# Nelson Mandela is a selfish, hypocritical scumbag

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [January 30, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702 "2003-01-30T20:16:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702/1 "2003-01-30T20:16:01Z")

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It seems that Mr. Mandela thinks that: “If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don’t care.”

Gee, isn’t this funny considering the American people are chiefly responsible for getting him released from prison and pressuring SA to end apartheid.

I can only assume that he reacted to 9/11 the way those Palestinians did, by jumping up & down and cheering.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702/2 "2003-01-30T20:30:42Z")

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You would, in this instance, be mistaken:  
[Former South African President Mandela Condemns Terrorism, Warns that struggle for freedom and peace continues](http://hometown.aol.com/sberen2000/mandela.htm).

However, Mandela has long been an opponent of U.S. foreign policy (which helped keep him in jail for far longer than it worked to get him out).

I think he’s certainly out of touch in his current remarks, but he was not “jumping up & down and cheering” after 9/11.

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**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702/3 "2003-01-30T20:43:25Z")

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Paging Baron von Linkenstein? I need _context_, man!

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-is-a-selfish-hypocritical-scumbag/151702/4 "2003-01-30T21:18:55Z")

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[Context Ho!](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/01/30/sprj.irq.mandela/index.html)

Mandela can’t even get basic facts straight; from the article:

> [@](#):
>
> Mandela said U.S. President George W. Bush covets the oil in Iraq “because Iraq produces 64 percent of the oil in the world. What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil.” In fact Iraq contributes to only 5 percent of world oil exports.

Kudos to CNN for the in-article correction.