I've thought about writing this post for awhile, but I can't even articulate it in my mind, let alone on a computer screen. Race has come up with every South African that I've sat down with. While it would be easy to label most whites as racist, it would miss the point completely. They are a product of their environment, just like we all are. They were raised under an oppressive system. Many of the white people I've spoken with talk of pre-1994 as the good 'ol days, even if they acknowledge the atrocities that occurred. Like the Pinochistas in Chile, or the Franquistas in Spain, they commonly cite personal safety as the primary reason for their negative views of the current government, or even the society at large. When someone starts a sentence with "I don't want to sound racist, but..." you know they are walking this fine line between facing their own realities and blinding themselves of the realities of others. With that said, here are some observations I've made and things I've heard....
from white south africans:
"You don't want to go that route. It's all flat. There are just goats, cows, and blacks."
"If you go to the beach, be careful with your stuff. Whites are okay. Blacks are not."
"Outside the city there are baboons. In the city there are baboons, too, but a different kind of baboon."
"It used to be that the emperor could do no wrong. Now a kaffir can do no wrong."
"We used to have one of the best militaries, like Israel. Then the whites were paid to leave the military. Now our military is useless. The blacks have no idea what they're doing."
"After apartheid ended blacks felt like they should just be given everything. They are lazy and still expect the world."
from black south africans:
"Things are getting better. It's hard for the people still struggling to notice, but things are getting better for a lot of people."
Not one black person I've talked to has talked about the discrimination under apartheid nor the present-day. It exists, no doubt, but their focus seems to be on the future. Many whites I've talked to are also trying to build a better future, facing tough race questions everyday. As in the US, classism is often mistaken for racism. Coloured - those not considered black or white - seem to be comfortable on the periphery of these issues. I haven't talked to many, but one girl who I thought was white had a woman recently say to her leaving a crowded theatre, "Don't touch me you dirty coloured girl." I asked what her ancestry was. Part Swedish, and afraid to research the rest.
In most schools, English and Afrikans are taught. At a public school I visited, they also taught Sotho (the local language of most blacks) and German. They recently dropped Sotho.
While people of all races interact on a daily basis in South Africa, rarely does it extend beyond the workplace or the street. Minibus taxis are only used by blacks. The farmers market is only attended by whites. Everyone is friendly at work, but cultural differences rarely allow for mixing at social gatherings. There I go generalizing again. Sounds a bit like the US actually, but with many fewer exceptions to the rule.
When white people speak of blacks, they refer to them as "the black people." i.e. "To find the right minibus taxi, you'll need to ask the black people." And there it is, my first and maybe last installment of race relations in South Africa. Comments?
