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0 votes
He was a statist, yes, but from what I know I think he did a lot more good than harm, whatever those terms mean to you
Plus it seems he's always leaned on the anti-authoritarian Marxist side, but I could be wrong
by

2 Answers

+3 votes
a. delineating "whatever those terms mean to you" is pretty much what this site is about. if you call "doing good" getting more state protection for people, then there is a disagreement that can be discussed. so you've kneecapped your question by being vague.

b. there is no "anarchist beef" with nelson mandela. he is irrelevant to anarchists. the only reason he would be an issue (as far as i'm concerned) is in a conversation with someone who holds him up as an example of good action, and how non-anarchists can do good things too, which is ridiculous.
liberals argue like that.
the world is full of people who do "good things" while aiming at bad goals (to be stupidly simplistic), and vice versa too.
by (53.1k points)
+3 votes
I don't know a good deal about the man. Generally, I would consider him to be irrelevant and don't have any special feelings for him either way. Not just in the sense that I am indifferent to him but also that the present circumstances in South Africa would suggest that his role as a moral leader was considerably minor. It's highly questionable why he should be especially celebrated over others, many who are currently imprisoned. It's been a year since 43 miners were killed by police at Marikana, with several of them blatantly executed, and that should be of greater concern than whatever Mandela did or said. But that's just one incident. Ultimately I find it hard to believe that Mandela's moral import is anything more than a Lenin type of luster that just misdirects people's attention from reality. His larger than life story is reliable ground for people who will gravitate to that sort of thing anyway. Unfortunately, he is also a figure who can conveniently be made into a sedate caricature of "humanity" much like Martin Luther King, Jr.
by (2.8k points)
Mandela "did more good than harm"????!!!!

May I suggest a bit of critical vigilance before you repeat The Big Lie showered on us by the Mighty Media and all the shitheads   jostling for some voice and position within it.  If you're going to say something  do the research before you come out with such a ridiculous statement spouted off the top of your head. For instance, you could check out these 2 texts on my site:
"Mandela can go to hell!"
http://dialectical-delinquents.com/?page_id=4599
And "South Africa - Now and Then"
http://dialectical-delinquents.com/?page_id=225

As for the assertion of "indifference" or that "Mandela is irrelevant" , this sounds like indifference to the stupid world intensifying stupidity and ignorance globally every day. And hence, it makes your comments "irrelevant". I don't say that just to be rude - it's a question of basic logic -  if Mandela is irrelevant why even mention him?
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