I think Covems has touched on the media's tendency to warp and distort facts in order to fit their own political ideological agenda or cater to the viewers ideological viewpoints. Not that this is necessarily a cardinal sin, since most find it difficult to be truly objective when reporting on anything. Still, certain facets of the whole picture get lost and often times what you have is a case of “he with the biggest loud-speaker” will be remembered most. In the case of Nelson Mendela, the image of a non-violent pacifist has become the predominant characterization rather then as Covems and other more hardline opponents have pointed out, a man of questionable morals, when evaluating his participation in certain organizations or actions.
However as BB touched upon, it is important not to diminish his involvement with the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. I don't agree with BB to not dwell on the past. Look at it. Observe and study it because if you do not, a skewed version of history will arise. It may be regrettably unavoidable, as some point out but their has to be an effort to paint a full picture of a given situation. And the picture we see here of Nelson Mendela is of a complex figure who ultimately favored non-violent methods in order to end Apartheid but who was by no means a pacifist. I think this quote sums him up best:
“I must deal immediately and at some length with the question of violence. Some of the things so far told to the Court are true and some are untrue. I do not, however, deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression of my people….”
He was a pragmatist. A man who saw bloodshed as an avoidable and regrettable consequences of War in order to end a brutal apartheid system that regulated a portion of the population as second class citizens. He was no Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi, as many have pointed out, but an astute political analyzer who was able to put aside guerrilla tactics when it mattered most. Instead of plunging the nation into a race based civil-war as many feared, he instead united them. Instead of exacting some sort of political revenge on Afrikaans by stripping them of power, he allowed them to remain in power. Many simply say these actions were just shrewd maneuvers on his part. Maybe. But what you have to ask yourself is this – how many people could have performed the same actions Mendela performed? Considering he was imprisoned for 27 years. Considering the hostile environment he was raised in. Considering the immense political pressure from his followers to exact revenge.
The answer is not many. Most would have caved under pressure, and yet he didn't. He held fast, and sought a peaceful resolution of Apartheid at a crucial juncture in South African history. He may have been flawed, but he was also a man who didn't allow passion to dedicate his actions. He calmly lead, following -as BB pointed out- a peaceful path that many thought was impossible at the time. For that, he does deserve to be praised
