An angry country

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An angry country

The murder of the AWB leader on his farm at the Easter weekend has ignited angry feelings across the political spectrum in South Africa.

Why do South Africans have such high aggression levels? Amy Henderson tries to unpick the fragile seams of our society's psyche.

Crime, fear of the future, the poor state of the economy, mismanagement of HIV/Aids programmes - the reasons for South Africans being disgruntled are many.

"We are a very angry nation – one can mention all the negatives, such as hatred, disrespect, racism, envy and greed - all rampant in our country, but there are also many other reasons why we are an angry society," said Dr Irma Labuschagne, a forensic criminologist in an interview with Health in 2009.

Broken promises and misunderstandings
She believes that the anger and frustration afflicting our society is a result of many problems, both current and from the past.

"Before, and ever since independence, numerous promises were made and millions of people truly believed that their lives would change dramatically and quickly. They believed they would have proper accommodation, free education, good and free medical care, employment – all of which they had never had access to before. But the message was sold that all this would actually change immediately; it was never said that with every human right comes a responsibility, or that it would take a long, long time for all the good things to happen.

"Years into the new disposition, nothing has really changed for many millions. But they still see the affluence surrounding them, across all races, and they are getting angrier and angrier and more frustrated by the day. This anger and frustration does not bode well for the country and could spill over in a revolution if left unchecked," Labuschagne warned.

What's making us angry?
South Africa is still plagued by the injustices of its past, and Labuschagne believes that there are perceptions that some people are unfairly getting more than others.

"If there is a widespread perception among some people that others are doing well financially and are fulfilled in their jobs, some may think that they deserve far more than they are getting. This sense of deprivation develops when people compare their own positions with others – that goes for the working environment, and even in neighbourhoods. Expectations are often raised unrealistically fast, and this situation may contribute to crime," she said.

As an example, she said that she often "wondered how the millions of helpless and vulnerable people in informal settlements feel when they look at the huge constructions going up for the 2010 World Cup, as those stadiums will not change one iota of their dismal lives.

"On the other hand, we have many very angry people who perceive their life’s work disappearing in front of their eyes – aggressive affirmative action did cause many to lose their jobs, and there are white people who now live in abject poverty with no hope for their or their children's future, and therefore have become angry and frustrated people."

Priorities all wrong
According to Labuschagne, many South Africans have their priorities all wrong, and this is one of the things contributing to a nation which feels hard done by. She believes that as a society, we are desensitised to the point where material possessions mean more to the average person than something as intrinsic as family.

"We accentuate human rights without ever mentioning responsibilities; we have become materialised to such an extent that we overlook all else and good old-fashioned family values have been thrown out of the window. By working so hard to earn money for the extra family car or the swimming pool or the designer clothes, we end up paying the price of time spent with our children. Then we throw money at them and drop them off at shopping malls just to get rid of them, or we use the television set as a ‘child minder’. Many people rarely find the time to sit with their children and explain certain things," she said.

She added that another problem is how desensitised the South African society has become – be it with regard to crime or the violation of human rights.

"Remember a time when one would turn away from the television when dead and mutilated bodies were shown? And now one calmly finishes a meal while watching death and destruction. We have all become desensitised to human suffering."

Getting back on track
So, with all this anger and frustration hanging like a dark cloud over the nation that was once full of hope for the future – is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Labuschagne believes there is, although it will need every South African's participation.

One of the first steps, Labuschagne said, is to recognise the problems and take responsibility for them while becoming more sensitive and accepting of each other on a daily basis:

Take responsibility: "In the first place, we should be honest with ourselves and stop blaming everyone around us without taking responsibility for our own behaviour. We cannot forever blame the past, and we cannot blame the present!

Respect: "We can never force people to love and respect each other unless they earn that love and respect and we will all have to learn that we are diverse and different in many ways, none of which means we are lesser people because we are different.

Accepting each other: "All of us are born with a clean slate – and none of us have ever, or will ever, be able to choose the colour of our skins. Once we all accept that fact, we will be easier on each other, I believe.

"None of us deserves anything. All of us must earn and work very hard for all we hope to achieve," she concluded.

