We should work together!

[antowan]

I see a growing split between black and white in this country. A growing gap that worries me intensely because we seem to forget at either side that our current reality was forged due to our interaction between each other. Western values and endeavour mixed with African labour at first created a country that in the 80s was comparable to the USA in terms of development, even if the development wasn't shared. Some cultural and developmental backlogs prevented black South Africans from effectively dipping into the wealth. Yes, Apartheid had it's role, but I believe the reason Africans all around the continent fail to gain access to the wealth of this continent is due to lack of education and learned ability to use and maximise the wealth found here.

Think of the wealth here as a factory. Without operating skills, you cannot output anything.

Certain developmental backlogs created a situation whereby discrimination became acceptable. It was easier than to extend a hand that could help and uplift.

Now we are in a situation where on both sides there is a huge amount of resentment that could lead to an incredible amount of strife in this country. In the black leadership there is a group that tangibly feels that it is fair to harm or economically disable the white community.

Then there are those in the white community who say this is exactly why Apartheid and segregation policies existed!

What we need in my view in this country is a mutual respect and acceptance of our differences but also an understanding that we are and will move closer to each other for the good of this country. Everybody can mould their own culture in their own private space (which wouldn't require a homeland but rather a virtual homeland protected by government in the minds of whoever feel they are a group within the boundaries of this country. Affirmative Action will not create this environment. Proper monetary spending by the government on the poor will.

We like showing each other examples of how bad we are and I am one of the people who fear for the future of this country if this silent bickering continues. I fear the gap is real and divide is big, but every now and again I see ordinary people who seem to transcend this. People who simply ignore the "rules of engagement" and act like normal people. A community. It surprises me! I don't want it to surprise me anymore... I want it to be a normal thing...

 

[BiteMe]

Antowan, I spent the better half of this mornign reading this thread alone
http://www.iafrica.com/php-bin/forums/NEWS/index.php?topic=507.0

It proved to me that most south africans still have a lot of learning to do with regard to behaving in a democracy. Reading threads like that do not make me happy or positive, but I do acknowledge that everyone isnt like that, but as long as the stereotype exists, people will refer to it and pass blanket statements.

we* all need to grow up.
we* being south africans, blankes and nie blankes.

 

[Gothan]

Friend, I agree with you, but its not going to happen (Antowan's post). It will always be a case between the "haves" and the "have nots". Some of the biggest political and spiritual movements rest on this principal. I am just as peeved about whats happening in this country, I remember a beautiful place to be, with wide open spaces and lots of smiling people, I remember the late 90's when everyone was full of hope and positive for the future, and then it all went pear shaped. Something catastrophic will happen before the playing field will be levelled and people will start over again

 

[Nod]

Unfortunately the amount of people that would like to work together, is by far in the minority.

 

[Jozi101]

WTF

But we've been saying this for the past 13 years. All that we've got in return from white people have been stinkin predictions of how the africans were going to F@*k it all up. I'm personnally tired of walking in on clearly racist moments between my white work colleagues. I'm sick of the way we've kissed so much white @rse, only to be shown the proverbial middle finger in return.

Given all of this though, it's not too late. I can only hope that the whites show some honesty for a change. Yes we have to work together. The alternative is too scary to contemplate.

 

[antowan]

WTF

But we've been saying this for the past 13 years. All that we've got in return from white people have been stinkin predictions of how the africans were going to F@*k it all up. I'm personnally tired of walking in on clearly racist moments between my white work colleagues. I'm sick of the way we've kissed so much white @rse, only to be shown the proverbial middle finger in return.

Given all of this though, it's not too late. I can only hope that the whites show some honesty for a change. Yes we have to work together. The alternative is too scary to contemplate.

I can understand this 100%. This is a tough problem! How do you diffuse this?

Trust me however that there are moments when white people feel the same. Would every person here need to turn into a Madiba of sorts to solve it? I mean I fully understand what you are talking about.

What government says and what it does are 2 distinctly different things. And believe me it is not all bad. They are ripping up old curbs in front of my grandmother's house for instance. That is a moment that made me happy. The government has got curbs on the list of things to fix. Nice one, but they are ripping into the heart of our nation by not setting black and white youths on an equal footing. Even if black youths are at a disadvantage in most cases because of poor education facilities in the townships, etc, you cannot afford to let white youngsters feel ham stringed by AA when they themselves don't even know what Apartheid was about. You are creating a generation of disgruntled youngsters where we could have had a generation of perfectly content university going youngsters by now.

The solution would be to spend more money on the township schools for instance. There will always be various culturally different communities in SA. Well at least for the foreseeable future until natural integration occurs or perhaps not. Whatever the outcome people from different backgrounds can live in one country if they feel free to pursue their dreams!

There is one thing just as bad as forced segregation and that is forceful integration! Let folks find their own way to each other. THEY WILL!!!

As long as you prevent Afrikaner businesses from going big due to quotas or Jewish business from going big due to quotas, there will be resentment. Some communities are extremely tight and when government puts its finger in their noses saying, you cannot cater for your own people in the top positions of that company anymore because now you need 49 or whatever percentage black ownership you create resentment. Some folks are clever and do all kinds of nifty trickery to get government contracts and suck up, but this is so anti-freedom...

 

[Vrotappel]

WTF

But we've been saying this for the past 13 years. All that we've got in return from white people have been stinkin predictions of how the africans were going to F@*k it all up.

I for one hoped that these predictions could be proved wrong (remember the people that voted yes in the referendum did so because they wanted things to change). Just seeing what is currently happening with the DoC, crime, BEE, etc. things are all moving in the wrong direction.

