Fool of the day
Lux chases road rage fool
Not, not a politician as it turns out, but an East London redneck who had a run-in with my sports colleague Lux Mantambo earlier today.Lux came into my office absolutely indignant and furious (quite rightly too) and told me how he had been driving along in East London earlier when he saw in his rearview mirror a young black guy overtake the aforementioned redneck.
The young driver whizzed away and then Lux watched in amazement as the white guy pulled in front of Lux, hopped out the car and then berated him (who had nothing to do with the incident) about "look what happens when we give you k*****s cars!). Lux said this guy used the "k-word" about a dozen times in this short and angry exchange.
Is this idiot living on the same planet as the rest of us? What person would do such a thing in this day an age! I used "fool of the day" only because this is a "family blog" associated with our newspaper otherwise I could think of some more suitable labels.
PS: We have your registration number, my friend!
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September 25th, 2007 - 15:00
I’m tempted to post his registration number as I also made a small video on my phone during a high speed chase that followed (sorry traffic officers).
Just when I thought things were changing in this country, this happens. But I remain optimistic. I can’t believe the country we are living in. I can’t believe I can be held accountable for someone else’s actions simple because we are both k****.
He kept on referring to this guy (driving a black golf) as “your brother” and when I asked him why he was not also his brother he said: “because you are black like him and I’m white, can’t you see idiot.”
I can’t wait for a day when, as the great “brother” Martin Luther King jnr once put it, I would be judjed not by the colour of my skin but by the content of my character in his “I have a dream speech.
If I had contributed into making his man angry I would understand his reaction, but I was just an innocent by-stander who was caught in a racial hatred – typical of SA anyway.
If I had capacity to hate, I would hate that guy, but I chose to forgive him.
Racism is a sicknness, we should pray for the sick.
September 25th, 2007 - 15:29
This is disgraceful but unfortunately not an isolated incident. A couple of years ago my wife, who is black, was called a k**** by a guy who didn’t like it that she pulled out of a junction in front of him so he overtook her and yelled as he passed. There is still stacks of race hatred in South Africa – there are alot of sick people out there.
September 25th, 2007 - 15:47
PS: If you can’t see the embedded video it’s because your company (like ours) restricts access to youtube which is where I uploaded the video.
September 25th, 2007 - 15:54
eish this youtube ban is nuts. Any chance of a campaign to stop this blatant discrimination against video? Is it because we are print media? I am being denied my right to watch your reporter’s news report. Will your blog also be banned now that you have posted a YouTube link? We’ll have to watch this space (hopefully)
September 25th, 2007 - 16:18
Rather than changing names of places, the government should be sending people like him to Antartica without any clothes.
September 25th, 2007 - 16:45
It’s a good thing we have this jerk’s registration number, Lux. I think we should pay him a little visit soon.
Like they used to say in the old apartheid army: “lig slaap”. (Roughly translated as: Sleep with one eye open.”
September 25th, 2007 - 18:10
Sorry Lux my brother! This is what apartheid did to humanity! It destroyed the inner part of our soul, and it will take long, very long to our nation to heal! I presume this was your “first” experience of such emotional brutality! I never stop to pray for the farm workers and others like them who are subjected to that kind of treatment on a regular basis! It may sound like a grand generalisation, but it is true! I think we should trace who it is, name of shame him! Eddie Botha my friend, this is your competency!
September 25th, 2007 - 18:27
When is this immaturity, aggression and blame-game going to stop? How do you justify stopping an innocent person and blaming him because they share the same colour? Will this white man accept responsibility for the atrocities committed by whites over too many moons? Will this man accept culpability because whites engineered and maintained apartheid? No man, no – we cannot behave in this Neanderthal manner; at some point, Mister Aggro, you’re going to have to grow up and take responsibility for your actions. Hopefully you’ll manage to grow older – what if you had stopped another testosterone-overcharged imbecile of the same ilk as yourself? Would the two of you have smashed skulls, broken bones and probably bleed to death all for the sake of your perception that someone else was displaying bad manners on the road? Komaan, grow up, boetie, people (and too often it is the testosterone-carrying gender)who behave in this fashion should be outed. Shame the man, shame this type of behaviour!
September 25th, 2007 - 20:10
Typical white South African mindset.
