DA axes councillor over racist email

I just wonder, if Malema should have said the very same thing, would he have been accused of racism? Keep in mind, to be branded as a racist in the new South Africa, has lots of other implications. Who would want to employ such a man? No one would care about the merit. He is a racist. Even the DA said so. (unlike the ANC the DA have some credibility among the middle and upper class)
 
HapticSimian said:
Chill, charna; there be no reason to hop to dame Zille's defence. Thinking about it at a push I'd even agree that his axing was probably the right course of action, but I just would have wished they didn't stick the 'racism' label on the episode. Call it 'divisive' or 'counter-productive' or 'not aligned with party policy' or whatever else, but in my mind the DA should be fighting against crying RACISM at the drop of a hat, not perpetuating the practice.
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I am chilled. Im not jumping to Zille`s defence (the party is not Helen Zille, she is just its current leader). This was Athol that canned him (after he went through a DC). I doubt Helen played any role in this. Athol scares me a little :D Very very intense person. In interviews he is hectic.

Once the DA is no longer seen as a party that will bring back Apartheid by 20 million South Africans then Im sure they will relax the requirements a little. Right now, one of the requirements to be a public representative is absolutely no racism, not even in a joking manner. The people that play the game know the rules. This is what they signed up for.
 
ghoti said:
I am chilled. Im not jumping to Zille`s defence. This was Athol that canned him (after he went through a DC). Athol scares me a little :D Very very intense person. In interviews he is hectic. Once the DA is no longer seen as a party that will bring back Apartheid by 20 million South Africans then Im sure they will relax the requirements a little. Right now, one of the requirements to be a public representative is absolutely no racism, not even in a joking manner. The people that play the game know the rules. This is what they signed up for.
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We're still not wholly on the same page, so I'll just flat-out say what my issue is: I don't view implying that Zuma is a polygamous simpleton elected by morons as inherently racist, but just a statement of fact. I know it's a fine line, and why it's deemed necessary to err on the side of said line that the DA currently do. Doesn't mean I can't find the whole thing a little sad.
 
HapticSimian said:
We're still not wholly on the same page, so I'll just flat-out say what my issue is: I don't view implying that Zuma is a polygamous simpleton elected by morons as inherently racist, but just a statement of fact. I know it's a fine line, and why it's deemed necessary to err on the side of said line that the DA currently do. Doesn't mean I can't find the whole thing a little sad.
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I agree to an extent. At the end of the day a DC found him guilty and those guys are normally very thorough.
 
AlmightyBender said:
I'm not sure how that can be interpreted as not racist in this context. All valid and 100% but why frame your argument using racial stereotype?

Why not just say that Zuma is of substandard intelligent and leave it at that instead of framing it together with the African culture of polygomy? Why refer to the voters that you allegedly expect to vote for you as "dumb idiots" :confused: This is the same attitude of too many DA supporters and is the exact reason the party is a failure, which is a crying shame because there are actually so many competent people in the DA who could make a huge difference if put in power.
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Having a poke at polygamy and being a racist are different things.

Remember that the cultural practice of polygamy in this country is not isolated to black South Africans.
 
porchrat said:
Look at that. The word racist is rapidly losing all meaning.
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when I call someone "idiot". He / She can be white / asian /black / indian / colour / green etc etc. it has "NO colour” involved.

BUT, when I call someone "idiot" and it implies I am a racist. In other words, the meaning of "idiot" is changed to "offend to certain colours only".

anyone changes a word definition from "no colour" to "colour", is that racist?

if you agree "idiot" implies "insulting black", then you must be a racist. simple. :)
 
porchrat said:
Having a poke at polygamy and being a racist are different things.

Remember that the cultural practice of polygamy in this country is not isolated to black South Africans.
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That's fair. I see it as racist (but only because I'm an extremist :twisted:) but I can definately understand how another person would interpret it differently. I think that a person in his position should be held to a higher standard, as ghoti as elaborated. For me it is not necessarily the actual words but rather the attitude and fundamental sensitivity and empathy that is lacking in this individual and so many other DA supporters. Until they start realising that that is actually what is racist, and what is viewed as racist by non-whites, nothing will change for the general DA members.
 
Insulting, hell even criticising, anyone of black persuation gets you labeled as racist nowadays. It's like the apartheid card, only more universally applied.
 
There is a level of civility/decorum , that never should be breached, no matter the level of discord nor the passion that is driving it. If you have a beef with the President and his ilk, or anyone for that matter...articulate your displeasure, in a manner that is constructive and leave the childish crap for the youngsters.
 
HapticSimian said:
Well, me for one. I feel quite strongly that every able-bodied person has an obligation to his or her fellow citizens to vote, and the DA would need to act a lot more daftly a lot more often to not be the only at all reasonable option.
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I agree with your voting sentiment to a point. What happens if every candidate is moronic? Spoilt ballot?

Right now we have a government that most people voted for just because. I'd like to like that those who voted DA did so because they actually believed in what the DA was offering rather than just because.

In order to believe in a political party you have to be able to relate to their principles. Their ability to guide a country with the right decisions, not the nice decisions.

The ANC has no principles - they'll lie, buy votes, avoid any decision making and have any fool as their leader. As far as the DA is concerned, their inability to know what is racism and what isn't, or rather, to be so sensitive to what the ANC says is teetering on the top of the same slope that the ANC went down a long time ago.
 
yebocan said:
There is a level of civility/decorum , that never should be breached, no matter the level of discord nor the passion that is driving it. If you have a beef with the President and his ilk, or anyone for that matter...articulate your displeasure, in a manner that is constructive and leave the childish crap for the youngsters.
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Sure - it may have been purile, but it wasn't racist.
 
yebocan said:
There is a level of civility/decorum , that never should be breached, no matter the level of discord nor the passion that is driving it. If you have a beef with the President and his ilk, or anyone for that matter...articulate your displeasure, in a manner that is constructive and leave the childish crap for the youngsters.
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Albereth said:
Sure - it may have been puerile, but it wasn't racist.
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+1
 
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