Today I read a blog post (article) that many of my Facebook friends have shared. It is called “I am a racist” written by a woman who writes on the blog “The Frida Factor.” For some reason, it hasn’t been sitting easy with me since I’ve read it. It’s been bothering me so much that I have decided to write about it.
She starts off by saying:
“A South African artist called Brett Murray has been causing a huge stir since his painting of South Africa’s President titled 'The Spear' was put up in a local gallery. The ANC have worked themselves up into a total frothy about the painting and their biggest issue with it - It’s racist. ???????”
Now, racism has been a hot topic over the last few weeks and she is by no means the first person to bring it up. I just feel that she uses the big issue of the moment to launch into a tirade of, well, rants really. Good for her, her message is out there. I’m not going to even consider talking about the painting and the saga around it because that could go on forever. I would, however, like to address what follows in the article.
A lot of what she says I agree with. Like the fact that the terms “racist” and “racism” are brought out far too easily at times. The classic “race card” that some people use to get the upper-hand in a situation where there seems to be no other way of coming out tops. However, it goes a lot deeper than one person calling another person a racist. Unfortunately, it does become a race issue when the white kid who lives 2km away arrives at university in the new car he’s just received from his parents for his 21st, while the black kid has been awake for several hours commuting from the outskirts of Cape Town. It becomes a race issue because that is how the apartheid government structured the living areas and income opportunities. When someone calls you a racist, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you use the k-word and own slaves. What people see is the vast difference in the quality of life afforded to them.
Already there’s a certain feeling towards somebody who has more than you and is in a higher social standing than you are. Bitterness comes out. Then there’s the feeling of “why do I not have all of this?” Sometimes what you experience when being called “a racist” is all sorts of built up emotions and the end product is resentment, bitterness and anger. Yes, apartheid is over, but if you look at the townships, who is still suffering? Many white people maintain that they did not fight for apartheid and that they cannot be held responsible for the actions of the previous government. True. But look at what you have and look at what the black people in the townships have. Not one white person I know can come up to me and tell me that they have not benefitted from apartheid. Whether directly or indirectly, the majority of white people in this country are reasonably well off because of the regime that was in place back then. I’m not saying that it is your fault, I’m just stating facts. It’s convenient to forget that.
Already there’s a certain feeling towards somebody who has more than you and is in a higher social standing than you are. Bitterness comes out. Then there’s the feeling of “why do I not have all of this?” Sometimes what you experience when being called “a racist” is all sorts of built up emotions and the end product is resentment, bitterness and anger. Yes, apartheid is over, but if you look at the townships, who is still suffering? Many white people maintain that they did not fight for apartheid and that they cannot be held responsible for the actions of the previous government. True. But look at what you have and look at what the black people in the townships have. Not one white person I know can come up to me and tell me that they have not benefitted from apartheid. Whether directly or indirectly, the majority of white people in this country are reasonably well off because of the regime that was in place back then. I’m not saying that it is your fault, I’m just stating facts. It’s convenient to forget that.
This is probably the part where I say: “I’m not racist, I’ve got white friends…” True. I’ve got white friends, black friends, “coloured” friends. “I don’t see colour…” Bullshit. We all see colour. Unless you’re colourblind. Even then, you can tell who’s black and who’s white. I get along with people because they are people. On a human level. The writer she says that she’s not reacting to things because the person is black, but because they are doing something that she disagrees with. I think that that is perfectly acceptable. I don’t suffer fools gladly either.
None of the readers were around when any of the events took place, so we are in no position to be the jury. What does need to be taken into account, however, is the way the situations were handled. There are many people who walk around with a perceived superiority complex and seem to rub people up the wrong way. The example of the husband confronting the woman about throwing the fast food packaging “less than 10cm from a dustbin,” could be interpreted in so many different ways. Here’s a black woman who decides she wants to get rid of her packaging and does so by littering, which is wrong. A white man (I presume) walks up to her and confronts her about her littering. From what I gather, the man is not a law enforcement officer, just a passerby. She then proceeds to call him a racist.
