One of the more heinous ideas from history was the notion of “child races”. In the wake of Darwin, late-19th-century thinkers such as Herbert Spencer and Lewis Henry Morgan argued that societies pass through stages of maturation. European societies were cast as adults, while non-Europeans were dismissed as children.
Kipling’s 1899 poem “The White Man’s Burden” epitomised this mindset. How frustrating, then, to see the South African government adopt a similarly patronising attitude toward its own citizenry and their online gambling habits. Recent headlines highlight how much South Africans are spending on this form of entertainment.
Most notably, we have heard from businesses who believe those rands ought to be spent elsewhere. Consequently, there is pressure to bring legal weight to this issue and limit the ability of South Africans to spend their money how they see fit. The government should stay out of our wallets.
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If it objects to grants being used for sports betting, then change the form of social payments to food vouchers. No-one has the right to tell another how to live his life without walking in his shoes. While we may scorn each other’s life choices, in a democratic and open society it really is no-one’s business how another man spends his money.
Should the government proceed to curb sports gambling, it will “take up the burden” Kipling so lamented and “reap his old reward; the blame of those ye better, the hate of those ye guard”. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments toletters@businessday.co.za. Letters of more than 200 words may be edited for length.
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