Nelson Mandela is not as great as people make him up to be

Fair enough, if you read my past debates you'll understand that i seldom argue irrationally, but i digress that is besides the point. I must also acknowledge that i respect what Mandela has done as a person, he has certainly acheived what most men will never achieve. Furthermore note that this debate is not meant as an insult to Mandela it is merely a criticism towards how people worship Mandela and overrate his heroism. Lastly i wish him a speedy recovery in this time where he faces great tribulations with his health. Enough with the plesantaries time to debate.Hero: person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities:http://oxforddictionaries.com...1)The basis of my argument is that Mandela was not truly a heroic firgure, he did what was necessary given the situation he found his country to be in. There is this whole notion that Mandela forgave the "white men" for imprisoning him for 27years. I beg to differ, given the economic climate South Africa faced post apartheid where the "white men" literally ran the economy, De Beers for example possibly the biggest company in South Africa during that period was run by the "white men". This was understandable because during apartheid only the "white men" were given the opportunity both politically and socially to excel economically. Even universities where preserved for the "white men" and good high school. Clearly the scales where tipped in the "white men's" favour. Expectadly this resulted in the "white men" not only running the economy, but also providing the necessary skills required for the economy to run smoothly (professionals are always required for any economy to function well).During the period right before apartheid, naturally the "white men" (i quote these two words not in a racial manner, but to potray the differences in the treatment of race that existed during apartheid. Furthermore i use the word men not in a sexist manner, but to potray the most economicaly and socially dominant gender during apartheid) became a little anxious and nervous about what would happen when a black leader took over. I mean who wouldn't be. Fear based theories arose "when the blacks take over, they'll kill us all" kind of sentiments. "They will exact revenge for what we have done". Revenge is a natural human reaction to being mistreated, but often times it tends to be irrational. Mandela being a law graduate (and we can assume a rationalist on this very basis) simply realised that exacting revenge on the "white people" was not rational, as it would result in the exodus of a large number of the white population and with them a lot of professionals and people who actually helped build and sustain the economy. This had nothing to do with forgiveness or acting in a heroic manner. He did not exhibit noble characteristics he merely realised that plunging the country into economic chaos would not be good for his leadership, his name and the country.Mandela realized that exacting revenge on the "white men" would probably result in South Africa being isolated by other countries, sanctions would be issued out. This "opinion" is backed by the situation in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe a man once seen as "another Mandela" in the making, exacted his revenge on the "white men" in Zimbabwe, albeit for political reasons in so doing isolated his country, condoned his country's economy to obscurity and destroyed his legacy.Nelson Mandela was no hero, he was smart, he had the foresight to see flaws in revenge. He had the foresight to preserve his legacy. 2) Another common misconception is that Mandela ended Apartheid therefore he is a hero to every African (although whites and indians alike can also be African for the purpose of this debate i use African to refer to the Black African), this is far from true, he was merely a part of the mechanism in place to end apartheid, single handedly he did nothing extraordinarily, he did not "highlight" the plight of the Black South African. Many other leaders where imprisoned with him. But that's besides the point (although it is also relevant). Mandela was arrested for sabotage and for confessing to a plot to sabottage the state of South Africahttp://news.bbc.co.uk...This is as heroic as the hypothetical man who tried to bomb the white house and claims to be doing it in an attempt to sabotage the U.S.A and liberate it from the corporate enslaving machine that is running the country. Both these men would have a point a very valid one at that. But they cannot be regarded as heroes for one fundamental reason; they did what is against the law, Treason is defined as The betrayal of one's own country by waging war against it or by consciously or purposely acting to aid its enemieshttp://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com...Is this what is meant by heroism, a treasonous act that allegedly helped highlight the plight of the black South African, if it truly helped highlight the plight of the black South African why did it then take 27years for him to be released. And what of the other 7 people who were charged with him, did they receive as much recognition as Mandela? (His co-accused included: Walter Sisulu, Dennis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Mosoaledi, Andrew Mlangeni - all ANC officials and Ahmed Kathrada, the former leader of the South African Indian Congress. )http://news.bbc.co.uk...And what about FW De Klerk, Mandela played no role in influencing this man to literally sign away his rulership, he simply realised that the world was changing and the world was against them. We no longer lived in a world of racial intolerance and as with all things it is either you adapt or you die off. Once again this had nothing to do with Mandela's "charisma" or heorism, but a lot to do with rationalityIn closing i leave you with a quote form Mandela's ex wife Winnie Madikizela Mandela"Mandela let us down. He agreed to a bad deal for the blacks. Economically, we are still on the outside. The economy is very much 'white'. It has a few token blacks, but so many who gave their life in the struggle have died unrewarded..I cannot forgive him for going to receive the Nobel [Peace Prize in 1993] with his jailer [FW] de Klerk. Hand in hand they went. Do you think de Klerk released him from the goodness of his heart? He had to. The times dictated it, the world had changed, and our struggle was not a flash in the pan, it was bloody to say the least and we had given rivers of blood. I had kept it alive with every means at my disposal"http://www.standard.co.uk... This page: Share: On this page Word Browser Advertisement (Bad banner? Please let us know) The betrayal of one's own country by waging war against it or by consciously or purposely acting to aid its enemies.