i do not know all the answers.
Let’s start there, shall we. This is not a post from the guy who knows all the answers, trying to make you feel bad because you don’t. In fact, at the moment i’m really just working on trying to figure out the right questions.
I’m not expecting you to have all the answers, and i’m not claiming that you do and that you’re ignoring them or a really bad person for not jumping into action and putting everything right. None of this is about that.
When i post a rant about the ridiculous amount of money that football players get for being transferred from one club to another and you jump in with your statement of, “Yeah, but the football player doesn’t see that money. Most of it goes to the club.” as if you are suggesting that the poor football player is barely keeping his head above the breadline…
When i speak about the idea of ‘White Privilege’ and how we need to address some of the imbalance that still exists between black and white [and others] in this country and you are quick to defend with a statement about how it’s okay because “the blacks stole it from the khoi and the san” or something that looks more like, “i worked hard for what i have, so do you just want me to give it up?” as if the wealth is now equally distributed in our country and as many white people are caught struggling to even make enough for a daily meal as black people…
i am not wanting you to take the blame and admit that everything wrong in this country is your fault…
i am not even wanting you to take partial blame and say that anything that is not great in this country is your fault…
i am not asking you to give up everything you have, sell it and give the money to the poor…
i am not expecting you to have all the answers we need to fix government and education and service delivery and more…
and i am not even expecting you to have one answer to one problem and feel the responsibility of getting that one sorted…
All i am wanting to hear and see from you, right now, is for you to be able to look at the picture of wealth standing alongside the picture of poverty in South Africa and to be able to utter the words, ‘That is not okay.’
This is not acceptable. It is not good. Something really needs to change.
i feel like if we can just get to there, that will be such an excellent starting point for everything that is to follow.
“I want to be part of that change.” is the war cry i would like for us all to work towards after that.
But can we just agree, when we drive to the airport in Cape Town and look to our right [if we can pull our head out of the sand, long enough to do so] that ‘That is not okay.’
Do i know what to do? No. [Although i may have some ideas to start us off and know people with ideas]
Do i need to ‘fix it’ all myself? No.
Do people with money need to feel bad? i hope not. i have money. so only if we are not using it well, i guess.
All i want to hear from you as step 1, is whether you think this is okay or not. Reply in the comments.
My name is brett “Fish” anderson and i do not believe this is okay!
[For other South African related posts and taking this conversation forwards, click here]
My name is nicole joshua and i do not believe this is okay!
You are right, it is not okay. We should never think that it is okay.
I have been reading your blog for a little while and this is the first time I am replying. Forgive me if my thoughts seem a bit scattered. I think it is brilliant that you point inequalities out and highlight potential blind spots for many individuals, myself included in some respects. However, there might be a temptation to look at those pictures and say, ‘it’s not okay’ and not think of it again. Apartheid was a well planned system to bring about wealth for a small population. It was 30/40 odd years of systematic exclusion that will not be able to be fixed in the short term.
There needs to be systematic changes, even with our current government, as that is probably the only way for sustainable change. The problem is that this is not a ‘sexy’ solution as much patience and hard work is required. In some ways I don’t see the privilege that I have is a bad thing, as long as I use it appropriately and don’t abuse it.
These are just some quick thoughts, if it’s incoherent babble then I apologise. I look forward to further posts…
Thankx Garth, i appreciate you stopping by and your thoughts. I agree with a lot of what you say although am not sure waiting for the government to do their job is going to be the solution [don’t know that you were suggesting that but just saying that while we wait for systemic change to happen which definitely needs to, there is still much that the ants can be doing to move the country forwards] and i have been having a lot of conversations which no doubt you will have seen on race and reconciliation and things like that so i think that is a good start
This post came out of the belief [sad that it may be] that this [the whole ‘this is not good enough’ bit] is not where everyone is, maybe not even manyone – as you say we can get passionate and say ‘Hell no’ and a week later be back to normal and nothing has changed. But the starting point feels like it has to be “okay this is not enough” – if everyone was to acknowledge that, then we’d be able to move forward a lot easier so at least trying to put that question in everyone’s face and get a response feels like a good foundation to have.
