Comments on: ‘The blacks have f***** it up haven’t they?’

By: Moving Up

Moving Up — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:49:01 +0000

The yardstick is – In world rankings where did we advance or retreat in the past 15 years ??

Is there somone that can list our ranking 1994 and now.

The challenge is to improve not to move backwards.

By: La Quebecoise

La Quebecoise — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:28:58 +0000

It’s difficult to know what to say about Phillipa Lipinsky; she is so filled with hatred. Is there no way her rants can be prohibited from the mg site?

By: Terry

Terry — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:46:51 +0000

Perception is reality.
Mike on November 12th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

Sorry Mike. That shitty expression is being peddled everywhere. What Asmal used to say as I recall is :’The perception is as important as the reality.’Which is more likely to be true.
The perception was that there were WMD’s in Iraq. The reality is that there weren’t. Now go figure out your own exmples and stop others from repeating such a bullshit meme. Ta.

By: Azad Essa

Azad Essa — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:52 +0000

I am pleased most readers focussed on the issues around race, racism and the race-governance-politician continuum in commenting about this piece.

It is less gratifying, albeit predictable to see other readers attempt to sabotage the topic by diverting the themes to their (own) selfish ends.

By: Johan Meyer

Johan Meyer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:36:11 +0000

People who aren’t perceived as white in the USA often try to compensate by being ‘more white than the whites’ through hating blacks – see e.g. Stan Goff’s Hideous Dream… Although how the hell people from Turkey can fail to be perceived as white mystifies me…

As to Paul S – wow, it’s blackness that makes RSA so violent, e.g. as in comparison with Botswana. Get a life. Of course, (east) Asian attempts to be more white than whites is little different from west Asian attempts at the same. Shamepies.

By: Dave Harris

Dave Harris — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:08:00 +0000

I agree with Phillipa’s astute observations. This entire yarn is contrived to serve the purposes of venting the author’s hidden thoughts. I fail to see any other purpose for this disgraceful article based on hearsay and innuendo.

We do have freedom of speech in this country, and I’d have more respect for you if you had the courage to speak your mind instead of cowardly maligning the poor Turks and Americans as racist pigs.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:46:20 +0000

Having spent many years working in Turkey, the UK and the USA I have been subjected to differing view by individuals in all 3 countries.
There are not many Turks residing in SA therefore what is happening here is poorly reported and their general perception of Africa is that the whole continent is a shambles. Most Turks would not differentiate Kenya from Zimbabwe or Zimbabwe from SA.
Big city Americans have more savvy and are conscious of race, but rural Americans tend to be blind to anything much further afield than the state they reside in; most are simply not interested.
The Brits have to walk on eggshells with anything that is race related; trouble is heading your way if you talk out of turn. With a large amount of South Africans living in the UK, combined with millions of UK relatives living in SA, the Brits are quite clued up about SA and what is happening there. Generally they think that SA is going downhill at an alarming rate.
The view of one idiot who you meet in a restaurant in Istanbul means nothing in the global context of how SA is seen at present. He was nothing more than a racist bigot but how SA is seen by those who can have an effect, be it business or political clout is important.

By: Paul S

Paul S — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:19:06 +0000

I had exactly the same experience here in Canada, except that the exchange involved a highly-educated and well-travelled Asian gentleman. I was also taken aback for a few seconds, then realized that he was being completely honest and wasn’t trying to provoke a response. He’d experienced it firsthand and I realised he was actually delivering a very good summary of SA’s sitaution. Sometimes the truth hurts, eh ? But that doesn’t make it any less of a truth.

By: Lobengula

Lobengula — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:35:18 +0000

Right now this country, this beloved country, is heading straight down the Zimbabwe road. May God help us all!

By: Shinga

Shinga — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:06:57 +0000

I think your comment does not just shows us about how people from outside perceive our country post apartheid, but even inside this country we still have people who relate our problems(in terms of gorvenance) along racial lines. Most of Our current misfortunes are due to the past atrocities done by the Apartheid Goverment who happened to be white. To just say white people are racist would be wrong, to say black people are incompetent would not be correct, however I concure with Mark Robertson who said politicians of all races are rotten!!