The shocking effect of selective media reporting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many glaring examples of hypocrisy in the world today that I decided to start a new category of blog posts called “The Contrarian View”. I debated calling it “The Crusade for the Return of the Lost Art of Common Sense”, but that is a bit of a mouthful. “Abolish Political Correctness” another possibility but also cumbersome.

Posts in this category will expose the hidden agenda and double standards of big government, politicians, the media, businesses large and small, any and all opportunities I can find.

Perhaps it is one of the downsides of technology that hypocrisy and distorted reporting have found such fertile fields in social media.

As a long time citizen of both Rhodesia and South Africa and a reluctant resident of Zimbabwe (as it had become) for my final 10 years in Africa, I am particularly sensitive to the hypocrisy that destroyed the first country and has set the second on a similar – even more brutal – slope to becoming yet another failed state.

Last week’s shooting of 34 Black miners at the Marikana platinum mine in South Africa by (predominantly) black policemen has not raised many ripples in the international media. A few expressions of concern at the death toll, remorse over loss of human life etc. Astonishment from liberal white ANC apologists that this could happen in the “NEW” South Africa. Chickens coming home to roost?

But not a single call for sanctions, crisis meetings by the UN security council or anything of that scale. I have not seen any high level condemnation from any major Western nation other than a statement of regret from the British Foreign Secretary.

The loss of life is tragic. It started as a power struggle between labour unions resulting in 10 deaths. The build up to the incident included, two policemen murdered, two union officials and two miners murdered then refusal to disperse and use of firearms against the police.  The response was essential to prevent more injuries or deaths amongst the police force. It is a grim but necessary reminder that in riot situations, sometimes overwhelming force with live ammunition is the only way to prevent further mayhem. A lesson police forces in the West seem to have forgotten.

My criticism is not for members of the South African Police, from the reports, it seems they acted with restraint until there was no alternative, then took decisive action to stop further violence and restore law and order. A job well done in difficult circumstances.

Sharpeville, the incident in 1960 when 69 rioters were killed by South African Police was treated entirely differently. It was immediately labelled a “massacre“. Then it was elevated by the liberal media into a tragedy almost on the scale of Serbia or Rwanda (no disrespect intended to victims of those horrors). Sharpeville became one of the biggest sticks to beat South Africa with. The facts were conveniently forgotten. The mob of rioters had been and was attempting to continue carrying out the ANC’s campaign to make the country ungovernable by disobeying laws, attacking government buildings, refusing to attend lessons and burning schools.

There is no doubt that most in the mob and the majority of the victims were cannon fodder,  sacrificed by their leaders to extract the maximum publicity possible from a compliant media.

What was the difference between the two incidents? Simple, at the time of Sharpeville, South Africa had a white government. Black Africa was clamouring for its overthrow. Despite reducing their own indigenous populations to ineffectual minorities in the past, the USA, Canada and Australia, along with Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth went along with the lunacy. There is a word for it – appeasement – and another – treachery.

With hindsight, there were parts of the old system that should not have been tolerated, but there is no way South Africa would have become the economic powerhouse, most successful country in Africa and world leader in heart transplants, deep mining and oil from coal technology if it followed the same system of corrupt and brutal government   the rest of independent Africa did from the 1960’s. And which it is now enjoying the fruits of.

The question of why South Africa erected fences on its borders to keep hundreds of thousands of potential illegal immigrants from independent African countries out, not restrict its own residents from leaving, was never acknowledged. The fact that despite a lower standard of education than for white children, almost all black children had a better opportunity to attend better schools than was the case in most of Africa, ignored. The fact that very few people starved in South Africa and the country did not demand handouts from the West, overlooked. I could go on and on.

The most glaring act of hypocrisy concerning South Africa. The condemnation of “apartheid” South Africa as a brutal regime killing huge numbers of black people. The fact is that more than double the number of the 21 000 violent deaths in the period 1948 to 1994 (46 years) have occurred in the 18 years since Mandela was let out of jail. A figure of around 68 000. Source: The Truth About South Africa

Despite all the media efforts over the years to portray white South Africans as brutal oppressors, only 7 518 of those deaths were attributed to police or security force action. The majority were political murders of blacks by blacks – mainly by the ANC.

The most shocking effect of the media’s and Western liberal’s campaign against the old South Africa (and Rhodesia before) is that two highly successful, peaceful and food self sufficient  countries have been or are being, ruined. Thousands of people have been murdered, millions (from Zimbabwe) living in poverty or fled the country. All in the name of  “democracy”. Forcing an unworkable system on countries that had been doing just fine before outside meddling created the mess we see today.

Selective media reporting brainwashing hundreds of millions of voters in the West into tolerating their government’s schemes and achieving what years of communist supported terrorist activity could not. Another media myth that terrorist activity (incorrectly called  liberation wars) forced the surrender of the Rhodesian and South African governments, absolute nonsense, both wars were convincingly won on the battlefield and lost in the political arena.

For more stories on what is really happening in South Africa and why you might not want to be investing there or planning a holiday any time soon, visit Mike Smith’s Political Commentary.

Most of you do not live in South Africa, you may well ask how this is relevant to North America or Europe. The same selective reporting and underhand action by big government is already at work. Think of the portrayal of  bankers and big business as evil, responsible gun owners as potential mass murderers, property damaging mobs of rioters as having the “right to protest”, the excuses made and lack of action against unpatriotic acts by certain religions and political sympathisers. Ever increasing curtailment of individual rights in favour of minority groups or “society”.

Think about the treatment of any celebrity, politician or business person expressing a right-of-centre opinion. Immediately labelled as an extremist, tax-evader, white-supremacist or similar.

That is why it is vitally important to take a  Contrarian View and look behind the sensational headlines to find the real story.

Wishing you success and an absence of hypocrisy.

 

 

 

 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net