Now, from this woman’s perspective, she is “reprimanded” by a white man – two levels of power in the past, white and male – and she is expected to be okay with this? Can you even imagine the thoughts that are going through this woman’s mind at that particular moment? Possibly all the things that I described earlier: resentment, bitterness, anger. I’m not saying that she was correct in calling him a racist, but the outrage about the words have taken away the reason she felt she could say that in that moment. These are the things that are not being addressed in our society. Until it is, white people are going to do things that black people don’t like and they will be called racist, and vice versa.
None of the readers were around when any of the events took place, so we are in no position to be the jury. What does need to be taken into account, however, is the way the situations were handled. There are many people who walk around with a perceived superiority complex and seem to rub people up the wrong way. The example of the husband confronting the woman about throwing the fast food packaging “less than 10cm from a dustbin,” could be interpreted in so many different ways. Here’s a black woman who decides she wants to get rid of her packaging and does so by littering, which is wrong. A white man (I presume) walks up to her and confronts her about her littering. From what I gather, the man is not a law enforcement officer, just a passerby. She then proceeds to call him a racist.
Now, from this woman’s perspective, she is “reprimanded” by a white man – two levels of power in the past, white and male – and she is expected to be okay with this? Can you even imagine the thoughts that are going through this woman’s mind at that particular moment? Possibly all the things that I described earlier: resentment, bitterness, anger. I’m not saying that she was correct in calling him a racist, but the outrage about the words have taken away the reason she felt she could say that in that moment. These are the things that are not being addressed in our society. Until it is, white people are going to do things that black people don’t like and they will be called racist, and vice versa.
“I swear being a white person in this country can be very bloody exasperating at times”
I don’t think that it was necessary to include this line in the text. To be honest, it’s exasperating to be any person in this country at times. I’m not convinced by this “we are victims” crap that some people seem to repeat as a mantra. Taking on the label “I am a racist” is not helping anyone either. The writer feels like she is hard done by and is therefore going to take on a new persona as a racist. Sarcasm doesn’t solve problems! Come to the table with solutions instead of coming across as a drama queen that's throwing a tantrum. I have seen so many attacks in the text, with no suggestions on how to move forward. I think that this is the problem that we have. We are all so outraged, and the next day we go about our lives in the exact same way. The writer has had her rant, and I presume that tomorrow she will go back to her normal posting.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we need to be open to learn about each other in order to have a chance at understanding each other. Let’s communicate on a human level – enough of this “us and them” mentality.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we need to be open to learn about each other in order to have a chance at understanding each other. Let’s communicate on a human level – enough of this “us and them” mentality.
Great stuff and thank you for sharing your thoughts. Racism is real and perceptions of racism are also real. But I agree with you that if we use the "you are a racist" label we are not really solving anything, just as denying being racist is also not really helping us. When Sampie Terreblance wrote about the benefits to whites through the apartheid system he received truck loads of scolding and yelling. Of course we benefited from apartheid, and of course we grew up on a racism-breastfeading. You are right when you say "we need to be open to learn about each other in order to have a chance at understanding each other." I read the other day this quote: "If you want to be understood, listen!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Chris. I think for as long as we don't talk about why there is racism, it will always be there. That being said, I believe that it is up to my generation to get these talks going. Many people of my age group have said that they had no part in apartheid, so there's nothing to talk about. I think, however, that we are the best people to talk about it because we are the first "free" generation. We do need to develop the maturity to learn about one another. The only way it is going to get better is if we are able to understand each other and co-exist as humans instead of blacks and whites. Addressing and understanding each other is an important first step.
DeleteI read the "I am a racist" article, and my hand was hovering over the "like" button, yet something kept stopping me as I felt the same way you have expressed - there is no solution suggested, that this a ranting article, that even though the author has the right to express her opinion, by posting that article she just added fuel to the blaze.
