Ramphele's reported comparison between Hitler and Malema runs afoul of Godwin's Law

 Mamphela Ramphele (Credit)

According to media reports Agang's leader, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, used a public lecture at a high school to compare the leader of the newly formed Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, to Hitler and Mussolini.

Ramphele, who holds both a doctorate and a medical degree and is a self-styled public intellectual, should know better.

Comparing Malema to Hitler and Mussolini is not only racist it is also seriously misguided in its ignorant disassociation of what those two fascist leaders did to brown, black, poor and Jewish people.

Hitler massacred millions of Jews, Roma, black and brown people and gays across the globe.  Mussolini was not too far behind Hitler in terms of the absolute death and destruction of humanity he wrought.

Julius Malema (Credit)

Julius Malema is just a controversial character who is burdened by his own not too astute political motivations.

To compare him to Hitler is to run afoul of Godwin's Law that, in part, warns loose canons not to draw comparisons with Hitler and, thereby, reduce the veracity of his despicable weight on the overall consciousness of humanity.

If you read some of the online comments by mostly white South Africans you will find a general lauding of Ramphele's devious and bereft nonsense.

One commentator said she "called a spade a spade" and another said they were seriously considering voting for her in the forthcoming general elections.

This News 24 comment in particular boggles the mind and gives some insight into white South African sensibilities:

Stefan Van Der Spuy - August 7, 2013 at 09:56

"Hitler was highly intelligent, albeit with a warped brain. Juju only has the warped brain. That probably makes him more dangerous than Hitler was."

What absolute hogwash.  Ramphele should be repudiated for engaging in low-brow character attacks motivated by playing to the sensibilities of mostly white voters.

In so doing she has advanced the curious racist political agenda of making Malema the character upon whom white venom is released.

And, in leveling her unwarranted and provocative attack she is engaging in hate speech which under the Bill of Rights of the South African Constitution, is illegal.

I am not a fan or a supporter of Malema - not even in the days when he was an African National Congress (ANC) member.

But I have over time recognized how his public persona has been re-constructed or redeployed to do the business of whiteness in South Africa.

In effect, making racist comments about Malema and poking fun at his intelligence is merely a thinly disguised characterization of all black Africans.

By comparing Malema to Hitler and Mussolini Ramphele gives too many white South Africans more reason to reinforce their racist dispositions and woefully misplaced victimization in the post-apartheid era.

But then again, Ramphele could probably care less since she hardly exists outside of whiteness and its political affirmation.

Still, she must be called out on her not-to-deft understanding of what South African politicking should look like.

Onward!