Source: Dr Irma Labuschagne, forensic criminologist

(Amy Henderson, Health24, updated March 2010) http://www.health24.com/mind/Abuse/1284-1305,45819.asp

Wonder if the anc would comprehend the last sentence, never mind any of the rest of the article...

 

[Balstrome]

Wonder if the anc would comprehend the last sentence, never mind any of the rest of the article...

As whites, if we are to be part of the solution, we have to work at training the black people of SA into the same work ethic that helped us build the country up to what it was before the ANC took over. Note, I used work ethic, something that is not visible in the mainstream black working public. Is ambition, innervation, and hard work a part of their way. How many times have you seen, why work hard, the job will still be there tomorrow?

Of course there are diamonds out there, but just like diamonds in a diamond mine, they are the exception and not the rule, this culture needs to change, and only can be change at the school level, and maybe the vasity levels. I believe that the working adults are to stuck in their post apartheid way of doing things, that they see no need or way to change.

Get the kids young, get to into reading, sciences, and away from the soft subjects, engage them, push their ambitions, show them that they have a right to be great, show them how to be great. Give them an alternative to the failure that their parents have given them. Do their parents know what their kids want? Do we know? Can we find out and provide it for them?

Carrots work great, and once they have a taste, show them how to make carrots for themselves, and you will have a fully functioning country for the first time in Africa. (hell I sound like lance)

 

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The makings of a psychopath
How do psychopaths become the people they are? And is there treatment available?

By ROMI BOOM

Around the age of three or four children develop the ability to deceive and the ability to empathise. While telling white lies or hurting others are part of growing up most children feel guilty about misbehaving – except for those with aggressive and antisocial personality disorders.

In people with these disorders research indicates there may be a faulty connection between the deep, emotional brain (the limbic system) and the thinking part of the brain (the frontal lobe).

This means the rational part of the brain can’t exercise its normal control over strong emotions such as fear and aggression. It may well be the reason why things that make normal people afraid or sad have no effect on psychopaths.

Scans of psychopaths’ brains show there’s no activity in the fibres that connect the frontal lobe and the limbic system. In addition there’s often abnormal activity in the limbic system.

Unless these malfunctioning parts of the brain can be properly wired together – which is basically impossible – impulsiveness, lack of control and emotional abnormalities will continue to turn psychopaths into high-speed vehicles with ineffective brakes.

It’s still unclear whether these abnormalities are caused by traumatic experiences during childhood, coupled with the absence of understanding adults, but what we do know is that the seeds of psychopathic crime are sown early in life.

Can they be treated?
There are scientists who believe they’re slowly getting closer to understanding psychopaths, thanks to new research tools such as brain scans and psychological tests.

Let’s say it becomes possible to identify a psychopath before he or she can cause grievous bodily or emotional harm. What then?

Conventional treatments such as group therapy just make psychopaths worse and seem to train them in manipulating people and faking emotions. Some neurologists believe a drug could be developed to adjust the brain chemicals of psychopaths.

In Sweden spinal taps carried out on imprisoned criminals suggested psychopaths may have an imbalance of the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine.

If drugs can be used to manage the emotions of people suffering from depression and anxiety, science may be able to give emotions to people who lack them. But even if it were possible for psychopaths to receive the gift of emotions they’ll still have an inherent lack of morality. Giving them emotions won’t necessarily teach them what’s right and wrong.

‘‘I don’t think it’s possible to treat them – not now, not ever,’’ says Professor Watkins, a specialist psychiatrist from Cape Town. ‘‘Morality comes from one’s upbringing and environment but also from genetics. It’s never a pure thing. A psychopath in prison once told me, ‘A leopard cannot change its spots but it can learn to live with them.’ How manipulative is that?’’

What can you do?
There are many people with psychopathic traits in society even though we only know about those who commit crimes.

While scientists are keenly researching treatments and may even be talking about cures there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about the faulty wiring in the brain of psychopaths – they can’t be reformed or taught right from wrong and they can’t be given emotions or a conscience. All we can do to protect ourselves is to look out for ‘‘red flag’’ behaviour, especially when we come into contact with charmers and pathological liars.