ReplyDeleteI have learned something from your post and appreciate the point of view. I've recently noticed how my behavior can easily offend (blacks? Is it offensive to say blacks?), I work around a lot of black people and sometimes it gets so exhausting to sensor everything I say because my words can so easily be perceived as racist. But you know, your example of the woman littering and how she probably perceived the man's comment, truly spoke to me. I can see what you meant with the superiority complex and am ashamed to say that a lot of reactions directed in my direction now makes a lot more sense to me! I can so easily do or say something that I now understand can be seen as snobby. I will try to do better in the future.
So overall, I enjoyed this well written article.
I would however love to question you on something you didn't express an opinion on, that was mentioned in the "I am a racist" article. Do you agree with BEE and the statement that it is "ruining businesses across this land"? You mention the lad who's been awake for several hours commuting from the outskirts of Cape Town, while the white kid who lives 2km away arrives at university in the new car he’s just received from his parents for his 21st. I think that by saying something like this, you are falling in behind the author of the other article. I say this because you cannot in this day and age still have this viewpoint. I myself arrived at university on a bicycle because my parents couldn't afford a car since my dad lost his job because of BEE. However, I know a lot of black people that lived in those really nice apartments just outside the university and still drove very nice cars. Is this a result of BEE? Obviously. So what you must realize, is that its been 18 years, most people you meet now have been affected by BEE and there are a lot of poor white people and a lot of rich black people. Yes, some people are still extremist who will think that they are better than others, but that's not true for the majority. If you continue viewing whites as spoiled and rich and that, when they confront you they are in fact "reprimanding" you, well then really all arguments we make will be futile because in your eyes we are not arguing, we are preaching. So yes, situations could in the future be handled better, but if your opinion isn't changed, whites can try as hard as they want and still come out as racists.
Thank you for your feedback, Rita. I'm glad I could provide a different lens for you to see certain situations through.
DeleteAs far as BEE is concerned, I stayed away from it because I don't completely understand it. Unfortunately there is a very long head start that white people have in this country economically. Whether BEE is the correct way to rectify that, I don't know. I do, however, agree that measures should be taken in order to even the playing fields, so to speak.
What I was illustrating with the example that I made about the white kid and the black kid merely shows the gap between the wealthy and the poor. There are exceptions to every rule, of course. But the fact is that white people own more than black people do in this country. The so called white areas are placed in the most convenient parts of the country. Its a real observation. I'm not viewing whites as spoiled, but previously advantaged. Inter-generational wealth. I.e. wealth passed from generation to generation. Its obviously not true for every single white person in SA, but it is reality for many white people. The black student sees that and there's immediately a level of inferiority.
18 years into a democracy is still very young. We went from white people being superior to black people for many, many years to constitutional equality. For many years during apartheid, it was considered normal for black people to be considered as less than human. Now, everything is supposedly equal. It is impossible to expect that everything should be normal. Its going to take much longer than this.
"Unfortunately, it does become a race issue when the white kid who lives 2km away arrives at university in the new car he’s just received from his parents for his 21st, while the black kid has been awake for several hours commuting from the outskirts of Cape Town."
ReplyDeleteA really stupid statement to make, considering I had to study my ass of just to qualify for a student loan in order to get into a University. My parents were poor, so I did not have this nice car you talk of, but had to either walk, use a bicycle or hope that there's some kind of lift club just to get to class.
It is not a racist thing, it's an income class thing, and it affects everyone across the board, regardless of colour, so don't even dare make it a race issue.
Only through working my ass off, and making smarter choices than my parents, can I see a light at the end of the tunnel, where I can perhaps one day provide a car for my kid at the age of 21, and a better quality of life than I had.
That being said, it's only possible if the fucking ANC government doesn't fuck it up for all of us.
Unknown, please read my comment on Rita's post above yours.
DeleteWhat you don't seem to grasp is that it's a never-ending cycle. Once the ANC falls, which it eventually will, the next political party will feel the need to rectify the wrongs of BEE, and thus just add to the imbalance even more. Let's say they decide that Indians have been wronged, and the end result is IEE, as an example.
DeleteThe have-nots will always envy those who have, and that will never change as it's part of human nature. I agree that 18 years is a young democracy, and the fact that the ANC is still in power only proves that, as most their voter base either vote with resentment towards whites, or have been indoctrinated to such an extent by their parents that they can't see the facts staring them in the face.
