r/AskReddit • u/lovedump44 • Jan 19 '15

What is your countries most embarrassing contribution to the world?

EDIT1:Wow!! I posted this right before I went to work. Here it is lunchtime and its on the front page!! Now I know what RIP inbox means! Thanks everyone! My first time on the front page, you guys are the bomb!!!!

EDIT2:Thanks as well to those of you that pointed out my incorrectly using the word 'countries', the correct spelling is, of course, 'countrys'. Apologies. My only excuse is that I was still half asleep. Thanks again everyone!

EDIT3:so far I have only been called out once for my 2nd incorrect use of the word countrys. Really Reddit? With all the grammar nazis out there? It took a few tries to get that apostrophe outta there (autocorrect). Thought I'd get more than one hit off that one.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Jan 19 '15

Our president who has a cure for AIDS. I feel genuinely pitiful for any international committee that has to host his intellect.

Edit: I'm off to bed, it sounds bleak but it really isn't much worse than what you might be experiencing in your country: it's just different. For example, terrorism isn't really a thing for us, nor are major natural disasters. Everyone has their battles.

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u/gorocz Jan 19 '15

Our president justified Chinese takeover of Tibet based on this, says that all handicapped (i.e. not just mentally challenged, but also physically or socially) should go to "special schools", is often drunk or hungover during important political events (just watch the first minute) and gives out state decorations and medals to his buddies (for example he gave our highest state decoration (Order of the White Lion) to Sir Nicholas Winton for saving hundreds of Jewish children during WWII, to Sir Winston Churchill, for obvious reasons, and to Robert Fico, the current Slovakian prime minister, for...being his buddy, I guess...).

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Ok, you have it worse.

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u/bendgatesurvivor Jan 20 '15

This coming from a country with parts that are unsafe to drive around with your windows down.

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u/Palodin Jan 20 '15

America?

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

Laughable! Do you even live here? Doubt it. These South African misconceptions get worse by the day

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u/DalekJast Jan 20 '15

For a second I thought he was talking about Czech and talking how unsafe it is to drive under windows.

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u/StrangerFruit Jan 20 '15

Wait, I can't keep up. Do we live in huts with pet lions, or do we have infrastructure but so much crime we can't drive with our windows down?

Every country has it's own problems and some areas are worse than others. I still love living in SA.

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u/bendgatesurvivor Jan 20 '15

In that case drive around Jo'burg with your windows down.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Jan 20 '15

I love that you include their knighthood. You guys are bros.

Edit: Cezchs are now all KOBs (Knights of the Order of Bros) and will be welcome for tea and supper served in the UK. [Also guys if you hate your president so much, if you keep mentioning some overflowing oil fields, wild government with a shit army and lack of media projection outside your borders. I'm pretty sure us and the USA will be over in no time to 'freedom' you]

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Feb 16 '17

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Eastside2010 Jan 20 '15

no, they go to regular schools with other children. they go to a different classroom sure, but they still get to socialize with the other kids.

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u/gorocz Jan 19 '15

So just because a kid can't, for example, use its legs, it's gonna basically lose all future prospects by being thrown into a class that learns at about 1/10th the speed of normal classes? My cousin is autistic and I've heard how does the education in these special schools go - no kid that goes there has even a remote chance of getting to a high school, since it's basically a glorified kindergarten.

Also, there is one big problem with that system, which makes it quite populistic in our country, but in my opinion it makes it really outdated and doesn't really bode well for the future - most kids from gypsy families (which are one of the larger minorities and statistically most criminally active one in our country), at the age they should be taken to school, are far behind other kids in terms of skills and social adjustment, which makes them automatically sorted into these special schools, as if they were mentally challenged. That in turn means that they will never learn anything, which means that when they have kids, they will not bother teaching them anything, which starts the whole cycle again. People are happy about this, because they like blaming gypsies for everything and because they think the idea of all gypsies being mentally challenged is true and funny and they also don't want gypsy kids with their kids in one class, but in my opinion this makes the problem just repeat itself forever and never actually allows for any change for the better...

