Jacques Rousseau
Jacques Rousseau teaches critical thinking and ethics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Lotter trial: Satan (or maybe God) made me do it
The trial of the Lotter siblings for murdering their parents will resume in March 2012. At that point, we’ll hopefully start hearing evidence which corresponds to more reasonable hypotheses for why they committed these crimes, instead of tales involving tokoloshes and demonic possession.
Helen Zille on HIV
Helen Zille’s desire to criminalise HIV, and require mandatory HIV testing is an understandable reaction to a national crisis. But the required policies would not only be illiberal, but probably also ineffective.
Tori Amos at GrandWest Arena
Tori Amos came to the GrandWest Arena, and showered us all with magic fairy dust. Or demonic soul-powder – it’s difficult to be sure.
More on Foschini’s sexist T-shirts
Drawing a line between hypersensitivity and justified affront is sometimes rather difficult. And while outrage is easy to manufacture, and difficult to ignore, the fact that someone is offended doesn’t mean that they are justified.
Sensationalism, morality and the media
We get the society we deserve, in that we are that society and it takes on the forms we encourage. What the public is interested in is not equivalent to the public interest – and it’s the latter that gives newspapers licence to broadcast what would otherwise be details of someone’s private life.
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