‘Clearly racist moments’ – sorry but this happens with all races. It’s how you react to it that matters. It’s not going to keep me awake at night.

‘I can only hope that the whites show some honesty for a change’ – what honesty are you referring to, and why all whites under the same blanket?

 

[BobbyMac]

WTF

But we've been saying this for the past 13 years. All that we've got in return from white people have been stinkin predictions of how the africans were going to F@*k it all up. I'm personnally tired of walking in on clearly racist moments between my white work colleagues. I'm sick of the way we've kissed so much white @rse, only to be shown the proverbial middle finger in return.

Why kiss anyone's @rse? It sounds like you have personal gripes with people and you should confront these things before they become an issue for you. But then again you are still seeing things in Black vs White, so it probably doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks anyway.

 

[Nod]

I can only hope that the whites show some honesty for a change.

Honesty in terms of what?

 

[icyrus]

Unfortunately our society is currently broken and the only thing that has a hope of fixing it is time. Lots and lots of time. Over a hundred years will be needed. And even then that is not enough, the country needs to head in approximately the right direction for a majority of those years or it will be back to square one.

 

[icyrus]

WTF

But we've been saying this for the past 13 years. All that we've got in return from white people have been stinkin predictions of how the africans were going to F@*k it all up.

What is it that you expected to get or are still expecting to get?

And can we please cut this African crap, we are all African here.

 

[BobbyMac]

Unfortunately our society is currently broken and the only thing that has a hope of fixing it is time. Lots and lots of time. Over a hundred years will be needed. And even then that is not enough, the country needs to head in approximately the right direction for a majority of those years or it will be back to square one.

100 years are many generations - and a lot of water will flow under the bridge.

 

[Jozi101]

Why kiss anyone's @rse? It sounds like you have personal gripes with people and you should confront these things before they become an issue for you. But then again you are still seeing things in Black vs White, so it probably doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks anyway.

You've missed the whole point of my argument. If you go back and read carefully, i said "WE" not "I". Meaning, we as black people (Thanks to Mandela). I don't know why i'm explaining it to you since you've said it yourself that you're neither Black nor White, which means that the Black and white thing wouldn't make sense to you. I suggest you leave this topic to people that aknow what it means. (Apollogies if i mistook you with someone else)

 

[Jozi101]

Unfortunately our society is currently broken and the only thing that has a hope of fixing it is time. Lots and lots of time. Over a hundred years will be needed. And even then that is not enough, the country needs to head in approximately the right direction for a majority of those years or it will be back to square one.

100% agreed.

 

[feo]

Unfortunately our society is currently broken and the only thing that has a hope of fixing it is time. Lots and lots of time. Over a hundred years will be needed. And even then that is not enough, the country needs to head in approximately the right direction for a majority of those years or it will be back to square one.

We'll be dead in 100 years so why not do something about it now while we can still enjoy our country?

 

[icyrus]

We'll be dead in 100 years so why not do something about it now while we can still enjoy our country?

Indeed. We should all try and do what we can to make our, and the people around us, lives better. But my point remains that SA society is broken and nothing but time will fix it. The best we can do in our short lives is try to mitigate the damage it does.

 

[Jozi101]

We'll be dead in 100 years so why not do something about it now while we can still enjoy our country?

That's not even an option. We HAVE to make this place work. Sometimes i have to wonder though if "some" racist whites would be glad if it went under, because then they can turn around and say "i told you so".

 

[BobbyMac]

You've missed the whole point of my argument. If you go back and read carefully, i said "WE" not "I". Meaning, we as black people (Thanks to Mandela). I don't know why i'm explaining it to you since you've said it yourself that you're neither Black nor White, which means that the Black and white thing wouldn't make sense to you. I suggest you leave this topic to people that aknow what it means. (Apollogies if i mistook you with someone else)

So I should not have an opinion because I do not conform to your idea of racism? OMG - you are delusional - you yourself have blanketed everything as "we blacks" not getting what we want despite @rse kissing. What you don't get is as long as you keep this as a Black vs White thing, you will be bound by the boundaries such a classification creates. Working together means you need to shed the classification boundaries - not embrace it.

 

[rwenzori]

Given all of this though, it's not too late. I can only hope that the whites show some honesty for a change. Yes we have to work together. The alternative is too scary to contemplate.

The implication of what you say is to me one of the big stumbling blocks to getting on with each other - viz: the whites are the only ones who are bad, and to be blamed, while the blacks/browns/whatever are completely innocent and have been perfectly moral in their doings over the last however many decades. From my side, I can only hope that the blacks show some honesty for a change, and admit that they are not perfect, did some bad things too, and have forked some things up.

I don't mean any of this as a flame - it is an honest opinion. I'd love to be able to get on, and all I see is rifts widening, and hatred.

 

[Jozi101]

So I should not have an opinion because I do not conform to your idea of racism? OMG - you are delusional - you yourself have blanketed everything as "we blacks" not getting what we want despite @rse kissing. What you don't get is as long as you keep this as a Black vs White thing, you will be bound by the boundaries such a classification creates. Working together means you need to shed the classification boundaries - not embrace it.

Delusional??? How am i delusional???? If i'm not mistaken, this thread was started by someone who is concerned about the very real gap that seems to be developing between blacks and whites (Correct me if i'm wrong). Therefore if you're neither black nor white, it seems only logical that this is not for you. If you really want to comment, please be sensitive about what you say.

PS: You're awfully emotional about this for someone who'se supposedly colour blind.