We cannot tolerate such things in this country. Now that it has happened to a journalist, everyone it talking about it, but the truth is, it happens everyday. Many black brothers are still subjected to that name on daily basis and some whites haven’t changed an inch.
Lux is a typical tolerant South African who is hard to anger. I would have hit the guy with whatever I had at that time.
September 25th, 2007 - 21:34
Expect, your comment is dangerous, generalizing. Many a thing can be said about the black South Afican mindset too. Choose your words carefully my man and think before you accuse a whole nation because there is one villiage idiot.
September 25th, 2007 - 21:49
Hi Mzala, I agree, this registration number should be put in the blog – with his name and address – name and shame him! I’m all for it. This is the type of behaviour that puts as all (and I’m speaking as a white male)to shame. How can we ever expect to be accepted by the majority when we don’t deserve it. Couldn’t some one organise this guy a visa to Aussie land now that we don’t have capital punishment. Is this not a crime against humanity? Mzala, if I get the registration number I will give name him.
September 26th, 2007 - 09:54
I think for people to think everyone who is not dark in skin colour is racist is grossly unfair.
However, it will be shortsightedness and dishonest to believe that that racist is just an unfortunate isolated incident in the new South Africa.
There are many like him, but I refuse to believe they won’t change.
September 26th, 2007 - 09:57
Expect, play the ball, not the man. There is no ‘typical’ ANYTHING. There is no normal, thus there cannot be a norm. So it cannot be typical/normal for anyone to be or do or say anything. If we focus on behviour and not the man, we can debate. Anywhere and everywhere in our society: let us play the ball, not the man.
September 26th, 2007 - 10:49
I’m glad Lux managed to control himself coz this might have been another nasty story “White man attacked in a case of road rage!” I think more people are subjected to this treatment on a daily basis and with the blog, we need to expose these and show the country that they are a reality in our communities. I fully support Eddie that the registration number and name should be put up, name and shame the guy!
September 26th, 2007 - 11:11
Intolerance must be one of the worst afflictions. Society, whichever one, will always have its quota of brainless individuals. All I ask is if a person cannot tolerate another individual, they shut their gobs and keep their prejudice to themselves. Has this man not stopped to think what it must feel like being subjected to such hurtful and senseless comments? If he stepped into the same shoes, how would he feel being on the receiving end of such spite and hate? His intention was clearly to demean. Without knowing anything about him, I presume he enjoyed a royal education, or at least had the opportunity of one. If so, what has that education produced in him? Nothing but a waste…
September 26th, 2007 - 16:02
Well said Brett. With regards to Lux comment, I could not agree more with “it will be shortsightedness and dishonest to believe that that racist is just an unfortunate isolated incident in the new South Africa.
There are many like him, but I refuse to believe they won’t change.” you are correct in stating this, however remember this works both ways, white on black racism, black on white racism. The issue here is that your comment is directed at white on black, which is not always the case, nor the norm. Although I sympathise with you for been subjected to such lewd derogatory remarks, you need to rise above the occasion and not take it personally. This imbecile clearly does not grasp the concept of a multi-cultural society nor on how to communicate with a fellow human being. One must treat another as he would want to be treated. Remember, in life the wheel turns. No doubt, in the very near future, should he be unrepentive or unapologetic for his actions he will be subject to treatment 100 times worse than you received. As for you and your peace of mind, forgive, forget, becuase you are a better person than that.
September 27th, 2007 - 16:20
It is a sad indictment of a society that we still have dinosaurs in our midst. I really thought this species is extinct, but I plead your forgiveness for my ignorance. I think it should be brought to the notice of Racistauris that it is thanks to a black man that this country did not go up in flames. While I abhor racism and feel for my colleague, it must be noted that this blatant racism is still much in our society. It is extremely hard to rid the scourge of prejudice. This comes in all different guises. Always be on your guard. May the force be with you, Racistauris, and I hope they catch up with you and lock you up. Did you not know that it is a criminal offence to use the K-word. Sorry, I forget you are too much of a moron to understand that.
