Despite the confrontational tone of your question, I'll be happy to expand.
Today, as every year, the media was full of hagiographies, which seem to get more extreme every year on Mr. Mandela's birthday. I even heard one reporter say that he had never met Ghandi but that meeting Mandela was very close to what he imagined that to be like. As someone who is actually aware of history, I thought it worth reminding of Mr. Mandela's terrorist activities. Setting off a bomb in the middle of a city during the rush hour of a Friday afternoon pretty much excludes him from all comparisons to Ghandi, never mind the other violent acts he is responsible for.
Mr. Mandela is a complicated man who was involved in complicated matters. One can argue in favour of his actions or against them, with some success in either case, I suspect. Furthermore, he did acquit himself well as a statesman and, unlike other members of the ANC, he was not in favour of hiding the ANC's atrocities.
My problem? Is with you trying to paint a largely peaceful man (who's never claimed to be Ghandi, as far as I know) who did a lot to change a country's history and end systemic oppression as someone on par with al Qaeda. I am not excusing his role in ANC but he did so much more after that.
My problem is also with your general antagonism of just about everything -- you seem to post things just to rile people up. In other journals and communities, that's called trolling; I guess if it's your own journal you can call it whatever you want...
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Today, as every year, the media was full of hagiographies, which seem to get more extreme every year on Mr. Mandela's birthday. I even heard one reporter say that he had never met Ghandi but that meeting Mandela was very close to what he imagined that to be like. As someone who is actually aware of history, I thought it worth reminding of Mr. Mandela's terrorist activities. Setting off a bomb in the middle of a city during the rush hour of a Friday afternoon pretty much excludes him from all comparisons to Ghandi, never mind the other violent acts he is responsible for.
Mr. Mandela is a complicated man who was involved in complicated matters. One can argue in favour of his actions or against them, with some success in either case, I suspect. Furthermore, he did acquit himself well as a statesman and, unlike other members of the ANC, he was not in favour of hiding the ANC's atrocities.
So, allow me to ask, what's your problem?
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My problem is also with your general antagonism of just about everything -- you seem to post things just to rile people up. In other journals and communities, that's called trolling; I guess if it's your own journal you can call it whatever you want...
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