Fact is though, that kids born 18 years ago, who went to public school, are on the same playing field. Another fact is that those kids, who want to blame inequality for their inadequacies, are also the same kids who sat at the back of the class, fucking around and making a joke out of their education. They will end up breeding into poverty, teaching their kids that it's apartheid's fault that they live in a shack, and so the cycle continues.
No amount of talking about the subject will change that.
I completely understand your viewpoint, and I agree with you to a large extent. As I mentioned in my previous response, I avoid talking about BEE as far as I can while I try educate myself about the logistics of the system. I don't want to talk about something I that I am ignorant about!
DeleteI do, however, agree that the "have-nots will always envy those who have" because the world is structured in that way. If everyone lived on what they needed as human beings, there would be plenty to go around. As Ghandi says: "there's enough in this world for human need, but not for human greed." That goes way beyond black and white.
But during apartheid, the "greedy" people who literally took land away from black people were part of the apartheid government and happened to be white. The resentment is based on real issues such as those. Some don't understand the resentment because as far as we are concerned, we are all equal now.
Instead, what I would like to see in my lifetime is everyone reaching a common understanding. No, just talking about it won't solve anything, but talking is an important first step. Talking to each other instead of about each other opens the door for understanding. Understanding each other allows us to change our mindsets and be able to communicate with more than one perspective in mind. Think about it, if we all have a basic understanding of each other and what makes us tick, we can "sing from the same hymn sheet" and create action to move forward in a way that is beneficial to everyone. Its about reaching compromises instead of one group dictating what should happen. I have the audacity to believe that it is possible.
With regard to your statement about the kids born 18 years ago being on the same playing field, I have to disagree. The black kids who went to previously white schools or private schools are on the same playing fields as the white kids at the same schools. Any person from a school with no lighting, prefab classrooms, minimal resources etc is by no means on the same playing field as someone who who attends a "Model C" or private school. Black or white. I was fortunate enough to have attended good schools growing up and I have been to poor schools. There is absolutely no comparison. That, however, is a completely different topic
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DeleteOkay, by saying during apartheid the "greedy" people who took land away from blacks happened to be white. In that same manner, Joe Average white guy can turn around and say all the "barbaric" "savage" rapists who would kill a farmer, and abuse his wife are blacks. Once again, the cycle continues.
DeleteSorry, but I can't agree with you on the schooling issue. You say that a child who goes to a school without lighting, prefab classrooms etc, receives a lesser education than a child who goes to a school with such "luxuries".
The classroom doesn't dictate what the teacher teaches. The classroom doesn't predetermine the passion that teacher has for teaching the subject they're assigned to. The classroom doesn't determine the curriculum being taught.
All said and done though, perhaps this is what our generation should aim for, in order for our kids to reap the benefits. http://www.thevenusproject.com/
Ambitious and ideological it might be, but we all know that the current system is falling in on itself.
I believe that everybody has a right to their own views, whether this is by 'ranting' from "I am a racist" to the very well put point of view given by young_realist (well done by the way!), Unknown also has an exceptionally good point to make, so here is mine ....
ReplyDeleteDoes the past give anybody the right to behave badly, break the law, use violence (whether by words or by actions) to resolve the issues?
Does living in the past and blaming the whites for everything wrong in your life make your life better?
Does blaming apartheid give you the right to kill people in your taxi because you can't be bothered to obey the laws of the road?
Does it give you the right to bring up your children in hatred - making sure that they too will not improve their lives?
Does it give you the right to assume that all whites are rich - most are actually not RICH, just doing the best they can with what they have?
Does it give you the right the throw litter on the floor because you cannot walk 1 more meter?
Does the past give you the right to behave badly and blame others for your behaviour? Or, is living in the past just a cop out to ensure that you do not have to work towards your own improvement?
