Mbeki, Annan Target Global Racism
Middle East Casts Deepening Shadow at UN Race Meet
“We cannot expect Palestinians to accept this (the Holocaust) as a reason why the wrongs done to them — displacement, occupation, blockage, and now extra-judicial killings — should be ignored, whatever label one uses to describe them,” UN Sec. Koffi Annan said.
“Who could teach us how to overcome racism, discrimination and intolerance, if not the people of this country?”
Mbeki made no apologies for his remarks about a racial gulf in the world between whites on one side and blacks and “browns” on the other.
“I speak in these terms, which some may think are too harsh and stark, because I come from a people that have known the bitter experience of slavery, colonialism and racism,” he said.
December 31st, 2002 at 4:03 pm
It is my impression that people who believe that they are superior to other people (aka the elite) whatever the colour of their skin are just as much or more of a threat to global peace and harmony then any other “category” of people. Are they not the people who keep demanding their individual or group rights to sovereingnty as their highest concerns?
Are they not the eople who patronise people who can understand less affluent people.
“It is because she is a low type herself that she can understand the poor and the illiterate - she’s a pleb herself”.Is that what they say and think behind closed doors.
“Superior people are so far different from the masses, it is not possible for them to understand each other” Isn’t that what the new age self appointed elite say behind closed doors?
The self appointed elite in Australia were in constant awe with our former Governor General, William Dean. They made out that he was some sort of saintly type because he could appear to share rapport with our Aboriginal people when he occasionally dropped into remote communities.
If we are to judge and label, which can be a risky faulty pre-occupation, maybe it would be best to judge others by the way that they spend their time, money and energies.
Discernign people wonder how the affluent can party so much, seek to avoid paying taxes, why they engage in ridicule and degradation of their ememies; why they spend so much time building up personal financial wealth at the same time as they know that hundreds of thousands of chidren of all different colours and beliefs are living in abject poverty.
Maybe the United Nations workers in places like East Timor who have been reported as having $200 a day to spend while local people earn less then a couple of dollars a day could be asked to account for what looks like behaviour set to promote derision and anger rather then mutual respect.
I have often found people who label others as racists and bigots are often inclined to the very worst expressions of contempt for their fellowman.
July 21st, 2003 at 9:52 pm
As a South African (Port Elizabeth) I would like to point out to all people unfamiliar with apartheid that apartheid was a political system implemented by the Apartheid party that came to power in 1945 under the charismatic leadership of Pik. W. Botha (no direct relation, just a common name).
With this said I believe I should point out for everyones sake that Israel IS NOT under the opressive rule of an apartheid party. Call Israel what you may but someone will always correct the erratum of writers and that is a pretty big erratum. Off by a whole political system.
December 18th, 2003 at 12:29 am
nice work