There’s nothing you can do to change that person. It may be time to walk out of your marriage or to stop telling your child that school bullies are simply a fact of life.

Be thankful you’re blessed with the gifts of a conscience, emotions and love, even though they may sometimes cause you heartache. It’s the ability to experience honest emotions that distinguishes you from a psychopath.

http://www.health24.com/mind/Psychopaths/1284-4393,50402.asp

How to recognise a psychopath
How do you know whether someone is just nasty or mean or whether he or she is a psychopath?

By ROMI BOOM

psychopathy characteristics – especially if they appear before the age of 18.
Failure to conform to social norms: Is this person wayward and disobedient? Is his behaviour unruly? Does he have no respect for authority? Does he live according to his own rules?
Deceitful, manipulative, full of superficial charm: Is this person a pathological liar? Is he able to twist people around his little finger?
Impulsive, unable to plan ahead: Does the person lack realistic, long-term goals? Is he incapable of holding down a job for any length of time?
Irritable, aggressive, prone to temper tantrums: Does he have fits of anger and sudden, violent explosions? Does he get upset if he doesn’t get his way?
Reckless disregard for safety: Does he get his kicks from daredevil stunts for which he’s not qualified? Does he do stupid things?
Consistent irresponsiblity: Does he refuse to accept responsibility for his own actions, offering lots of excuses? Is everything that goes wrong always somebody else’s fault?
Thinking he's better than other people: Is there a sense of entitlement? Does he firmly believe he ‘‘deserves’’ money or status symbols?
A lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating other people: Is this a person who doesn’t care about other people, not even his own family?
A parasitic lifestyle: Is he sponging off others? Instead of working for something, does he get it through emotional blackmail?
Sexual promiscuity: Is his life all about brief flings and no lasting relationships? Is he incapable of cementing a firm bond with another person?

http://www.health24.com/mind/Psychopaths/1284-4393,50400.asp

No hope for malema...

 

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The mind of a monster
Psychopaths know no pity, have no conscience and show no remorse. Not when they kill repeatedly. Not when they deceive you to get exactly what they want from you. And, worst of all, they may be your boss, your friend, even your spouse. The question is, would you recognise one if you saw one?

By ROMI BOOM

Some crimes are so chillingly horrific and committed in such a cold-blooded way we instinctively feel they can only be the work of a monster.

We’re talking about the kind of person who appears normal on the surface, but who can kill and then have a braai afterwards.

Or the serial killer who keeps the decomposing remains of his victims in his clinically neat flat. Or the criminal who sets fire to a house or vehicle, then stands and watches as fellow human beings burn to death.

Only people with no conscience and no spark of compassion can be capable of such deeds.

And this is exactly what makes psychopathic killers so terrifyingly efficient – on the surface they look and act like normal people but underneath they’re coldly calculating and heartless.

Part of normal society
What’s even more frightening is that unless they commit a crime and get labelled as a psychopath they could be part of normal, everyday society.

They may be one of your colleagues, a member of your lift club, an elder in your church or a PTA member at your kids’ school.

Psychopaths become lethal only if you have something they want: a position at work, a standing in the community; a convenient marriage. Then they’ll ruthlessly scheme to get what they want.

Station strangler
To get an idea of what goes on inside the mind of a psychopath, we spoke to Professor John Watkins, a specialist psychiatrist from Cape Town. (John Watkins isn’t his real name – he prefers to use an alias because of legal and professional reasons.)

Watkins has evaluated thousands of criminals and has gained an international reputation as a result of his work with police and the courts.

Within days of the second murder committed by the Station Strangler, a psychopathic serial killer who terrorised the Cape Flats between 1986 and 1994, he could tell the police what type of person to look for.

The bodies of 22 boys were found face-down in shallow sandy graves, their hands tied behind their backs. The killer you’re looking for, the professor told the police, could be a teacher, the nicest guy possible, who would have no trouble luring young boys from video shops and game arcades to train stations.