Once we see who acknowledges that it is not good enough then i guess we get an idea of what kind of army of change we might have at our disposal and then it gets more exciting as we move to conversation and positive action.
love brett fish
I completely agree that we can’t wait for government. I think as Christians, there is a responsibility to engage with those in authority over us, in a constructive manner and to be apart of the problem solving process. (Ie Daniel, Nehemiah etc)
My question from this post would be what is the next step? I agree that we need to start somewhere, but there needs to be a vision for where we are wanting to go right? (before we can gather an army?) Otherwise we end up wandering a desert.
Thanks again for creating space for this type of discussion.
Totally not okay. In any way whatsoever. Doing my best to work with what God has put in my hand to be a part of the change.
it is not ok. I think the poor will always be among us and this should not be about trying to get everyone into the “middle class” bracket but it is not right to have people starving and lacking the very basics that make them human. I also think that the church is a great vehicle for the alleviation of poverty as it can provide a holistic approach (Kingdom, community and providing for needs) – very young thoughts of mine, but I like the way you have approached this, please keep unpacking this… love G
My name is Thomas and I fully agree that it’s not ok!
“With great power comes great responsibility.” I love that line from the first spiderman movie! I think a decent first step is for all of us to including our leaders and especially me look at what motivates us and be willing to admit that probably 90% of our actions are based out of fear and fear leads to hate. The accumulation of wealth is the fear of not having enough, the buildup of huge militaries is the fear that the other will not see my humanity and want to kill me. It is crazy and sad to me to see this playout all around the world–we see it in your home Brett in Capetown, it plays out here in the US and Israel and Palestine and…well everywhere. It is not okay!
Love trumps fear and that needs to be our starting line. However, that is easy to say and looks great on paper. Love is hard work and takes practice–being made in the image of our creator we would think it would be instinctual for us to act out of love but we don’t, at least I don’t.
Like you I have many more questions than I do answers–thanks for the post : ))
It’s really not OK
My name is Alexa and it’s not okay
It’s not OK.
[…] steps back in this ongoing Race and Reconciliation conversation we’ve been having over here with this post trying to see if we could all agree that the incredibly out-of-proportion extreme gap between rich […]
If you work harder than the next person, generally you will be able to afford more. If you stud to be a doctor for seven years and work long hours, chances are you will have a house with a pool. If you are simply “romantic” in your shack and have 5 kids you cannot afford, then you will unlikely get ahead in life. You will always be expecting (kids and handouts – excuse the pun).
Moral of the story don’t be expecting and expecting handouts.
So my answer is IT IS NOT OKAY to expect without working for it. Why should the hard working people have to pay for those who sit all day and pomp all night? Where does it end?
Chris, i wonder if you realise quite how racist you are – sweeping generalisations about black people making babies and those working hard making money and becoming wealthy are not true or helpful. A lot of the point of this conversation has been that the starting line for a lot of black people is way way behind the starting line for the majority of white people [at the moment, in the middle of a system generated by white people which was inherently evil and destructive – what are your thoughts about apartheid as a system?] and so it’s not as simply as ready, set, go and look the white guy made it to the end faster – because apartheid created a huge divide and inequality and because that hasn’t been sufficiently addressed, it is not okay to compare the two people because they are not like things and because the white -fostered system created the di vide it is up to the white privileged ones to be part of repairing and doing what we can to make sure the starting lines are closer together.
I think Chris has a valid argument. They do have more kids. They do receive more grant money. They were always behind as they did not have the wheel. Probably 3000 years or more behind Europe.
Are you for real? 3000 years behind Europe? How beautiful a thing the internet is that we can jump on comment threads and make ludicrous statements hidden behind anonymous personas. Check your racism at the door, bud.
Wow bud. Europe with ships, navigation, chariots, wheel, sewage works, government, roman law, science, technology, and much more. SOUTHERN AFRICA: Spears, fire, Leopard skins, no written language. Don’t be emotional about it, it’s a fact. People need to lay down the facts. That is where inequality started. Not apartheid. Wake up bud. Sorry to burst your fantasy liberal bubble. Debate? Yes no?