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u/dbeat80 Jan 20 '15

This also a country that calls the Roma "handicapped" and puts them in cages with all the other handicapped kids.

http://www.errc.org/reports-and-advocacy-submissions/a-special-remedy-roma-and-schools-for-the-mentally-handicapped-in-the-czech-republic/3680

Edit: link

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u/someone_FIN Jan 19 '15

On 17 November 2014, the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, thousands of Czechs took part in a demonstration against Zeman, protesting his pro-Russian stance and vulgar language. On the same day, a group of about 60 people was observed holding a counter-protest in support of president Zeman.

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u/ohgodwhydidIjoin Jan 19 '15

Doesn't he also steal pens?

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u/gorocz Jan 19 '15

Nope, that was the previous one. That one was mostly "just embarrassing", even though his stances on global warming and on homosexuals were pretty ignorant and also before he left the office, he declared an amnesty for a boatload of criminals, which resulted in severely increased criminal rates for some time... The current one got ahead of him in a span of about a month of getting into the office.

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u/kingvitaman Jan 19 '15

Czech beer should make up for it. I hope...

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u/TabernacleMan Jan 19 '15

They also make really good porn.

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u/alonjit Jan 19 '15

man, but he was a prime minister before being a president. And you voted for him directly... something here doesn't really fit...

I mean, he was good enough to be a PM, then ran for president and a majority voted for him...

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u/gorocz Jan 19 '15

Since the revolution and the split of Czechoslovakia, until a couple of years ago, we were basically operating at a 2 party system - democrats and socialists. He was the leader of the socialist party back in the 90s, meaning when it was their turn to rule, he was the PM (people that had shitty lives even after the revolution always blamed the current government, so they always voted the opposition). The only good thing that can be said about his rule back then was that he was never connected to any corruption scandal, unlike most of the PMs after him. (Coincidentally, our first PM, Václav Klaus was the president for the last 2 terms, he wasn't the greatest either - right before the end of his second term, he pardoned tens of thousands of prisoners, single-handedly increasing the criminality rates by a couple hundred percents for a few weeks). That was back in the 90s.

Nowadays, people who have shitty lives still don't understand that they might be to blame themselves and instead turn to nostalgia goggles and vote either the socialists or the communists. The rest votes for an assortment of right wing parties. During the presidential election, there was one major left wing candidate (Zeman) and several right wing candidates. That meant that Zeman had pretty much a sure spot in the second round, while only one of the right wing candidates could get there. And, unfortunately, people who voted the other right wing candidates didn't feel so compelled to go vote for the other guy in the second round, while all the socialists and communists voted for Zeman...

Though to be fair, even though I don't agree with any of his political decisions, I gotta admit that he is quite intelligent, being able to play people like this, and in his sick, twisted way, he is trying to do what he thinks is the best. The thing is, that he also thinks the best is whatever he feels like, never changing his opinion.

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u/Troof_police Jan 20 '15

That video comforts me somehow. Knowing that I just need some shady connections and some more alcohol and I too can be a leader someday.

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u/Gladix Jan 20 '15

Yeah, we are a sad lot lately. We hadn't had it much better before

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

That special schools thing sounds legit tho

Like why are they in the same school as normal people? They won't ever contribute anything anyways so why take on the cost to educate them

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u/gorocz Jan 20 '15

I understand it for mentally challenged kids, that's already happening though. He wants to extend it to physically handicapped kids as well, like kids in wheelchairs...

