A few graduating law students thought it would be funny to use the killing of Oscar Pistorius’ girlfriend to illustrate how they, as future lawyers, would be getting people like him “off” for the crime they commit.

The above poster roughy translated means, “you shot your wife and we pulled you out of the shit” (in Maltese it rhymes which is probably why they chose this glib phrase). The students also put an asterisk in the word hara (shit) because, you know, it might be considered offensive driving around  all over the island with that word splashed on the back of a bus full of graduates.  I guess these legal minds cannot grasp irony, and did not think it would be offensive to make light of the shocking murder of Reeva Steenkamp, for which Pistorius was sentenced to a mere five years when the judge found him guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.

When many, like me, expressed their shock and dismay at the poster, a number of law students came out in full force defending it, claiming we had no sense of humour, that we were being judgmental and holier than thou. “Come on! It’s just a bit of fun after all the stress of exams, can’t you take a joke?” Others completely missed the whole point about why people were objecting.  I found some of the comments so lacking in compassion that it took my breath away.

Something is very, very wrong in our society if we have to EXPLAIN why using a woman’s murder to celebrate one’s law degree is the height of bad taste.  Sure, as someone pointed out, that is the job of criminal lawyers, to defend people accused of murder and other crimes, arguing their case and defending them to reduce their sentence or even convince the judge or jury to return a verdict of “not guilty”.

But to gloat about it? To trivialize domestic violence, make criminality glamorous and flaunt the fact that lawyers can get men like Pistorius a laughable sentence through legal arguments and loopholes?  That speaks of a callousness and cynical mindset which is disturbing in those who are still so young. Someone called them naive, I call it cold-blooded and lacking in empathy.  One person commenting on the long thread on my FB said that when she graduated in psychology, a fellow graduate wanted to create a poster saying “Your dysfunction pays my bills”. Thankfully, this suggestion was shot down.  It makes me very uncomfortable, however, that university students would even begin to think that something like this would be remotely OK.  Are they so obsessed with making money that any thought of ethical behaviour is considered nerdish?

There is humour, there is black humour and then there is “humour” which so completely crosses the line that it should not even be up for discussion. When it comes to joking about serious issues, context is everything, of course, as well as the mood of the general public. In a country which has seen its share of viciously murdered women and girlfriends, and a culture which is still very misogynistic, I am still waiting for someone to enlighten me as to why this kind of crime should be deemed appropriate and “hilarious” enough to be used by up and coming lawyers. I also found it significant that these students were careful not to use a local example of a Maltese woman murdered as a result of domestic violence in order to come up with their side-splitting joke. 

Of course not, they would not dare.  Just as I imagine none of them would dare turn this poster into a T-shirt, translate it into English and wear it on a visit to South Africa.

Speaking of T-shirts, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, the image on the T-shirts worn by some graduates had Lady Justice depicted as a naked woman using the sword (symbolising the power of reason and justice) as a strip pole.  Really? Seriously?  Future legal beagles who objectify women as sex objects…nice.

These are the real concerns which should occupy our politicians when it comes to ensuring that hateful, sexist speech against women is not normalized and rendered acceptable. It is also pathetic that when one objects against such things one is sneered at for being a prude and narrow-minded, an accusation which is so wide off the mark that it simply reinforces my conviction that our whole education system needs to go back to the basics. Too many graduates are leaving university with a string of degrees and a naked, hungry ambition to make loads of money, but no real sense of what is right and wrong, and no clue as to what is considered ethical, appropriate and fitting in a given situation.

Unfortunately, it does not help matters when they look all around them and see that those in positions of power are hardly providing the best example.