State of the Nation

As a society, we really need to train our brains to make space and not fall into a moral trap about the nature of human beings. People are both good and bad. Evil and saints and these realities, can coexist in one human being, and perhaps one side is more prominent than the other. There's a danger in embracing someone purely from one aspect of who they are; it's borderline idolatry and just dangerous. While we are desperate for references of good and honest people in the world, we have to make room for the fact that human beings are living and not stationary towards their character/nature. One can be good all their life, and you meet them in their final year of life, and you encounter evil. This does not negate their history; both can coexist. Their known goodness and evil. What is my point: There is a temptation (reasonable) from society to view figures like Mkhwananzi as being GOOD and a saint, and this can be true. But when alternative narratives of him (true/not) arise, you may find yourself feeling like you have been misled or misinformed into believing that this person is a saint, and therefore, when presented with new information, you feel a pressure to change your mind. I put it to you to consider making room. The same applies to Bheki Cele. There is a known narrative of him being corrupt and arrogant, and the last 2 days may have tempted you to reconsider this (true/untrue/tested/untested) narrative about his character, legacy and leadership. I want to put it to you that you consider making room. Don't dismiss what he has to say based on a historic narrative, but also don't fall into the trap of idolising him because you're surprised by his submissions. Make room. The two can coexist and often do. Instigator: The media, the media. I really dislike the position consciously and unconsciously taken by media houses on the Commission. The agenda of the reporting is so problematic from all fronts: News24 to Sowetan. It's dangerous because the media has unusual access to the wings of state, and its a tool used by those for and against crime. TO build ideas in our heads and hearts and to frame reality in a way that benefits whatever narrative is being pushed. This is a subtle evil that finds itself in our communities and often influences even how children and ordinary citizens view, consider and regard democracy and public officials and ultimately themselves. This may appear frivolous to the eye/ear not paying attention, but man, history across the world tells you what a machinery media is and how it influences us. A real-time example is how if we had no TV/internet. How different would the world be today, what would our stance be of politicians or the world really? Very different, so the media is a powerful and subtle tool whose impact often outlives a moment of reporting or documenting. 

I have so many instances where I have directly messaged journalists on the narratives they put out, and it's so dangerous and disheartening to end a conversation and realise just how uncommitted people are to responsibly use their platforms, which implies an attitude of not caring about the casualties on the other end of the story who engage with it and build from it. We all know how the affairs of the country make it onto our dinner tables, and private lives are often so intimately influenced by the media. I used to attend newsroom meetings at Media24 and communicate my discomfort with perpetuating narratives, particularly about black men being incompetent and corrupt, because this is not the whole truth, and this happened a lot during President Zuma's term in office, and I raised this openly with Editors as an Intern and junior at the time. I also recall asking, in person, uAdrina Basson what he felt his role in media was as a white Afrikaner man, and genuinely we are still found wanting because look at the position of News24 now vs crime/corruption associated with our President and his network. Word of the day: Make room