"Passion Killing", the danger of popularising the term.

Recently on the social network that the older generation term 'Book face'. I engaged in some verbal sparring with my fellow youths, although geographically separated all the participants in the debate bought such fire that you'd think we were all in the same place screaming our views at each other. No, we weren't discussing parties, alcohol, Brazilian hair or any such nonsense. We were debating the use of the term passion killing.

The term 'passion killing' is actually really good use of categorization terminology. It narrows it down quite nicely like the youth who started the debate said. It doesn't really describe the nature of the killing but the nature of the association between the killer and the victim. It gives away the fact that the killer and the victim were romantically and/or intimately involved, hence the use of the word 'passion'. Another youth suggested we just call a spade a spade and say that is male-on-female violence. I think because the reverse scenario where a girlfriend murders her boyfriend does occur, means the term passion killing fits the bill better. So you can see why the media uses this term, it paints a picture in one headline. Step forward another youth who spells it out loud and clear, "There is no passion in killing". A statement that is true, but this was countered by someone who said that if you look at the word passion carefully, you'll discover that in can be used in different contexts. It is a deep and intense feeling, which is usually but not always positive. You can hate someone with a passion, that being said: the gruesome nature of some of these murders leaves you wondering if the perpetrator ever loved the victim in the first place.

I believe there is a danger to the continuous use of the term passion killing. We must be careful not to over glamourize such heinous acts of violence, it is about time these killings are just referred to as cold blooded murder. Crimes of passion have been known to occur for decades now, but the frequency at which it's happening in Namibia is disturbing. It's almost as if it has turned into a popularity contest, it's now almost a competition for newspaper headlines. We run the risk of making murder socially acceptable, the more killings they are: the more normal it becomes. It could become the same thing with Dirty Kandeshi scenario, where before the practice of young girls dating older men for money and lifestyle benefits was frowned upon and done in secret. Where as in the past it came with all sorts of labels and derogatory terms, it is no longer an act that leads to public shunning. It is as normal as a sunrise, it's now accepted that men will generally be promiscuous and Kandeshi's come with maintenance costs.

It's pretty clear that we have a big problem and burying the perpetrators alive is not going to solve anything. Violence cannot be stopped by more acts of violence. The symptoms suggest that the problem itself is bigger. That intertwined in the high unemployment rate, astronomically high income disparity and patriarchy lies the answer. More answers lie somewhere in the now glaring inability of Namibian men of all races to control their anger, to think rationally when enraged and to walk away from a lovers spat without resorting to violence. The fact is that our society is unequal and dishonest, this has now spilled over and manifested itself in the form of these killings.

The differing views and tact use of English in this debate has shown me that we are searching and are trying to find answers. By going as far as examining the term passion killing we have become conscious of the fact that having these acts of violence now occurring so frequently is not normal and that action needs to be taken starting with ourselves as individuals.