I've been urged by a lot of people to write about the Lonmin Massacre - many are outraged that the police used such fatal force at the protests.
Yes, agreed, it is quite the scary movie. On the other hand, however, I can understand where the police were coming from...have you seen the video?
How many of you campus goers have either been caught in the middle of, or been witness to, the various 'strikes' on campus? A strike is a formal protest of a refusal to work, nowhere in its definition does it state destruction of property or persons as being inclusive of it. Think about those rampaging students who destroy half of your campus every time they 'strike'. Do you think it's possible to stop and reason with them when they're in that frenzy? Do you think it's possible for them to see past the haze of outrage and indignities in the their eyes that they see as being perpetrated against them? These are just students - students who wreak havoc without fatal weapons.
Now translate that into Lonmin. Imagine standing on the front line, with an angry mob like that, wielding knob-kerri's and cane knives, advancing upon you at a rapid rate.
The police opened fire, but how many of you stopped to wonder, in your outrage for the violation of human rights in the country, what would have happened had they not opened fire? If one mob can get away with attacking (and possibly killing) members of the police force of a country, how many others do you think will then try it in the future? And South Africa has a history of 'strikes' and angry mobs - especially in our most recent history, and present. It, quite frankly, discredits law enforcement - turns them into a redundant body - which, in effect, gives more courage to those who want to disturb the peace...because then, there'll be nobody around to stop them, seeing as nobody around is allowed to use force to subdue them, least of all the people who are paid to do it. Do we really want something of that nature evolving in a society which already seems volatile?
Again, it all boils down to knowledge. People want to scream outrage without fully knowing exactly what is, or has been, going on. You can't base your opinions on assumptions - honestly, that makes you look like an ass later on. You want to shout about awareness? You want to shout about human rights violations? You want to shout about a disintegrating democracy? You're the ones who are making the cookie crumble. Don't go getting your blood pressure high over the wrong issues, or inaccurate accounts - it not only deflects public eye from the real instabilities of the country, but it also creates and fuels propaganda. You live in a free world where, for the most part, information is available at the tap of your fingertips; you live in a world where you're allowed to question...so make sure you ask the right questions; you live in a democracy, where your thoughts do matter - or this Lonmin tragedy wouldn't have gotten as much publicity as it already has. Make it count!
Yes, agreed, it is quite the scary movie. On the other hand, however, I can understand where the police were coming from...have you seen the video?
How many of you campus goers have either been caught in the middle of, or been witness to, the various 'strikes' on campus? A strike is a formal protest of a refusal to work, nowhere in its definition does it state destruction of property or persons as being inclusive of it. Think about those rampaging students who destroy half of your campus every time they 'strike'. Do you think it's possible to stop and reason with them when they're in that frenzy? Do you think it's possible for them to see past the haze of outrage and indignities in the their eyes that they see as being perpetrated against them? These are just students - students who wreak havoc without fatal weapons.
Now translate that into Lonmin. Imagine standing on the front line, with an angry mob like that, wielding knob-kerri's and cane knives, advancing upon you at a rapid rate.
The police opened fire, but how many of you stopped to wonder, in your outrage for the violation of human rights in the country, what would have happened had they not opened fire? If one mob can get away with attacking (and possibly killing) members of the police force of a country, how many others do you think will then try it in the future? And South Africa has a history of 'strikes' and angry mobs - especially in our most recent history, and present. It, quite frankly, discredits law enforcement - turns them into a redundant body - which, in effect, gives more courage to those who want to disturb the peace...because then, there'll be nobody around to stop them, seeing as nobody around is allowed to use force to subdue them, least of all the people who are paid to do it. Do we really want something of that nature evolving in a society which already seems volatile?
Again, it all boils down to knowledge. People want to scream outrage without fully knowing exactly what is, or has been, going on. You can't base your opinions on assumptions - honestly, that makes you look like an ass later on. You want to shout about awareness? You want to shout about human rights violations? You want to shout about a disintegrating democracy? You're the ones who are making the cookie crumble. Don't go getting your blood pressure high over the wrong issues, or inaccurate accounts - it not only deflects public eye from the real instabilities of the country, but it also creates and fuels propaganda. You live in a free world where, for the most part, information is available at the tap of your fingertips; you live in a world where you're allowed to question...so make sure you ask the right questions; you live in a democracy, where your thoughts do matter - or this Lonmin tragedy wouldn't have gotten as much publicity as it already has. Make it count!
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