English Prelim

[Slooth]

Do you think I should be apologetic about AA/BEE?

Why should you be? It's like you passed the law.

Do I have a sway on the issue?

You have a vote and a voice; so yes a sway in either direction

Do I derive benefit from it?

Not sure, are you employed in an AA position; or do you have a company that benifits from BEE?

I don't harbour any hatred towards anyone or any race for that matter whether pre-gen or post gen apartheid population.
My point is that I agree with the author in that race issues are unvoidable. It doesn't help being touchy touchy about it. It happened and it screwed up our society but now we have to deal with it. Avoiding it is not dealing it.

What are you talking about; race or apartheid?

 

[Bageloo]

Not sure, are you employed in an AA position; or do you have a company that benifits from BEE?

I was employed in an AA position. It would be hypocritical of me not to accept responsibilty for AA/BEE (the negative effects thereof) when I enjoy full benefits of it.

What are you talking about; race or apartheid?

Race issues that were created by apartheid.

 

[marine1]

I was employed in an AA position.

Ahh now why am I not surprised?

 

[Bageloo]

Literature is not a sub-discipline of politics or sociology. Great books teach you of your humanity even if you have no concept of their "context". Prescribing supposed "relevant" books is a ploy to try to get some kind of reaction out of the mindless bored hordes infesting our classrooms blowing snotballs at the kid in front. Or to foist propaganda on them, to teach them "correct" thinking. The poem is the poem, the novel is the novel, the play is the play.

What was the point of studying "animal farm" during apartheid ?
As a former teacher I beg to differ with you on your assessement of our children as 'mindless bored hordes'. If that is the case in your school, it certainly wasn't in the schools I went to or schools that I taught at. Pupils were very much politically conscientised. Today's pupils are less politically inclined and maybe the curricullum should be blamed for that. The poor voter turn out is a direct result of the young generation growing up without any political awareness...

 

[Bageloo]

Ahh now why am I not surprised?

Why should you be surprised?

 

[Nom Chompsky]

Well I tested the waters in history...I had to the following for an essay topic. Needless to say, I found it rather easy to pick a country that is not an example for Africa to follow...and no it wasn't Zimbabwe - far too cliche .

Bageloo: I find it rather horrifying that I will have to do constantly make my answers politically correct when I write my matric exams next year.

Topic: 'We have a duty to prove to the world that Africans can conduct their own affairs with efficiency and toleration and through the exercise of good government. We must set an example for all Africa – Kwame Nkrumah' – president of Ghana 1957.

In terms of the challenge made by Nkrumah assess whether Ghana, or any other African country has succeeded in setting ‘an example for all of Africa’ from independence to the present.

 

[Slooth]

I was employed in an AA position. It would be hypocritical of me not to accept responsibilty for AA/BEE (the negative effects thereof) when I enjoy full benefits of it.

I don't follow; was your previous question then retorical?

Race issues that were created by apartheid.

Such as?

 

[JK8]

I don't think race should be a taboo subject. I am against the presentation of one-sided opinions on racial topics.

If you want to give a one-sided piece as a topic for comprehension, don't mix it with a deeply emotional one.

This piece is hardly a 'Cry the Beloved Country'- that at least was almost balanced.

Did you write the exam?

 

[Bageloo]

I don't follow; was your previous question then retorical?



Such as?

Yes, it was rhetoric.
Issues such as inequality, poverty etc. In our country such issues are race related and that, is the crux of the article.

 

[Slooth]

Yes, it was rhetoric.
Issues such as inequality, poverty etc. In our country such issues are race related and that, is the crux of the article.

Well BEE and AA are mean't to re-address that? You're living the life I was during the apartheid era.

 

[rwenzori]

What was the point of studying "animal farm" during apartheid ?
As a former teacher I beg to differ with you on your assessement of our children as 'mindless bored hordes'. If that is the case in your school, it certainly wasn't in the schools I went to or schools that I taught at. Pupils were very much politically conscientised. Today's pupils are less politically inclined and maybe the curricullum should be blamed for that. The poor voter turn out is a direct result of the young generation growing up without any political awareness...

Dunno - I certainly didn't. Probably some political end. Like I said, literature is not a subordinate branch of politics.

My statement about "mindless bored hordes" is not based on my school experiences - that was many decades ago - but on the many job applicants I see who are virtually functionally illiterate. Pupils should worry less about being "politically conscientised" ( free handouts anyone? ) and more about getting off their butts and doing a bit of work. Schoolrooms do not need commissars.

 

[Bageloo]

Dunno - I certainly didn't. Probably some political end. Like I said, literature is not a subordinate branch of politics.

My statement about "mindless bored hordes" is not based on my school experiences - that was many decades ago - but on the many job applicants I see who are virtually functionally illiterate. Pupils should worry less about being "politically conscientised" ( free handouts anyone? ) and more about getting off their butts and doing a bit of work. Schoolrooms do not need commissars.

I think we are both correct but the difference is that we put emphasis on different things. I would much rather have pupils leaving school armed with more soft skills like how to handle emotions, the awereness of society dynamics, how to interact with people at different levels, and so on. Those are some of the major causes of failure in the workplace. Training someone to do the actual work is easy, it's monkey see monkey do. But that's just me, I found so much value out of the education that I received that everyday, indirectly or directly, I find myself utilising a lot of those soft skills and emotional stability that was instilled at school.

 

[koffiejunkie]

Don't most white people feel exactly as he says, i.e uncomfortable with acknowledging that they are part of the race that was responsible for Apartheid?

Actually, no. No one I know does (admitidly, I tend to mix with rather outspoken people). Some (sadly) are even proud of it. But that's different from making it part of my identity. It might be part of the identity of a previous generation within my race, but it sure as hell isn't part of my identity.

This is exactly the same as me as a black person feeling uncomfortable about acknowledging that I am part of the race that is responsible for much corruption in gvt, little service delivery etc. I'm not part of the corruption, or incompetence but just by virtue of being black I get identified with gvt and all it's negative things. The same thing applies when I get a job, most white people assume I got it because I'm black. They assume I'm incompetent and corrupt.

And therefore incompetence and corruption has to be considered elements of your or your generations identity? I hope not!

Can you see now how deep colour runs?

Yes, and the fact that race runs this deep is a problem - it upholds racial devides, it strenghtens stereotypes. If a new generation can grow up oblivious to this, they won't have these problems - it wouln't make sense to them. But we're bent on shoving it down their throats, so sadly, they will also be denied the opportunity to live in a true non-racial society.

Why do you want to shield them from reality?

Again, the issue is not the content, the issue is the poor choice of time and place to present it. If anything, this thread proves that at least one segment of society has a strong and mostly negative emotional response to the piece. This is more than enough reason to keep it out of a matric final paper.