Should we not rather all work together in improving everybody's life, should we not question the inefficiences of our government, should we not look at tidying up our own lives before pointing fingers at somebody else's life. Should we not consider that having six children that we cannot afford to educate or feed is part of our problem
Anyway..... just some of my thoughts.
Thanks for your thoughts, Emma. I've just responded to Unknown and I think you will find my opinion on a lot of what you talk about in that comment.
DeleteA very well put article. It does, bring issues to light that "I am a racist" neglects and I feel better having read it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I simply feel, as you have said in your article, that "I am a racist" is a rant. I had a bit of a chuckle and didn't take it seriously because it was nothing more than someone letting off some steam.
The reason I probably did not take offence to the article ("I am a racist") is probably that time to time, I have felt those same emotions. I cannot condemn those who do find offence with the article though, as I cannot fully understand their position and world view.
A question though, in your version of what may have happened in the littering story, you say that the black woman sees the white man who reprimanded her (or may have politely asked her, we actually we have no idea) as a symbol of oppression. Do you feel that this is an appropriate response? When ever I try tell a black person something, should I expect this response and just learn to deal with it? I do see your point that it is an understandable response, and I agree, but I ask you is it an acceptable one?
If your premise is true and that this type of response is one of many that results in a white person being called a racist then I feel that people have a long way to go in our country. Calling someone a racist because they are the same race as/ a symbol of other racists is rather ironic. Yes, this sort of racism is not that serious and that is why the response of white people is not taking to the streets but rather a silly rant in the form of "I am a racist".
Thanks for your response, Tyrrell.
DeleteWith regard to you comment about the littering story, I was trying to stand in that womans shoes in that situation. You will have noticed that I put "reprimanding" in inverted commas because, as I mentioned, none of us were there at the time. I wanted to illustrate that the words "you are a racist" did not appear out of nowhere. I don't think that the response was appropriate, but i do understand why she would say it. As we know, words are very powerful and unfortunately in this situation, it was the choice of words that were put under a microscope. By no means am I saying that you should "just learn to deal with it" if it were to happen to you.
Perhaps ask that person what it is that you have done that makes you a racist? You probably won't get an answer immediately, but you have planted a seed in that person's head and it is likely that they would think twice about calling the next person a racist. I know it seems idealistic, but you will be leaving that person with something to think about instead of just issuing a knee-jerk response.
Hi Mr Young_Realist, I tend to call myself a young idealist but I think we are actually quite similar :)
ReplyDeleteIt emerges through this post and all the comments that we need to take responsibility for our behaviour - all races. White people like me need to take responsibility for how we may be perceived, good intentions or no, and be willing to acknowledge that WE make a mistake too when someone misunderstands us. It quite probably shows that we have a cultural blind spot that we better work on. And black people who respond inappropriately to what might be a simple gesture surely also need to take responsibility for this. May I suggest that as long as you allow your actions to be guided uncritically by psychological hurt, you are avoiding becoming a fully empowered person.
Ultimately, black people overcoming psychological pain is not my challenge, I must respect them enough to let them do that for themselves. (Though I'm very interested in this, and I'm honoured when my friends of other races trust me enough to mention their struggles to me.) Though it is ultimately not in our hands, there are two things any self-examining white individual should do towards helping SA overcome its psychological scars. One is to delegitimate the mindsets that perpetuated oppression. Many of our voices are heard easily, so we white people have some power/responsibility in this regard. We must state unequivocally whenever the opportunity arises that Apartheid was a crime against humanity in both intention and implementation.
White people also need to acknowledge that they still benefit from Apartheid. It doesn't help standing in front of an impoverished and unemployed 20-year old coloured guy and saying "gosh wasn't the past bad?" It's a no-brainer that I benefit today: one generation ago, a struggling farmer's five children all got to study at university, and one of them is my father. But I'm sure other white people will also see it if they look closely at their parents' stories. And given this acknowledgement - draw your own conclusions about how to live your life today.
This said I’m talking here about personal individual racial misunderstandings between South Africans. We need to solve the structural shit but we should do that while growing as much as possible as individuals, so that we can solve it maturely. Growth enables growth, so start with yourself.