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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| If Oscar Pistorius had shot a black man, would anyone care? | If Oscar Pistorius had shot a black man, would anyone care? |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| On Valentine’s day last year Oscar Pistorius fired four fatal shots at close range through a locked bathroom door, thinking he was hitting an intruder – or so he wants the judge and the world to believe. | On Valentine’s day last year Oscar Pistorius fired four fatal shots at close range through a locked bathroom door, thinking he was hitting an intruder – or so he wants the judge and the world to believe. |
| Had he killed a black man, would it be an issue? | Had he killed a black man, would it be an issue? |
| I don't think so. I believe there wouldn’t have been a trial. Instead, he would have been hailed as a hero: “Here is a man who did good by shooting to kill a black thief!” | I don't think so. I believe there wouldn’t have been a trial. Instead, he would have been hailed as a hero: “Here is a man who did good by shooting to kill a black thief!” |
| Everyone would have understood and accepted that crime has reached intolerable levels in our society. The perpetrators are often black men who are unemployed and poor. And they deserve to be shot down in cold blood for disturbing the peace of suburban life? | Everyone would have understood and accepted that crime has reached intolerable levels in our society. The perpetrators are often black men who are unemployed and poor. And they deserve to be shot down in cold blood for disturbing the peace of suburban life? |
| Many white South Africans live in fear of being attacked by black criminals. Much as they may build sky high walls, they must double that with high-calibre guns in case black security men at the gate allow intruders to slip through. You cannot trust a black man. White paranoia has driven some white men to shoot first and ask questions later. We all know and accept it is mostly black men who are robbers and thieves who prey on hard-working white families. This is the story of our lives. | Many white South Africans live in fear of being attacked by black criminals. Much as they may build sky high walls, they must double that with high-calibre guns in case black security men at the gate allow intruders to slip through. You cannot trust a black man. White paranoia has driven some white men to shoot first and ask questions later. We all know and accept it is mostly black men who are robbers and thieves who prey on hard-working white families. This is the story of our lives. |
| We know that Pistorius made a terrible mistake. As a white male you do not kill a white woman, especially the one you profess to love. Your role and responsibility is to protect and defend her against black men. But if you happen to have killed her, for whatever reason, you must pin the blame on an intruder. It is acceptable for white men to shoot and kill black men to protect their property and beloved families. | We know that Pistorius made a terrible mistake. As a white male you do not kill a white woman, especially the one you profess to love. Your role and responsibility is to protect and defend her against black men. But if you happen to have killed her, for whatever reason, you must pin the blame on an intruder. It is acceptable for white men to shoot and kill black men to protect their property and beloved families. |
| But for those of us who are black men it is painful to see how our lives have become so cheap. We get killed for our cellphones or for driving expensive cars. We are proportionately more likely to be victims of crime ourselves, yet we are condemned for being the source of white insecurity and fear in this beautiful land. The black man is always a suspect, a target. | But for those of us who are black men it is painful to see how our lives have become so cheap. We get killed for our cellphones or for driving expensive cars. We are proportionately more likely to be victims of crime ourselves, yet we are condemned for being the source of white insecurity and fear in this beautiful land. The black man is always a suspect, a target. |
| In a country where the majority of the population is black, we should be concerned about how the business of justice is conducted. We should be concerned that Pistorius' defence lies on this very fact – that it's fine to pump an intruder full of bullets. What is another dead black man? Something in the soul of this nation dies – has died – because of the emotionless way we brush off these killings. | In a country where the majority of the population is black, we should be concerned about how the business of justice is conducted. We should be concerned that Pistorius' defence lies on this very fact – that it's fine to pump an intruder full of bullets. What is another dead black man? Something in the soul of this nation dies – has died – because of the emotionless way we brush off these killings. |
| If Pistorius had shot a black man who had entered his luxury home this man would, even in death, have been tried and condemned for being a robber and a thief in his motherland. Nobody would have cared about the circumstances that led him to prey on people at night. Nobody would have asked whether he had been forced by inequality, poverty, unemployment or envy. | If Pistorius had shot a black man who had entered his luxury home this man would, even in death, have been tried and condemned for being a robber and a thief in his motherland. Nobody would have cared about the circumstances that led him to prey on people at night. Nobody would have asked whether he had been forced by inequality, poverty, unemployment or envy. |
| As Alan Paton said Cry, the Beloved Country, “it is fear that rules the country”, especially in the mind of some white men. They will carry guns to protect themselves and their families against black thugs. If not, they will lock themselves up behind high walls with electrical fences. And if they kill black men who try to steal, it is understandable. | As Alan Paton said Cry, the Beloved Country, “it is fear that rules the country”, especially in the mind of some white men. They will carry guns to protect themselves and their families against black thugs. If not, they will lock themselves up behind high walls with electrical fences. And if they kill black men who try to steal, it is understandable. |
| A longer version of this article was first published on Thought Leader. After its appearance Sandile Memela wrote an apology to any South Africans he had offended: | |
| An apology to my fellow countrymen | An apology to my fellow countrymen |