Let's talk nicely

Every once in a while I'm lambasted with people telling me to go and tell my stats to "insert victim of horrible crime here" and see what they think.

And yes...when I reflect on how they must feel when they read my site I can easily empathise and see what a horrible callous smug little arsehole I must seem like.

I recently responded on http://www.sarocks.co.za/ to one such accuser...

Mr Rooster,
Maybe you should go sell your statistics to the families of these:http://www.boerevryheid.co.za/voorblad/menseregte_skendings_boerevolk.html
people.
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Dear Werner.

I could find you examples of murdered and grieving families in any country in the world. It's a tragedy and the perfect murder statistic would be zero and we should strive for that. I'm as anti violence as anyone and I can't imagine how terrible it must be to lose someone you care about or yourself to such a senseless disgusting act.

So here's my defence.

You know the most effective tool to fight violence ?

Giving people something to lose. And the best way to do that is socio-economically. The best way to stop violence is to improve living conditions and we won't do that unless we attract foriegn investment and tourism.

South Africa has less tourist murders a year than Australia and we have twice the amount of tourists. For a reference to this please click on my "archive page". So it's not irresponsible to do this. Tourist money potentially offers massive jobs and income. And the benefit of foriegn investment speaks for itself. And indeed the two go hand in hand. The gross majority of people who come to South Africa are amazed at hos distorted their view on africa is and they spread the good word back home and it snowballs.

Now everytime someone paints a gory sensationalistic picture of the crime in S.A it's doing exactly this : Chasing away foriegn investment and tourism and hurting the country. In effect this makes South Africa a more dangerous place and increases the chances of such a senseless crime happening again.

So I argue there is definately a place for calming everyone down to a dull roar and asking them to think and speak rationally about the country. Don't paint rosy pictures and if you were a victim of a violent crime by all mean I would never dare assume tell you how you ought to react.

And to those who weren't a victim. I know all the sensationalism the media feeds us because I experience it everyday. Hopefully this little site of mine serves as a mild counter balance to some of fearmonger going around. Don't let fear cloud your judgments. There's a great potential and lifestyle to be found here and god knows even the most cynical hateful of South Africans living abroad would never ever deny how painfully beautiful this country and people are. That's of course what really hurts....the feeling that someone forced you to leave this paradise.

So again. To those who've suffered trauma I urge you to understand that I'm not pissing in the face of your suffering. I'm just trying to fight for the 99 962 out of 100 000 South African who won't get murdered this year. Without foriegn investment this resource rich and brilliantly creative country simply can not suceed and overcome our issues. And at this junction with the world's eyes on us it's imperative someone makes a stand against the doomsdayers.

There's just too much at stake otherwise.

(ps : To the www.zasucks.com people ...if the positive thinking picture makes you sick, take sollace it was said by fellow anti zionist Henry Ford.)