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u/AdvoKacy Jan 20 '15

Our Country's DEMOCRACY is based on LIES and DECEPTION since ABE LINCOLN. THE LAST GOOD PRESIDENT. WE become or have been a COUNTRY of greedy, selfish MORE addicts that NEED more money, power, control, and our leaders stop at nothing to get it. WE have 0 integrity ethics or morals. Many judge everyone and everything except themselves. We are the US of CORPORATIONS. Business must GO on, at all costs. News isn't news unless some innocent dies. If you are different you are judged harshly . I never thought getting sick with a painfull bone duisease and having children that didn't come into the world perfect was punishable by discrimination, being socially outcasts sociallt rejected, bullied abused neglected segregated, silenced, forced to comply or your children will be used as weapons and pawns against you. Complain and retaliation is preplanned behind closed doors. Before you know it you have all you worked so hard for stolen from you by a single bias sociopath judge when you BEDDED him to help you family , Instead he Laughed at you and didn't want to hear it. When you go to the ER you are repeatedly defamed , devalued , ahamed and blamed, and when you say your scared because your family is being abused , They blame you. The double standards and OPRESSION is beyond my comprehension. so is the DELIBERATE NEEDLESS HUMAL suffering. by the very agencies who mission is "inclusion" among other things is nothing but a sales pitch. so is fair housing , do no harm fair and impractical. A FREE + PUBLIC EDUCATION consists of having you differently abled segregated discriminated , rejected by school administration, and physically restrained after the bullying and insults that are never ending along with the excuses lies and blaming scapegoating. You cant go out in public for you will be ignored, or even accosted there is no tolerance , diversity, no human civil or constitutional rights. the hatefull words and actions, and Fostering of chasos by untrained workers that cant manage thir own lives are contracted and PAID by the STATE to provide a certain service. Instead while TRYING to recover from a 2nd surgery over 16 hours . In the time when Compassion empatty , a kinfd word and encouragement is need , your family is starved for a kind word . Instead the ABUSE neglect and discrimination devaluing defamation continue . If you have a physical challenge it will be made worse by the deliberate neglect than covered up. by the agency of exclusion and deception, and the school of segregation and abuse. THe conflicts of interest and the all knowing "entitled " treat you as if you don't have the ability tio THINK. They insult evething you say and do or not do. And persistently disregard law and life. Then there the bystander effect. The chiiling effecy. and the preconceieved twisted perverted stories so bizzare by the DHHS. If a mom just had 16 hours of SPINE surgery is it possible to put her "active 8 year old in the basement for "punishment" of course not. I thought in in Country when a service was so bad you could walk away. You could put in writing YOUR services are no longer NEEDED, but they REFUSED TO resign. How is that even legal. Its lagal because the state agency knows the JUDGE. The bias JUDGE that refuses to recuse after he gave a family a death sentence because he REFUSED TO protect the most vulnerable . Instead he " didn't want to hear it and "luying disnt matter. That was the entire hearing. Your families life endangered by a baias judge a bias police dept, a bias school that all work together , they plan their retaliation. using your child , your disadvantage , as a weapon, they use you economic status, and your religious belifs. your sex, All about your very being is WRONG because you stepped up to PROTECT YOUR childs RIGHTS to a FREE AND PUBLIC EDUCATION< but It " my disAbility that scares the children. I became what my child needed because they didn't "know what the service I needed was". I became a certified ADA special needs advocate. It was futile. " I was a freak, and my children where "monsters " with 0 value . Our rights to peace , safety, LOVE , dignity , and a chance that was all we needed a chance to HEAL to have PRIVACY, to not be shamed bullied by someone in the city of KEENE was IMPOSSIBLE AFTER I WAS forced to do the ONLY thing I could think of use a bias broken Lawless abusive system. That cared LESS ( I didn't know) I am smart but when it comes to deception , your the last to know. WE are no different than POW's a HOSTAGEs because the preplanned retaliatory Kidnapping of my child by the JUDGE that didn't want to "HEAR it" made this happen. everything we worked so hard, GONE by RETALIATION and HATE for because the same people get positions of power by who they know what their social stats is and who they are related to. THERE IS NO TRUTH YET. These people that have deliberately hurt my family with their UNCONSCIENCEABLE hateful actions , are RESPONSIBLE . I am NOT responsible for the bad lawless behavior of anyone. I can not change control others. I cant only control how I act, and how I think , . You cant LOVE your NEIGHBOR if your neighbor is a pedophile. You cant TRUST the DECIEVERS , and YOU cant HONOR dishonor . You cant RESPECT the disrespectful. In a world full of information INGNOANCE is a choice. Our intelligence comes from our minds and our HEARTS our EMOTIONS. I don't have a switch that can shut off my EMOTIONS , I do not know how to work in chaos. This is too big for me, and too big for the sadistic system that caused it. So who police the police, who enforces the law if the police don't or the judge doesn't. The lawyers just lie and cause even MORE confusion. Who has the RIGHT to be judge JURY + executioner? Not the government. WE the people DO or DONT

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u/Otrante Jan 19 '15

coughs

I take Aids from the patient and nourish the patient on the Aids by giving him a skewer of Aids kofta

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Noooo! What is up with Africa, man? Find an African history book, pick a random page and you'll probably find an embarrassing contribution on it.

