There are two sides to a story
For a moment let’s look at the Spur incident from a different perspective. I watched this video in horror, read social media comments and heard different opinions in conversation and I have come to the conclusion that the idea of the rainbow nation is a fake dream that was sold to us, but the marketing was so impressive that we forgot to take off the rose-tinted glasses and we bought into the whole concept hook, line and sinker.
One side was so quick to want their transgressions forgotten, they bought into the idea and were so desperate to be part of a society that had rejected them for so long that they claim to have forgiven long before they had made peace with what they had endured.
It may sound pessimistic, but the recurrence of the “is it because I am black?” rhetoric is evidence that the population still has a sensitivity when it comes to being attacked, be it verbally, physically or emotionally.
It is not victim mentality. It is us trying to understand the basis of the attack so that we can defend ourselves appropriately.
Not all black people will ask that question, but that is because the apartheid hangover affects us all in different ways. We may be twins, but how we wake up the next morning will be different because individuals and their experiences are unique.
I agree we cannot pull the apartheid card till kingdom come. At some point we need to move on. But we must afford those who are scarred by the era of racial segregation the opportunity to heal … their sensitivity may not be understood by all and sundry, but neither can their suffering from the forever lingering effects of apartheid.
From the non-black perspective, I can understand how exhausting it is for people to have to keep apologising for a place and time, actions and words spoken that they had no control over and were not active participants in.
A born-free is not only categorised by colour. The term doesn’t only refer to blacks but also applies to coloureds, whites and Indians. Why are white children being made to apologise for the actions of their great grandparents, their grandparents, maybe even their parents?