The 38-year-old Norman Simons, who was arrested on the eve of South Africa’s first democratic elections and later found guilty on one count of murder, fitted this profile to a T – he seemed kind and friendly, but was chillingly manipulative.

Charmers
Psychopaths can be ever so charming. Like American Jeffrey Dahmer, the cannibal murderer who was caught in 1991 after seducing and murdering 17 men and boys.

Police found severed and decomposing body parts in his freezer and around his otherwise very tidy apartment. Watkins interviewed Dahmer and said he looked exactly like the chocolate factory worker he was – someone you’d choose to sit next to on a bus.

No wonder this murderous psychopath was able to persuade police to return to him a naked young boy who had managed to escape his clutches. After the police left he strangled and dismembered the drugged youth.

Who are these psychopaths?
It’s tempting to label murderers such as Dahmer, Jack the Ripper, Simons, Screwdriver van der Merwe, Marlene Lehnberg and Daisy de Melcker as psychopaths because of their heartless acts. But all psychopaths aren’t necessarily cold-blooded killers.

We all know people with psychopathic tendencies who heartlessly use and manipulate the people around them. Many of us may even be subjected to their abuse at work or home.

These psychopaths may not commit crimes, but they can make the life of people around them a living hell because they’re such shrewd manipulators.

It’s a fact that one in 100 people has psychopathic tendencies. This means there are quite possibly three children in a school of 300 who are psychopaths. One of your 100 colleagues may be one. So what makes someone a psychopath, apart from the fact that they may be able to kill and not feel the slightest pity?

Psychopaths, experts agree, have no emotions, conscience or remorse. They may be able to fake emotions to suit their purposes, but they don’t ever feel pity for someone else’s pain. And they tell blatant lies without a moment’s hesitation.

Defining psychopaths
Watkins completes the picture: psychopaths love themselves and nobody else. They’re impulsive, irrational and often tell lies. They’re unreliable, inconsiderate and may repeat the same offence as they’re unable to learn from experience. They get bored and frustrated quickly and can become truly nasty and aggressive. Sound familiar?

By now you may be wondering about family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. But are they all psychopaths? ‘‘One must be careful not to pick out one feature and say that means someone is a psychopath,’’ Watkins warns.

Trying to define a psychopath is extremely difficult. ‘‘A person may be immoral, impulsive, a liar and antisocial, but still not be a psychopath. And no one is a pure psychopath. It isn’t a case of all or nothing. You can have elements of psychopathy without going to the extreme of violent crime.

"Be careful not to use the term ‘bloody psychopath!’ to refer to all criminals or unpleasant and unfeeling people,’’ Watkins cautions. ‘‘All the symptoms that point to psychopathy may also belong to another condition.’’ For instance, psychopaths are known to insist on getting their way immediately and resorting to violence if they don’t – but this may also be nothing more than the childish actions of an immature person.

Psychopaths may live a normal life for long periods of time and turn mean only under specific circumstances. Even then their antisocial behaviour may become manifest in just one aspect of their life – they may be charming and gentle at work, but a brute at home.

Triggers
It seems nobody knows what triggers their foul deeds. Sometimes they snap because they’re easily frustrated while at other times they act in a cold and calculatedly brutal way. In some cases substance abuse such as alcohol or drugs may trigger an outburst.

To complicate matters further there are different kinds of psychopaths. The worst kind is the ruthless serial killer, but many others live their life among us and will only become known as psychopaths if something triggers an act of violence.

http://www.health24.com/mind/Psychopaths/1284-4393,50398.asp

No hope for the malema's of SA...

 

[Kosmik]

As whites, if we are to be part of the solution, we have to work at training the black people of SA into the same work ethic that helped us build the country up to what it was before the ANC took over. Note, I used work ethic, something that is not visible in the mainstream black working public. Is ambition, innervation, and hard work a part of their way. How many times have you seen, why work hard, the job will still be there tomorrow?

Of course there are diamonds out there, but just like diamonds in a diamond mine, they are the exception and not the rule, this culture needs to change, and only can be change at the school level, and maybe the vasity levels. I believe that the working adults are to stuck in their post apartheid way of doing things, that they see no need or way to change.

