Walking over the wounded - Mamphela Ramphele

The majority of black people suffer from a deep-seated inferiority complex that affects rich and poor. The humiliation of being told that one is inferior is deeply wounding and infuriating. The lack of self-respect this engenders leads to inward-directed anger – domestic violence, community vigilantism, public violence and other self-sabotaging behaviour.

The denial of mistakes and failures is a common feature of woundedness. Wounded people also tend to be subservient to authoritarian leaders.

Many white people still suffer from a superiority complex; they believe they are entitled to more material benefits than black citizens by virtue of their superior qualities and hard work. Many are paralysed by guilt about past racist practices and feel they have no right to exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens, including criticising majority black governments. The tendency of deferring to authority is strong and deep-seated among white people too. Neither superiority complex nor guilt helps transformation in South Africa.

The lessons of history are clear: if you think of yourselves as helpless and ineffectual, you become victims of despotic governments that become your master.

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Neither superiority complex nor guilt helps transformation in South Africa.

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evilstebunny said:

Well neither does a crook for president, leaders more interested in the size of their bling than running a country and this constant harking about the ****ing color of our skins!

Toss current leaders and vote for ones who wants to fix this country instead.

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Studies all over the world show that corruption is a tax on poor people. Bribes and the withholding of services weigh heavily on them. Corruption and maladministration have reached levels that now define our political culture. President Jacob Zuma said in Parliament that there was nothing wrong with politicians doing business with the government. He is clearly not in touch with the reality of how such insider trading has left poor people destitute – no roads, no water, no schools. Politicians serving their own business interests should have no place in a constitutional democracy.

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South Africans need to complete the healing process started by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and focus on the psychosocial wounds of our nation. We need to link hands – black and white, men and women, young and old, rich and poor and start healing ourselves as a nation. There are wonderful initiatives led by civil society and individuals wrestling with this challenge; what is needed is to identify, coalesce, galvanise and amplify these efforts. We need to generate momentum and demand change in the quality of governance. Middle- and upper-class citizens must stand ready to create pooled resources to speed up the elimination of poverty.

The consolidation of our democracy requires citizens, the corporate sector, civil society organisations and the government to work together to tackle the challenges of transforming South Africa into a success story. We cannot succeed by pulling down the very pillars on which our democracy is built.

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blunomore said:

For the full article, read http://mg.co.za/article/2012-06-21-er-the-wounded

Excerpt that I found interesting :

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TheHiveMind said:

Pretty good article.

No beating around the bush, well articulated, balanced.

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......inequality over the past three centuries...
3rd para - http://mg.co.za/article/2012-06-21-er-the-wounded

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