'Three monkeys' simile gets FF+ MP into hot water

[NameOfBeast]

There was some metaphorical monkey business in the National Assembly on Thursday.

It started when Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald introduced a trio of the little primates into debate on the dismissal of Vusi Pikoli as national director of public prosecutions.

Accusing former president Thabo Mbeki of shielding police commissioner Jackie Selebi, Groenewald told MPs that when it came to Selebi, "the former president acted like the three little monkeys - I hear, I see and I say nothing!".

This allusion to the proverbial three wise monkeys -- often used to describe a person who wilfully fails to "see, hear or speak no evil" of a situation they know to be wrong -- did not sit well with members of the ruling African National Congress.

Asked by Madlala-Routledge to withdraw his monkey reference, Groenewald responded: "I didn't say they are monkeys, I said they act like monkeys. That is a metaphor in general, normal speech -- to say I hear nothing, I say nothing and I do nothing. I refuse to withdraw..."

Madlala-Routledge asked him once again to withdraw, warning she did not want to make a "harsh ruling" on the matter.

"Chairperson, I'm a man of my word. I said it, and I will not withdraw," Groenewald replied.

Madlala-Routledge ordered him to leave the House. "I do it with honour, thank you," Groenewald said.

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71627?oid=117501&sn=Detail

 

[LazyLion]

stupid uneducated monkeys.

 

[Blaze786]

All I have to say is Sigh!!! Also have they never been to an english class, someone needs to beat them over the head with a dictionary open on the page with Metaphor Highlighted!

 

[semiautomatix]

As Granny Weatherwax would say: its one of the mety-four thingies!

English isn't Pieter Groenewald's first language, but he has a decent grip on the concept. What is the excuse of Parliament's monkeys? (And that last line wasn't a metaphor )

Perhaps he should have accused the former President of acting like Mizaru, Mikazaru, and Mazaru. Then you would have seen some blank expressions in Parliament, well, more blank than usual.

 

[Sneeky]

Funny stuff

 

[Nod]

But when it comes to Selebi, the President acted like those three cute characters with their hands over ears, eyes and mouth: I hear, see and say nothing.

Fixed it for Groenewald. Please make note of the more "PC" way of saying it. No reference to monkeys in there

 

[windowlicker]

If Parliament were a business what would have happened to him if he said that in a meeting? Just curious?

Although I think sending him out is a bit prude. Reminds me of school when you got kicked out the classroom

 

[stoke]

In business, he would have been spoken to after the meeting had concluded, and chastised for not being sensitive to the fact that some people will always associate themselves to any primate inference and take insult from their own association while directing that insult at the person who gave opportunity for such association.

The meeting though, would have concluded. Business before feelings.

 

[grayston]

Fixed it for Groenewald. Please make note of the more "PC" way of saying it. No reference to monkeys in there

Good. People really need to stop dissing the monkeys. They're our ancestors and they deserve a bit of respect.

Any monkey which looked into the future and saw one of his descendants becoming an ANC MP would have just shoved the whole evolution thing and stayed up in the trees eating bananas...

 

[smokey]

Good. People really need to stop dissing the monkeys. They're our ancestors and they deserve a bit of respect.

Any monkey which looked into the future and saw one of his descendants becoming an ANC MP would have just shoved the whole evolution thing and stayed up in the trees eating bananas...

Some monkeys would have rued the fact that they ever left the sea...

 

[Lycanthrope]

Is it just my imagination or would only a racist view a metaphor about monkeys as a racial slur?

 

[Glock26]

haven't you noticed that SA is REALLY paranoid about the word "monkey"?
It's almost like they have some hidden fear about the word...something that makes this particular word more offensive than others. It's almost like they have a fear that some link will be made or found. Hmmmm.
Very odd this. I wonder if they should seek professional help or something?

Chaos

 

[Albereth]

haven't you noticed that SA is REALLY paranoid about the word "monkey"?

I don't know why. Monkeys are the ones with tails, right?

India have a monkey god, so monkey can't be pejorative all the time.

 

[PeterCH]

He should have known better. Dealing with the ANC MPs in parliament is akin to dealing with 'special' children. You have to be careful what you say and even though you may mean something else, these nuts will find racist allusions in everything.

 

[cybershark]

If the primates that we came from had known that someday politicians would come out of the gene pool, they'd have stayed up in the trees and written evolution off as a bad idea!

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0012565/quotes

 

[marine1]

Good for him for standing his ground.

 

[Abe]

Do you think Parliament would accept Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys

 

[I am Penguin]

Do you think Parliament would accept Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys

Thee key here is Three_wise_monkeys. They would take offense again and call him a liar.

 

[TooFastTim]

Hmm, but the ANC can call other parties cockroaches and snakes. More and more they sound like an autocratic African govt.

 

[PeterCH]

Moral of the story: when dealing with stupid paranoid people who see racial insults in everything you say (because they are prejudiced against you - because they're racist themselves) be diplomatic in everything you say or do and never use language which could be construed to be racist in some way. I think the people who complained are paranoid and possibly have an inferiority complex but other than that I think they are also abusing this for political aims - discredit all opposition to obtain more support and gain a higher moral ground so that they can abuse the constitution and civil rights.