Get the kids young, get to into reading, sciences, and away from the soft subjects, engage them, push their ambitions, show them that they have a right to be great, show them how to be great. Give them an alternative to the failure that their parents have given them. Do their parents know what their kids want? Do we know? Can we find out and provide it for them?

Carrots work great, and once they have a taste, show them how to make carrots for themselves, and you will have a fully functioning country for the first time in Africa. (hell I sound like lance)

Balstrome, I aggree with what you are saying. Through education they will uplift themselves but the major problem here is it's been over 15 years and it would seem that educating the masses is the last thing on their minds. A educated people are a danger as they will ask questions which others will refuse to answer.

 

[LancelotSA]

Of course there are diamonds out there, but just like diamonds in a diamond mine, they are the exception and not the rule, this culture needs to change, and only can be change at the school level, and maybe the vasity levels. I believe that the working adults are to stuck in their post apartheid way of doing things, that they see no need or way to change.

Get the kids young, get to into reading, sciences, and away from the soft subjects, engage them, push their ambitions, show them that they have a right to be great, show them how to be great. Give them an alternative to the failure that their parents have given them. Do their parents know what their kids want? Do we know? Can we find out and provide it for them?

Good to hear someone actually putting some thought into something for a change instead of just sprouting on about the useless ANC and "stupid black people".

The above makes total sense but the problem is how does one understand what the kids want and get to them? The most obvious choice of person to do this would be the parents. Now if those parents are away working for the majority of the time how do they nurture and push their kids? Also even if they have the will and the time to do so how do they manage to do so financially? Schooling can be had at a low price but my perception is that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in those rural schools not everyone has the same ambitions and desires and there seems to be a lot less discipline and far more disruptive elements in those schools. Some pupils are more interested in toi toi-ing and political going-ons than working. Unfortunately they learn this from their leaders. Look at the recent celebrity drag accident case, you had kids outside the courts on a school day. What the hell were they doing there?

There is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. How do we do that? How do we take a poor child living in conditions of squalor and give them the same opportunities as those living in better environments? And even more importantly, how do we do this when it involves the vast majority of the population?

 

[Balstrome]

Examples, give them better examples that what they currently have. If we do have good examples, then lets create them, hell even if we have cheat and make fake ones, lets do it. The main goal is to get the kids to start wanting to work for things, and not just expect them to appear via BEE.

 

[LazyLion]

Hasn't ignited me. ET was a lonely old obscure man when he died. He had not been in the news for ages, neither had the AWB. Yes, he was a boer that was killed, but it does not seem related to the singing of the song to me, at least we will hear in the court case if it was. It seems to be related to money.

The only ones who are being ignited are the old followers of ET, and there are not many of those around anymore. Of more interest to me is what the ANC does with Malema.

 

[capd]

More regurgitation of the same old news stories is doing nothing for your cause.

 

[mo_mia]

As whites, if we are to be part of the solution, we have to work at training the black people of SA into the same work ethic that helped us build the country up to what it was before the ANC took over. Note, I used work ethic, something that is not visible in the mainstream black working public. Is ambition, innervation, and hard work a part of their way. How many times have you seen, why work hard, the job will still be there tomorrow?

Of course there are diamonds out there, but just like diamonds in a diamond mine, they are the exception and not the rule, this culture needs to change, and only can be change at the school level, and maybe the vasity levels. I believe that the working adults are to stuck in their post apartheid way of doing things, that they see no need or way to change.

Get the kids young, get to into reading, sciences, and away from the soft subjects, engage them, push their ambitions, show them that they have a right to be great, show them how to be great. Give them an alternative to the failure that their parents have given them. Do their parents know what their kids want? Do we know? Can we find out and provide it for them?

Carrots work great, and once they have a taste, show them how to make carrots for themselves, and you will have a fully functioning country for the first time in Africa. (hell I sound like lance)

White collar work ethic, perhaps. I hate these sweeping 'worth ethic' statements.

If you want to generalise, then surely the average black person in SA has a far, far greater work ethic than the average white person?

 

[mo_mia]

Oh, I should add that I fully agree with the sentiment behind your post.