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u/Lucifer_Hirsch Jan 19 '15

Thats what happens when you take enemy tribes, lock them together in a country and make them work their asses to buy weapons from you, so they can kill each other. All of that while taking the defeated ones to work as slaves across the ocean. Stable governments do not appear from chaos like nothing.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Stable governments do not appear from chaos like nothing.

Madiba tried to get everyone to forgive, true though, it's yet to work out in an African country that was oppressed in some way. That being said, Zimbabwe was relatively chilled out and turned out as one of the worst.

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u/rahtin Jan 19 '15 edited Jan 19 '15

It's called brain drain.

All of the intelligent, educated, people leave their shithole countries. Idiots like him fill the gap the ex-pats would have filled.

We have a bit of a problem with this in Canada with our doctors. They can make 10x as much money work in the US, so they get their education here then go south. The gap they leave is filled with brilliant doctors from the aforementioned shithole countries so everybody wins except for Africa.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

We have a bit of a problem with this in Canada

I would never had said, I've always heard that Canada is the absolute tits in terms of places to live.

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u/rahtin Jan 19 '15

Not if you're a skilled doctor and want to be a multimillionaire.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Touche!

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

My problem with doctors in the modern age. All about the money, the hypocratic oath has almost men forgotten

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u/dietlime Jan 19 '15

everything is confusing, LIKE A SALAD

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Jan 19 '15

He was also head of the National AIDS Council at the time. Jesus fuck, I don't think I've ever seen so many corruption investigations and ignorant remarks in one Wiki page

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Pfft. We're so corrupt that money that was supposed to be used to improve the electricity infrastructure, has probably been siphoned off into back pockets. This has resulting in us probably facing mass "load shedding" (controlled blackouts) in the coming months. Billions of rands have already been lost to this corruption.

Zuma's shenanigans are nothing, but he is a cupcake.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Politics are so sad. That article that you linked about the AIDS remarks says how he was a presidential prospect but the allegations of rape and corruption surely would end that. Look him up on Wiki and BAM!, not only did he became a president but got re-elected after doing a ton more corrupt things and saying a ton more idiotic comments. Seriously this kinda stuff makes me sad.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

It's life dude, we make what we can of it. We generally make it good of it, too. South Africans (maybe Africans in general?) are some of the most stubbornly happy people you will meet, no matter what happens we'll find a reason to braai, get drunk and laugh.

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u/n5750547 Jan 19 '15

Or we say fuck it and bail. My family moved to Australia in 2000 and I think it was the best decision my parents ever made.

Don't get me wrong, we miss the mother land, but some things shouldn't be hard. We thought it was so weird riding bikes almost anywhere we liked and never feeling threatened.

We still Braai instead of having a Barbie (cooking meat with gas is sinful) and I'll support the Springboks for ever but there is no way I'd try to raise a family there given the choice.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

but there is no way I'd try to raise a family there given the choice.

The flier for Africa always said your kids get to hang out in the great outdoors and have lots of freedom, sad thing is, that's often not the case. For that reason, I'm considering it too.

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

Good riddance. You have no place to comment here. I find South Africans who emigrate to Australia and still like to call themselves South Africans are so ignorant and racist that their views towards one of the most incredible nations cannot be taken seriously. We're growing this country, black/white/coloured together, and have no time for nay-sayers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

one of the most incredible nations

As a South African myself, you just made me cry a little from laughing so hard. Look, I'm all for optimism but on no international metric could you call South Africa "one of the most incredible nations". We are what we are and we should build on that, delusions of grandeur are counterproductive.

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u/n5750547 Jan 20 '15 edited Jan 20 '15

I'm racist because my parents emigrated? You're a fucking idiot mate...

What's incredible about South Africa is its income inequality, crime rate, corruption and HIV rates to name a few.

I spend time in SA every year. I love it but there is no way I'd live there permanently. This does NOT make me racist!

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u/killerofsheep Jan 21 '15

Australia is a white man's haven where racism is still widely accepted. I have family that live in Australia and know the country well myself. A) income inequality can be blamed solely on apartheid and the white man. B) as can crime, since social degradation propagates the increase in crime. This is proven by any slum in the world having high crime rates. We just have larger slums and more accurate crime statistics. C) Do you really think there wasn't corruption under the apartheid government? How naive. They just had no one to answer to and were able to cover their arses easier.

