Oh, I agree. I’m just trying to suggest there might (just might) be cultural reasons for the word he chose (not the sentiment).
A parallel: remember GWB innocently referring to people from Pakistan as “Pakis”? To a domestic audience it was fine, but to Europeans it looked like racism. Simple cultural misunderstanding.
TwistofFate, I am not sure of your point but comparing mandela with “alot of C18 and fascist scum in Europe” who “refer to Arabs as ‘sand niggers’” does not make Mandela look any better.
In my book it was a very ignorant and stupid thing to say and the reason he said it is inexcusable.
I wonder how the displaced Ethiopian Jews living in Israel feel about being called “white?”
sailor, I agree that it was a stupid thing to say.
I was just using an examplae that some groups will only see white as white, and everyone else as black.