Times Of Swaziland: WHAT IF I WAS OSCAR?

WHAT IF I WAS OSCAR?
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The editor on 13/03/2014 01:27:00


Sir,
Most of us when we think of Oscar Pistorius forget that he is partially
paralyzed, we always think of Oscar Pistorius the athlete and forget that he
doesn’t have legs. That means he is probably more insecure and much more
afraid than an able-bodied man.
The able-bodied man, when he hears a strange noise somewhere in the house, will
grab something -  a wooden spoon, a frying pan, a cricket bat – anything close
by and then go to investigate.
If he does find a burglar, he will wrestle him with his hands and feet to disarm
him or beat him to a pulp or both; doing this to protect his home, his family or
his girlfriend.
Oscar, with no feet, is at a disadvantage because he cannot wrestle a burglar on
his stumps and it takes time to put on his prosthetic legs.
I don’t think when he was training for the Olympics he would time himself as
to how long it takes to put on his legs or his blades.
So, I get it. I get why he would shoot first and ask questions later. I get why
he would grab his gun before he can press the panic button to activate the alarm
system; and let’s face it, the police and the security companies take long to
respond to emergencies.
I am not saying he should not pay for his crime but I am saying the punishment
should maybe be lower because he was probably temporarily insane and very
afraid.
Sizakele Dlamini