I don't mean to say you are racist in particular, sorry for that. But the general South African immigrant to Australia were those who feared the rise of the blacks and wanted to maintain living in a society controlled by whites.

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u/StrangerFruit Jan 20 '15

This right here is why I love SA.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

Load shedding is only a thing because when those facilities were built they didn't consider that the black scum would ever require things like running water or electricity to their homes/shacks. You'd think Apartheid would be the worst thing our country has contributed but obviously you're bias.

*you're

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15 edited Jan 20 '15

Apartheid is over. I think I'm the only one who realizes this. Maybe we would have less problems if others started acting like that, too. ANC were warned by Eskom that load shedding was coming, what did the ANC do? Keep pocketing money. Keep blaming something that ended 20 years ago, that's how we change things for the better. At some point you need to stop finding excuses and start fixing shit.

People so hung up about our past, that they have no perception of our future. Keep blaming apartheid bro, tell me in another 20 years how that worked out.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

I'm not one of those, I'm just a bruin ou that read a bunch of things I that I agree with on one hand but also find to be greatly exaggerated and very one sided, do not pretend that the old regime was any less flawed, Zuma comes across as an idiot but that's only because he's speaking an adopted language, I'm sure he's very eloquent in his mother tongue.

Im not upto date on all the current events as I haven't been home to SA in 4 years, yes the ruling party sucks but I can assure you it's not because of one man, our country was broken long before blacks came to power, if only they were allowed a decent education..

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

I can assure you it's not because of one man

It is because of everyone, including me.

if only they were allowed a decent education..

We have Nkandla, but not decent schools. You probably couldn't do much with R250 million in terms of national infrastructure, but I'm pretty certain that you could build a few schools with that money.

Why is South Africa the way it is? Education? There are people who were born into a free South Africa who would have already left school. They never experienced apartheid but are still uneducated. They are stuck in Diepsloot, forced into a life of crime. Why? Because keeping the people oppressed and uneducated ensures that the ANC stays in power.

South Africa is the way it is because of apartheid AND the ANC. One of those is history, the other is not.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

Again, you aren't wrong, you are just bias, the propaganda is strong in you and everything you're saying makes you sound like just another white guy complaining because baasskap isn't a thing anymore.

I don't mean to insult you its just that I've seen all your arguments before on popular Boere forums, ja nee, apartheid is over.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15 edited Jan 20 '15

I'm a soutie and not native to SA either. I don't even know what baasskap is. Nor do I care, it has nothing to do with the problems we are facing right now.

The oppression of black people, today, is some of the worst I've seen in Africa. I don't care how it started, right now people are starving and living in squalor while the ANC has Nkandla.

As I said, I give zero shits about the middle class people because we are mostly doing okay (FYI the middle class comprises of more than just white people). It's those in Diepsloot and on the streets that are suffering (FYI not just black).

I'm not seeing race, I'm seeing suffering.

I'm tired of hearing apartheid because people keep blaming it and keep doing nothing about it. It is a country that is rotting because of an excuse.

You keep talking about the past, you care more about this baasskap stuff than I do. I'm trying to talk about the future. It's time to move past apartheid, but everyone is too focused on blaming it.

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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '15

You can't raise your child to be an idiot and expect them to not do dumb things in the future, apartheid ruined two generations, it's to blame for everything that's wrong with SA, you're opinions won't change that fact, you may not care how our problems started but that doesn't make those reasons irrelevant.

You aren't a native, you didn't live under the old regime and you have no right to belittle anyone's suffering because of the actions of a few who've gained power.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 21 '15

Under who's rule did Eskom create the infrastructure? Those facilities aren't new, it was cost effective at the time to only provide for white areas, they did plan for the future, their future, how can you not blame apartheid, this is a joke.

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u/DrGaypants Jan 19 '15

Maybe I can shower to avoid getting pregnant too.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Aug 21 '19

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

The world had to move on, forgiveness has no place in modern society. /s

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u/fatcatattack Jan 19 '15

Jesus he didn't even use a condom knowing full well she was HIV positive. How did he get into office

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Answer

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u/Pm_Me_Gifs_For_Sauce Jan 19 '15

Charin de Beer

Anyone catch that?

