What Country Has These Crazy Crime Headlines in Only 5 Days?

Welcome to mass murder, child rape, riots, looting and corrupt cops.

Crime is rising globally, a symptom of the slow breakdown of our civilisation. Politicians fuel our complaints, get elected by our anger, and become the crime (making us collaborators).

Often, in the West, mountains are made from mole hills, and real mountains ignored - the ‘Barbie’ movie is not going to change our lives (you fools).

We should keep perspective by comparing our struggles to what others are experiencing. When we complain, we should should make it useful. Complaints, like belief, must be proportional to action.

DEATH LINKS

Before I compare a few statistics, I want you to guess which country had these headlines on 1 news website over 5 days (9-14 August 2023). Read all the link titles before you click anything.

• Suspect caught raping three-year-old in drainpipe

• Six gunned down in mass shooting

• Three arrested in for horrific triple murder

• Shock at mass murder, including kids

• Man appears in court for the massacre of five people

• Five drive-by shootings, five dead, no suspects arrested

• 3 men died in a mass shooting, 2 in hospital

• Woman burnt beyond recognition and dumped in bushes

• Cash-in-transit suspects nabbed after bombing armoured vehicle

• Retail store looted in mass frenzy

• Decomposed body found near school

• Bail application of alleged truck arsonists postponed

• Child rescued after video of mom stepping on him goes viral

• Cops warn of scam after woman kidnapped from shopping mall

• 40-year-old stabbed to death in home invasion

• Cop accused of killing her husband to apply for bail next week

• 7 police officers arrested for allegedly pocketing cash from alleged drug dealer

• Zik sentenced to life for raping girl, 9, after found not guilty of 4-year-old’s death

• YouTuber seeks help after his mom was gunned down in taxi violence

• Investigation launched into death of British doctor killed amid taxi strike

• Ex-President’s release from prison not informed by fears of unrest, insists Justice Minister

• Two men jailed for farm attack where farmer, aged 80, was severely assaulted and his wife repeatedly raped

MY COUNTRY OF PAIN

South Africans immediately guessed its our country but its possible that my overseas readers didn’t. After all, a million ‘Made in the USA’ movies with a trillion bullets have taught us that crime is out of control there - Black folk shouldn’t swim with alligators in case a Hillbilly shoots them by ‘mistake’.

That’s compounded by mainstream media (MSM) and alt media hosts channelling rage to their side of the political spectrum, and making bucks off us.

I’m not denigrating the USA’s obvious opioid epidemic and the unholy collusion between drugs and government etc. I’m just suggesting that relativity be applied for the sake of sanity, solution, and fair media coverage.

When you click the links I provided, you’ll discover that most of the stories were from Durban and Cape Town, and nearby towns i.e., this is only a slice of the bloody pie.

You’ve undoubtedly noted how shallow most of the reporting is. There aren’t enough journalists to cover all the major crime that happens here. Another reason is that life is cheap in South Africa. It’s rare for us to be shocked (yet surprised when it stabs home).

That acceptance is as bad as thinking small problems are bigger than they are. A person feeling helpless doesn’t help themself. A person ballooning a problem is likely to become part of that populism electing the wrong person, becoming as helpless because they gave their power away to have someone else to blame.

We all play a part in our society, either resurrecting or decomposing it.

PAIN STATISTICS

World statistics compare the number of murders committed per 100,000 people. The global average is 2.3. In 2021,the UN released these figures:

• 0.1% Singapore

• 0.2% Japan

• 0.5% Iceland

• 0.7% Australia

• 0.8% Germany

• 0.9% Palestine

• 1.1% France

• 1.2% UK

• 3.8% Ukraine

• 4.6% Argentina

• 6.8% Russia

• 6.8% USA

• 14.0% Ecuador

• 15.4% Iraq

• 19.1% Venezuela

• 21.7% Nigeria

• 28.2% Mexico

• 41.9% South Africa

• 52.1% Jamaica

6,200 MURDERED IN FIRST 3 MONTHS THIS YEAR

South Africa's 2021 figure was a 23% increase from the year before. In 2022, it was up 10%. 2023 is aiming for worse.

On May 30, this year, the headline was 'More than 6,200 people murdered in just 90 days in SA', 245 of them children. That translates into 74 people murdered daily.

Compare that to the USA which has a population that’s 563% bigger. Imagine if the USA, correspondingly, had 34,906 murders in 3 months.

South Africa’s conviction rate is only 6.8%, which makes murder a better bet than slot machines. Consequentially, you’re now 500 times more likely to be slaughtered in South Africa than you are in Singapore - that should’ve been my header.

"588 people were murdered for vigilantism and mob justice."

Those 588 would've included innocent victims and petty criminals, but it's hard to dismiss revenge when there's no one to turn to for help.

For example, the same article states that 10,500 cases of rape were filed during that 3-month period. That's only the tip of the iceberg because most women don’t go to the police. Why delay mental recovery by spending years pursuing justice that will never come i.e., the conviction rate is 4-8%.

Furthermore, there were also 6,192 attempted murders.

RELATIVITY

I worry, but palliate by trying to be alert, by not voting for criminals and opportunistic populists, and by being thankful that I don’t live in Kherson or Port-au-Prince (my heart rips for people in more fucked-up places).

The corrupt politicians and their cohorts taught me to appreciate little beauties:

That good meal I ate at half the pace so that it was double the enjoyment. Thank you, Charity.

The Winter sun thinking its a blanket on my skin. Thank you, Global Warming.

A beautiful bird visiting my concrete and chirping like it’s the happiest day. “THANK YOU, BIRDIE.”