It’s easy to make lists of positive things. You want to add guns and bombs and other destructive devices on to the first one and suddenly the picture changes a little. The extended community and concept of Ubuntu that Africa offers over the individualism and pushing others down so i can succeed of Europe and the West, i could go on. You have to take a holistic look at both to realise that each group/community/country/nation has its strengths and weaknesses. i mean in essence you’re suggesting white people are simply better than black people right? Will you go ahead and say it as directly as that?
Replying to your post regarding the myth of Ubuntu. It’s kinda like communism neh? Shaka Zulu slaughtered thousands and even his own people. Is that Ubuntu? All Africa tribes were warlike.
I’m not sure how that is different to the Europeans who invaded Africa and other islands killing the local inhabitants and making them slaves and treating them disgustingly. Your history is very selective.
No difference. Just technology. And that supports my argument of inequality due to technology.
1. Black and white both the same when it comes to war. Shaka did it, Zulu vs Xhosa etc. The same with Europe. Only difference is spears or guns i.e. Technology
2. Culture: The blacks due to living in close proximity had to have an ubuntu type culture where they share more. Europe had it too in the tribal days. They both had kings or government.
The problem of today is:
1. Overpopulation among the blacks mostly. They have too many kids that they cannot support. The tribal mindset that someone else will look after them prevails.
2. Tribalism – expecting from others. This leads to laziness.
I am intrigued by your thoughts Jim and Chris.
1. If the difference is just technology, then why with all the tech these days has that gap not disappeared? Surely access has a role to play and Apartheid systematically and systemically ostracised one group of people to the extent that for every R1 spent on Education for a white child, R0.17 was spent on a black child and education frequently stopped with partial completion of primary school. No matter how hard you work it is very rare for someone with a Grade 7 education to out earn a tertiary educated individual. Thoughts?
2. Culture, you realise that the modern shanty town started in Cape Town after an outbreak of the plague and the Bits decided that the cause was the ‘native’ population (and not the rats that came from the European countries) and forced them to live in Ndabeni, then Langa. Thus removing them from society – they were not even included in health stats before WW1.
The combination of poor education and being shunned from regulated society that lead the ripe soil for Apartheid to grow in later years. Thoughts?
3. The laziness issue is often misconstrued from my understanding, the unemployment rate is those who are looking for and wanting to work, but not able to find it. The combination of lower education and increased technology in the workplace leads to less unskilled labour being required, so what work must they do? If they try to start a small business they, at best have a 20% chance of success after two years as the government is too focused on large businesses than on supporting small and medium businesses. So tell me, how hard must they work?
In the shack you get free power, food, healthcare – free time – FREE TIME to sit about and have sex. It is NOT OKAY. The people in the nice houses have to pay thousands in rates and taxes. They have to work long hours and if they fail they are dead as there is now AA and BEE. It is not okay to always have to part with our hard earned cash. Wake up and get some balls. Stop pandering to the victim mentality.
Thanks for taking the time to reply Chris.
Firstly, I think that is a very skewed look at the people who live in townships’ lifestyle. My earlier point about the employment rate is that these are decent people, like you and (hopefully) me, who really do want to work, whose desire is to provide for their families, regardless of how big or small those families might be. My experience, limited though it may be, is that those who reside in townships leave home earlier and arrive home later than I do, but we arrive at work at the same time. I think those that have ‘free time’ as you put it are in the minority.
Also, I think as a Christian, I should not just accept the plight of my neighbour but help in anyway that the Holy Spirit prompts and leads me to, no matter how uncomfortable I might be with that, because I know His plans for me are good.
They don’t receive free healthcare, only pregnant women and children receive free healthcare from the State. The rest pay according to a pay scale, you are entitled to those benefits as well by the way. (if you used State facilities.)
Lastly, you are right, it does take balls to address the problems of this amazing country. My goal is to lift up those at the bottom not pull down those at the top as you assume in your post. Thank you for the reminder of the challenge.
Thanks Garth, appreciate you taking the time to engage and much more clearly than i have been able to. Keep on
Love brett fish
So for every white, we pay about 7 people’s free electricity, health and food. That is swak
[…] i took the race/reconciliation conversations on my blog a few steps back to try and find a starting place that most people would be able to acknowledge: Just Say, “It’s Not Okay!” […]
I think its okay to get what you work for. If you don’t work, you don’t get. If you work, you get. Its like in the animal kingdom – no difference with us humans.