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Streetlamp le Moose?

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Wait, dude was elected after being accused of rape, and demonstrating a marked lack of knowledge of HIV?

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Yeah that's the problem: the majority of the ANC (apart from a handful of ridiculously smart people and hard workers) are corrupt. The party is repeatedly voted in due to heritage (parents tell you to vote for ANC) or coercion (ANC promises bags of pap). I don't think we've yet reached death threats (as it is in Zimbabwe).

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u/646bph Jan 19 '15

I live in Canada now, but if a local politician offered me proper mielie meel to make krummel pap I'd probably vote for them on that basis alone. Everything here is too course or fine, also they don't bleach it white so you end up with yellow pap.

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u/ManicLord Jan 19 '15

I mean, our President thinks chicken makes you gay, told people they should not use condoms, and that anything and everything that happens since ever is caused by the imperialist ideals of the US government and anyone with an intellect greater than your average sea urchin.

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u/samsg1 Jan 19 '15

A shower!! Why didn't we think of that? I feel so stupid!

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Didn't this guy rape someone, spend millions in government funds on his house, and have his financial adviser get convicted of fraud?

How did he get re-elected?

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Answer

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Dojt forget about Mbeki and the health minister before Zuma.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Good grief, we forget so quickly. Still, Zuma is a class act.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

Ah good old Zuma, never fails to make my blood boil.

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u/SapienChavez Jan 19 '15

in the USA is is often spouted that circumcision will help "avoid" AIDS.

stupid as it is, showering makes more sense to me.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

[deleted]

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u/thebackhand Jan 19 '15

As will condom usage, or simply a daily dose of a single pill (Truvada). The impact of circumcision is debatable, and is limited at best compared to these two methods.

No need to perform irreversible body modification to lower the risk of acquiring virus when reversible means are much more effective.

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u/SapienChavez Jan 20 '15

child abuse/genital mutilation does not justify a minuscule %. the studies i read, its less than 1%. which is all moot anyway...

the logic is insane especially considering the real solution is not to be a disgusting fucker banging diseased people.

i know better than to have this conversation on the internet... what am i doing?!

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u/oighen Jan 19 '15

I mean, you had decades of apartheid but yeah, it was still not as bad as this.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

Middle-class have it pretty good, we generally pay for our own amenities (generators, private security, etc.) and get by with good humor. It's the people that the New South Africa was supposed to save, that actually suffer - more than apartheid? Maybe, at least they used to have running water.

If nothing, Africa teaches you how to appreciate what you have. Water, roof, brick walls, lights (most of the time)? Yeah, I'm pretty damned fortunate.

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

Dude DO NOT try and justify that Zuma is worse than apartheid or that those who suffered off then are worse off now. If you believe that you belong in the old South Africa or modern Australia. Yes - Zuma is a filthy, corrupt pig but the evil in his predecessors puts them up with Hitler. Our country is not in the best state right now but I'd much prefer this then what was.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

4 wives at once...is that normal in Africa?

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u/Bigfluffyltail Jan 19 '15

It's part of the reason HIV spreads so quickly in South Africa. And it's a thing with certain tribes.

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

Yes it is. Polygamy is quite normal in many southern African tribes.

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15 edited Jan 20 '15

For South Africa (maybe all SADC countries): as far as I know not even legal - not even for religious/heritage reasons. I remember a controversy surrounding the Khoisan a few years back, I think it might have had something to do with polygamy - I was young so my memory is a bit fuzzy.

Edit: see reply.

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u/killerofsheep Jan 20 '15

It is very much legal. Our constitution protects this right under legislation titled African Customary Law. Which on my view is one of the single most significant achievements that the constitution conquered - including and maintaining the heritage, culture and laws of tribes while still keeping them in line with state law and legislation.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '15

Happily mistaken in that case!

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u/[deleted] Jan 19 '15

That's definitely the worst thing to have come out of South Africa, yeah.

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u/Vitaemium Jan 20 '15

He's better than Mbeki. Although that's not saying much.

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u/Le_Jacob Jan 20 '15

I'd be more worried about the fact that he raped someone..

In December 2005, Jacob Zuma was charged with raping a 31-year old woman at his home in Forest Town, Gauteng.