I woke up on election day, my thumbs ready to be inked and itching to say something to challenge people to get up and vote seeing as a friend of mine had just expressed disinterest in politics and thus voting itself.
As I lay in bed contemplating if it would be better to sleep the morning away and vote later, my brother sent me a message; a speech allegedly delivered by PW Botha in 1985. In a nutshell, the speech ( which turned out to be fake) justified why apartheid was good, how whites were superior to blacks as God intended ( yes, God) and how foreign countries supported this concept.
The stuff about black people only being good enough to make a noise and have sex really got my blood boiling. I got so angry that I immediately got up and went to vote in an attempt to prove myself better than what that speech was saying about me as a black person.
In an attempt to cause the same stir in my fellow darkies, I posted the speech to my Facebook. BIG MISTAKE! An Afrikaans friend of mine politely pointed out that the speech is fake and that it was released during the last elections. I didn’t realise that and I admitted as much. We went on to talk about how sad it is that there are still people who carry these principles in our society and concluded that we had no time for racists.
What followed was a heated comment from another Afrikaans friend who was clearly offended by my loading the speech without verifying its authenticity and social irresponsibility at posting something that had little to do with our country’s current issues of corruption etc.
It didn’t end there. This friend went on to post a status on his own wall ( in Afrikaans) in which he encouraged his friends to read what I posted and expressed his disgust ( again) at my irresponsibility. We had some words and I realised something. This guy, underneath it all, felt guilty about what apartheid did to [all] of us. He hated that I brought it up because it triggers something in him as though he played a role in what happened. He had me for a moment; until a number of my [white]friends came to my defense pointing out the white guilt that had reared its ugly head. These guys were not angry about what I’d posted and saw his reaction for what it was – A white guy trying to appear good to everyone so that they don’t see what he hides in his heart.
In a nutshell, I think its time we throw this ” I don’t see colour” rubbish out the window. I am black and you are white and we are friends and most importantly, we see it! Whether you were part of apartheid or you reject its principles, you don’t need to prove yourself worthy to me. I don’t want you to speak my mother tongue and listen to house and kwaito music. I will not be afraid of you because you have a thick boer accent and you prefer your veldhoed and boeremusiek.I, in turn am not going to strive to be polite, or use my inside voice or speak fluent Afrikaans to prove that I have been tamed like a chimp. These are just the masks we put on so that we can survive a night out on the other side of the fence.
[To read some stories of Mixed Race and Culture Relationships, click here]
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“I am black and you are white and we are friends and most importantly, we see it!” This is the problem, because when people don’t see colour, its doesnt even become a discussion nor choice.
Are you suggesting people can get to a point of not seeing colour? Cos as exciting as that sounds, and maybe at some point it becomes true, I do think there needs to be some way forward or solution while people still do see it…
You have not met anyone who does not see colour in other people?
I would like to think that I am someone who does not see colour in other people and I think to a large extent I don’t, but I think to be completely honest there are time and situations when I do even if on a really subtle level. There may be some people who don’t at all but as I said I think there may be a bigger aim than not seeing people as being of different colour which is more along the lines of treating people well even though you are aware of the difference in colour. Trying to be blind to colour might also mean losing out on some of the value they bring as a person of that particular colour although linked to their background and upbringing more perhaps.
I think you should however do an article on Racism to white people and how it seems to be acceptable and alright for the abuse we face on social media because we are, well, white.
You up to writing that one for me, Jo-Anne? Cod it sounds like you have had some unfortunate experience in that regard and I would love to hear some of your story – brettfish@hotmail.com