September 27th, 2007 - 17:47
Hi Luxie! Sorry about your unfortunate experience. Can only imagine how deflated you must have felt at the time. And you are probably still now affected by it. But the more you mull over this person’s (dare I even call him that) behaviour, the more you are giving him the benefit of the doubt. Some how or other this fool will have a price to pay. You hold the key, and that is to know you are a better person – by far. While the political landscape has indeed changed in this beautiful country, it is the racial prejudices that wrought so much pain on our society, which still linger unfortunately. This type of thing is probably happening frequently in our city. I myself have been witness to it – on more than one occasion!
September 28th, 2007 - 12:12
there is an email doing rounds in which it is alleged that a manager of Debonnaires Vincent has beaten up his employee in front of customers. The incident seems to be racial in nature from what i could pick up from the email! Anyone who has seen this?
September 28th, 2007 - 13:27
I drive most of the day, and have seen some shockers. We all get a little mad on the road, especially with taxis, but some people take it to a new level.
One incident, though on a personal level made me amazed at some peoples mentality and selfishness.
My mom had to go to SARS offices and as she turned into the street she spotted a parking, and as parking goes this is a rare ocassion.
There was a gentleman in a doublecab bakkie, double parked down the road. He was not indicating or anything.
So she proceeded to turn in, turn off her engine, grab her bag and get out of the vehicle. As she did this he reversed and rolled down his window, ” who the f**k do you think you are lady? he asked, that was my my F**king parking and you better F**king move your car or I am going to break all your windows and kick in your door.”
After trying to argue and terrified by the abuse, my now crying my mom got back in the car and moved her vehicle.
I ask myself, does this guy get a kick out of verbally abusing 50 year old woman and threatening them.
Well done you idiot, it was just a flipping parking. If thats how you talk to your own mom and wife, I feel really sorry for you, you need to deal with your issues.
September 28th, 2007 - 15:07
Bottom line is, some people just don’t have any culture. Brendan James I am sorry that happened to your mom – there is no excusing that kind of behavoir.
Returning home Wed night driving towards Gonubie, some twit in a ‘fancy’ mazda sports car (ok, so not fancy at all) almost runs me off the road. I swerved into the left hand lane just in time and he still proceeds to pull a zap sign at me. Not only that, it was raining so the roads were wet.Turning the corner at the bottom of the freeway just before the Gonubie offramp, lo and behold an accident. How this twit missed crashing into the accident at the speed he was going, who knows, but it didn’t make him slow down.
Thank goodness there are still some of us left who show patience on the road!!
September 29th, 2007 - 06:35
I think we need to design a journalistic experiment where we use road manners and such as a barometre of racism in our city. Anyone have ideas about how we could do this?
PS, SMG, I have also seen this person in the Mazda carrying on a couple of times like a lunatic. I think next time I see the car it will be wrapped around a lamppost
September 29th, 2007 - 19:22
No ideas but judging by the way that men are treating women on the roads, can you include sexism, too? And by the way, for all the testosterone-flooded motorists: science has PROVEN female drivers safer, more courteous and less reckless – so next time you wanna zapp a woman-driver, remember that scientifically you’re the lesser sex regarding good driving behaviour! And quite frankly, I’ll rather do the maximum speed allowance and get from point A to B relatively stress-free than drive a Mazda at 80% plus over the speed limit!
September 29th, 2007 - 20:47
I find myself most distanced from humanity while I’m in a car.
Supermarket aisles can be just as irritating as roads – people park trolleys in the wrong place, they block the aisles, they make unexpected U-turns, they drive on the wrong side, the queues are long just when you need to get home. Yet look into the face of the person pushing the trolley, and their humanness touches yours. A smile and apology defuses the situation. This is a parent, a child, a granny, with needs and feelings just like yours.
But get behind the glassy armour of the windscreen, and I can feel as rude and aggressive as anyone. I don’t see the human being, I see the stereotype. The black in the taxi, the old lady puttering about in the ancient Toyota, the smarty pants artisan in the bakkie, the flash guy in the BMW, the idiot pedestrians swarming like cockroaches in the road. Get out of my way before I set fire to you!
It takes an effort of will to remind myself that these are real human beings, just like me. People in cars deserve the same respect, the same acknowledgement of their humanity, as anyone else.
But it’s tough, damned tough.
September 30th, 2007 - 06:02
you can put his reg no. up on the site, but what good is it going to do just like all other crimes in this banana republic nothing constructive will happen.Lets see if any thing happens with our shady president and his shady police chief.