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, and the King George VI art gallery is now the Nelson Mandela art gallery, and on and on we go. Nice!
Let's not forget the giant statue by the sea.
Interesting isn't it? Those who gain power misuse it the same way as their predecessor's...
All of these men who claim to fight for the common good of 'the people' are really only looking for THEIR common good... Mr. Mandela's associates i.e. Fidel Castro etc., have taught him well...
We are a self-centered lot, are we not?
So this guy's greatest claim to fame is that he spent 27 years in prison. I don't want to throw him under the bus, because he does do good with his celebrity, however I'm not sure that I get the cause of his celebrity.
Dude, how can you be surprised by this? Have you ever seen Discovery Channel's list of 100 greatest Americans? A partial list includes such luminaries in American History as:
Arnold Schwarznegger
Brett Favre
Ellen DeGeneres
Joseph Smith
Michael Moore
Rush Limbaugh
Tom Hanks
219 years, and Ellen DeGeneres is in the top 100? What about Brett Favre? I am sure that the Republic would have fallen had it not been for these beacons of FREEDOM!
We no longer need a real event to become a cause celebre. When you have Survivor and the American Idol, just about any dingbat who can get air time can become SOMEONE...
True, did you see the list of greatest US presidents earlier this year? George Washington was 8th???
Slick Willie and Reagan were on top of the list. The made for TV presidents topped the father of our country.
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