SHE HAS A NAME

[legalbeagle]

Her name was not "Oscar Pistorius's Girlfriend".

Her name was Reeva Steenkamp.

*Slump*

[civilservant]

or "Reeva who?" to anyone outside SA

the only reason why her death becomes international front-page news is because she is/was "Oscar Pistorius's Girlfriend"

[malumbu]

Do you remember when Eric Clapton's child fell out of window to his death? They never used the name of the mother, who sadly was there at the time. It is even quite hard to find her name on line - Lori Del Santo

Eric Clapton's son's mother was in the appartment at the time....

[Mick Mac]

How do you know her name LB if the media didn't tell you her name?

Anyway, if she was not his girlfriend, she'd be just another of the 50 murders a day in South Africa that you don't hear about and never know their names.

[Michael Palaeologus]

To be fair, all the coverage I have seen gives her name ... and the fact that she was Pistorius' girlfriend.

I had never heard of her before she was shot dead by a more famous athlete.

[the-e-dealer]

I bet Oscars Pistoffius!

[legalbeagle]

Unsurprisingly all the men contributing to this thread seem to have missed the point.

[the-e-dealer]

I haven't

[legalbeagle]

No, you've just made a "joke" about the death of a young woman, which makes you not so much confused as an utter prick.

[Otta]

LB, I get the point, but to be fair, a woman killed in SA wouldn't normally make the news over here (neither would a man). It is "news worthy" on an international basis because of who has shot her.

Not right perhaps, but at least she's not another nameless gunshot victim who barely gets a paragraph in a South African newspaper.

[Otta]

Just to add that there are plenty of people killed in our own city (let alone country) who we never hear about.

If a female athlete had shot and killed her boyfriend, I strongly suspect that he would be described as the boyfriend of the famous athlete, with his name as an afterthought. I don't think this has to do with sexism.

Either way, a sad story and a waste of life. I hooe that it was a horrific mistake, but the number of shots certainly looks very bad!

[legalbeagle]

"Reeva Steenkamp shot dead by disabled boyfriend who is now charged with her murder".

Why haven't we read that headline?

Because celebrity is more important than anything. Because even in death, a bright talented woman cannot be accorded equal status to her boyfriend if he's famous. Is this a story about running fast or about murder? The extent to which we are happy to peer at his fall from grace, and not care at all how she is devalued, plastered across front pages in a bikini, is shocking. And of course I only know her name because media mentioned it. What a non point that is. I only know his name through media too.

[oimissus]

every report I've read has named her - I see what you're saying but the fact is, if she wasn't his girlfriend it wouldn't be front-page news.

It's a dreadful tragedy whatever, a waste of 2 promising young lives.

[Wilhelm]

Just asking... Anyone commenting on this thread South African?

[legalbeagle]

Oh and Otta you're right, I'm not making a point about sexism. It's about celebrity. Although violence against women by men is of course far more common.

[legalbeagle]

Oimissus, that's the point. We report because of celebrity, not crime. And in doing so we accord her far less respect and equality than she is due.

[oimissus]

but realistically, why should the world be interested in every murder in South Africa, a country that has way more of its fair share of murders? Whereas it's completely understandable that the world is shocked by Oscar Pistorius, a man who has overcome his disability to become one of the greatest athletes in the world (disabled or otherwise), being accused of such a dreadful crime. Of course every murder is appalling, but you can't expect them all to make the headlines, especially in other countries.

[legalbeagle]

WHY WOULD THE WORLD BE INTERESTED IN EVERY MURDER IN SOUTH AFRICA????

Christ. THERE.

Right there is the problem.

[civilservant]

I think I understand now what you're trying to say, LB

But am still perplexed about many things - why you think this young woman is more worth getting het up about than all the other (nameless and un-reported) women who make up the murder and rape stats in SA - or in this country for that matter?

How do you know that she was 'bright and talented'? Why should that make her more noteworthy - shouldn't she get equal attention if she was a dimbo?

She gets on the front page because a. she was linked to Pistorius, b. Pistorius is newsworthy and c. she looked good in a bikini.

Just as Prince Harry's sillinesses make the news because he is the Queen's grandson. End of story. Not worth being beastly to TED for.

[oimissus]

you really think that everybody in the world should be interested in every single murder? Wow, you must have a lot of time on your hands.

Sorry, what is it exactly that you want everyone to do?

[Wilhelm]

Again... just out of interest.. anyone commenting on this thread from SA?

[Otta]

With regards celebrity I agree 100%, but I have to say that your earlier posts suggested (to me anyway) that this was a gender thing (hence your comment that all the men had looked at it in a certain way). I still believe that if genders were reversed it would be the same story, but yes, that goes with the celebrity thing.

And yes, it's sad that some murders make headlines whilst many more don't. It's the same with other crimes, like child abduction for example. I don't know why some are deemed more news worthy than others, but there is too much crap that goes on in the world for us to hear about it all

[Otta]

civilservant, LB was not beastly to TED.

[legalbeagle]

She is not worth more than other victims. She's a current example of a victim. I've read interviews with her that made me conclude she was bright and talented though were she not academic or have any notable talents (bimbo? Please...) my point would be the same. Your points a b and c are exactly right and exactly what is wrong.

Beastly? Be sure to be just as understanding when a "joke" is made about the death of someone you love. It's symptomatic of the problem. Better to focus on the celeb and make a quick pun?

[civilservant]

'dimbo' not 'bimbo'