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Selective morality stimulates racism
Race will always be a factor in a country with a population as diverse as that of South Africa. The challenge is to rid society of the scourge of racism as a social phenomenon. More than 15 years since the advent of full democracy in 1994, we seem to have made little progress with this challenge. Over the next few weeks, "Leadership Intelligence Bulletin" will ask prominent and influencial South Africans to discuss this issue in an attempt to find some answers on how we can deal with the matters as a society going forward. In the first contribution, Kallie Kriel, chief executive officer of AfriForum, argues that selective morality on racism cultivates even more racism.
In the past few weeks, racism has reared its ugly head once again in South Africa.
In the first instance, First National Bank (FNB) refused to allow children of its “white” employees in lower job categories to qualify for the same educational help for which children of “black” employees in the same categories qualify. Shortly thereafter, it became known that two youths had been refused accommodation in the Table Mountain National Park because they are “white”.
The ANC Youth League and other vociferous stalwarts in “the struggle against racism”, however, kept quiet.
Why, one may ask? Because this time, the victims were “white” and not “black”, as had been the case with, for example, the Reitz video?
This kind of selective morality does not offer a solution to racism, but unfortunately rather provides a platform for the development of more forms of racism.
Definition of racism
The origin of the selective morality regarding racism that one comes across in our country, is to be found in some people’s warped definition of racism. According to this definition, racism is an act that can only be committed by people who have so-called means of authority through which they are able to impair others.
The result of this incorrect definition is that there are those who use the economic inequalities in the country as justification for the argument that blacks cannot be racists, as a large number of the poor in South Africa are black. This approach deliberately ignores the huge shift in power balances that has taken place in the country since 1994.
In order to eradicate racism completely, we will have to abandon definitions that safeguard some from accusations of racism.
The myth that only whites can be racists, must be destroyed. In order to attain success in the struggle against racism, we have to move toward a simple definition of racism, namely that: Racism occurs when any person (irrespective of his or her origin) harbours negative feelings toward another, purely based on skin colour or origin; and also when a person treats another differently, simply based on skin colour or origin.
Causes of racism
No one is a born racist. Racism is acquired behaviour, resulting from the circumstances in which a person finds him/herself.
We therefore have to address the circumstances in the country which may make people feel that they are being discriminated against, based on their race. This causes a breeding ground for racist counteraction.
Similarly, the statements by politicians who are constantly labelling one population group as the accused, provide a breeding ground for racism on and against both sides. Those who are accused, may easily feel that they are targeted based on their race and therefore may start erroneously to harbour negative feelings in a generalising manner toward the communities from whence the attacks originate.
On the other hand, those outside of the targeted community may take the attacks to heart and as a result, also lay the blame for all that goes wrong at the door of the targeted community. The recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa to a degree serve as an example in this regard and prove that racism in the country is not restricted to relationships between black and white.
Manifestations of racism
The manifestations of racism can be summarised as follows, without pretending that these encompass all possible manifestations:
· Physical violence: The worst form of racism occurs when it reveals itself in the shape of physical violence. The recent xenophobic violence is an example in this regard, as well as incidences such as farm attacks and urban violence where robberies are accompanied by sadistic abuse. When someone is robbed, it cannot be termed a mere crime if the perpetrators patiently wait for specific victims, ambush and torture them. To cut off the soles of someone’s feet and to burn someone with boiling water (as had happened during several farm and urban attacks) cannot be brushed aside as examples of mere criminality, but rather testify to a deep-rooted hatred toward the victims who are of a different origin than the attackers.
· Emotional violence: To fail to recognise someone’s human dignity by treating him/her inhumanely because of his/her skin colour, is nothing less than emotional violence.
· Economic violence: To deprive someone of opportunities for employment and promotion because of the colour of his/her skin, amounts to economic violence. Even though this may be done by using affirmative action and the eradication of inequalities in our society as justification for such actions, this does not alter the emotional pain and other negative effects that this has on the victim of such discrimination at all.
· Subtle prejudices: The subtle nature hereof does not prevent the negative impact that it has on our society. Subtle prejudices often create the breeding ground for the more serious consequences mentioned above.
Case study: The Skielik murders
Incidents such as the tragic events at the Skielik informal settlement near Swartruggens can be used as platform for either the eradication or the incitement of racism. The unanimous condemnation of what had happened at Skielik provided the potential for uniting the country against racism. Unfortunately, the manner in which politicians abused the situation, probably rather caused an increase of racism on both sides.
Racism against whites: Politically driven statements that specifically portray all farmers and whites in general as brutal tormentors, caused slogans such as “kill the boer, kill the farmer” to be uttered and displayed outside the court in which the Skielik accused appeared.
The role that this played subsequently in the murders of whites has to be examined. By chance (or not?), a defenceless white nursery school principal of Pretoria was shot dead in cold blood the evening after inciting statements against whites had been made at the Skielik funeral. She was no threat to her attackers.
Since then, there have been numerous other cruel murders of whites. This includes the murder of an aged white woman sliced open with a knife.
Racism against blacks: The public furore about the Skielik incident, while the cruel murder of the white woman and other murders of whites elicit virtually no condemnation, cause a feeling of indignation among many whites and have created the impression that white lives are of a lesser value. The resulting feeling of indignation provides a breeding ground for feelings of injustice on a racial basis.
This creates the challenge for all of us to react soberly to racial incidents in order not to provide a platform for racism by means of our actions! This includes our reaction to an event such as the Reitz video and murders of whites.
