Racism cuts two ways
THE ARTICLE by Nico Koopman (“United in our diversity we can overcome the social ills plaguing our society”, Cape Times, March 2) refers.
Yes there are many isms. Some like altruism, realism, pragmatism,are societally acceptable. Others such as racism, anti-Semitism,are deplorable.
But it is a law of nature – each and every one of us harbours, to an extent, all of the above, some of the above, one or two of the above, in varying degrees.
That is life. What matters is how individuals deal with their intrinsic -ism(s) and the factor(s) that have allowed a racial public outburst and diatribe often made in anger.
Koopman concentrates on racism, advocating that to overcome racial discrimination, society needs to conscientise one another about the subconscious pictures with which we live.
Way back in 2007 President Jacob Zuma, as deputy-president, in a speech said we had to conscientise people to the need of a non-racial society and that we, the general public, needed to conscientise ourselves that racism was a sickness that was utilised by people at the slightest provocation.
And that is how it was then and sadly how it is now. Considering the racist narrative in this country, the view expressed by then chancellor of Unisa, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, in (“Criminalising racism is not enough”, Cape Times, August 17, 2016), once again highlighted apartheid as a contributory factor and quite rightly considering the racial structure and divide so formed.
But in moving on, criminalising hate speech is not a perceived denouement and I have to agree that what is really needed is a radical change in mindset.
People have to change, not just ordinary folk like Chris Hart, Penny Sparrow and Velaphi Khumalo but those in high places as well, including the president who should be in the forefront in fostering good race relations.
There was no rebuke when Zuma publicly blamed all the woes of the country on the arrival in 1652 of Jan van Riebeeck and the white men he brought with him. Nor was a word heard from the luminaries in the ANC concerning Zuma’s pejoratives against the whites in some of his electioneering.
That still lingers and is compounded by a lack of leadership, incompetence, denials, corruption all of which lends itself to a mindset in vulnerable people leading to the final straw that triggers spontaneous outbursts of racial invectives. Stan Sandler Claremont