Moral Responsibility of White South Africans

Five years ago my Philosophy Professor asked me to come up with a problem I intend to deal with in my Thesis. I took a week thinking about this and finally came up with this problem that is as old as human conflict is; "The moral responsibilities of former oppressors to the formerly oppressed". This topic was to help deal with reparations beyond money,land and other material imbalances. This was to explain to previous oppressors that their oppression of a certain people did more than just strip them of their material possession.

My Professor explained to me that this topic was too broad as it speaks to all oppressors and former oppressors, it needs to be specific to a certain group or class of people that can be seen as oppressors or former oppressors. Thus I then changed my topic to "The Moral Responsibility of Former Oppressors to the Formerly Oppressed: A South African Case Study". In my mind however the topic has always been straight forward and clearer than this. It was "The Moral Responsibility of White People to Black People in South Africa" but being in a Philosophy Honours Class of about 10 or 11 and being the only black person, two or three Indians and about six or seven White people and a white professors facilitating the debates and discussions, I had to thread carefully lest we start getting too personal (Needless to say, it did get personal, it is personal and will be for a very long time).

It is a fact of our history that White people have Oppressed Black people in South Africa for a very long time. For over 200 years, the identity of a Black person has been decided and defined by the White person. The social position of a black person and also the social positioning (geographic), the opinion of a black person and his thinking has been in the control of a White person. The way black people have negative opinions about themselves and hold the views of a White person in higher esteem only speaks of the legacies of Apartheid. This is a phenomenon very common among the Black people who have grown up during the period of Apartheid or before. They do not argue with a White person and even if a White person makes the most silliest of comments, for these anachronists, it is an opinion worth considering and they will not hesitate to applaud it.

My fear is that this mentality, the legacy of Apartheid and slavery, is perpetuated in to this generation and the next generation of born-frees, the free thinkers through the living old-timers. When a young White man or woman will shout at an elder Black man in the presence of young people whether Black or White, they pick the power relations especially since we know that the elderly Black gardener or kitchen lady will not retaliate or even defend themselves. To a non-critical mind of a young kid, such experiences can be corruptive as they shape the worldview of this young person. Such corruptive behaviours are also common in subliminal levels where during a group discussions in a professional setting you will find that when the Black person speaks everyone is very critical and doubtful and when the White person speaks the audiences faces are relaxed and welcoming.

The moral responsibilities of White people living today, in my opinion is to help us Black people eradicate all legacies of Apartheid especially those legacies that interfere with the Black person's establishing of his/her Identity. The Black person's Identity does not have to be defined relative to that of the White person. It is independent of the White person even though its strength has been in history tested by the White person.
White people are responsible for ensuring that their children do not grow up believing that they are in any way superior to Black people. Because they are not! In any way. We do understand how it can be difficult at times as when President Jacob Zuma is on TV delivering a speech or the EFF is busy disrupting Parliament it might slip out sometimes and you find yourself saying in front of your kids "black people are so stupid, look at this guy he can't even read and they make him a president" or " These baboons are a bunch of clowns, they don't deserve to be in parliament, they should be in a Zoo". Such utterances are disruptive to the progress of this nation as they may shape how that young person in your presence perceives Black people or even shape their opinion of Black people.

White people need to actively change their opinion of Black people and remember that whatever they think of Black people now was a result of the actions of their forefathers. It was negative opinions that your parents and theirs before you where raised with in order to make them insensitive to the plight of the Black man, women and Child. In order to desensitize them from the injustices that they would grow to witness under the Apartheid government, they were made to believe that Black people were incapable of behaving human and therefore not deserving to be treated human . When the battle lines are drawn you will say anything to your army so they do not hesitate to fire at the enemy when the time comes, and that includes making them believe the enemy is less human than us. Black people and White people are no longer at war in South Africa, there is no longer a need to for making soldiers of our kids. You do not need to encourage a negative perception of Black people to your children any longer, keep your old opinions to yourself.

To the old generation of black people, we understand that you have grown up at a different time. We understand that you were taught to respect white people and to never question their authority regardless of their lack of expertise in the case in question. We hear it in your voices when you sing their praises in their presence over something as simple as a definition of "water" in a Chess class. We see your apologetic smile when a white person addresses you and we hear you say thank you for nothing. Speaking to a white kid as if you are addressing your elder, that does not scream humility to us, it screams "broken by Apartheid". We do understand, the scars of Bantu Education cut deep. Our problem is that you are disrupting our progress as a people claiming back our Royal Status in this world. We can not be seen singing praise to those who fail to recognise our contributions to the human race. We need to sing out loud our own praises, shout out our names so loud that they cannot help but recognise what they have been missing in their times of seclusion.

To the Black people who have lived and suffered Apartheid, please leave your Apartheid mentality behind and get with the program. We hear you saying White people are more organised and less corrupt than black people, that comment is not helping us get better. You can admire the other team but you will not qualify to play with them or for them until you have proven and convinced yourself that you are as good as they are or even better. There are a lot of "Uncle Ruckus's" out there who love and admire without hesitation, everything associated with White. This does not mean White is better, it just means the Apartheid system was effective in convincing the Black person that he/she is less than White. But that is not the goal and we realise that now. The goal is not to be White but the goal is to realise our Blackness, claim our blackness and most importantly, to own our Blackness.

The time of a Black person having to look to the White person in the room for approval is past, now it is time for the Black person to look from within his/her self for approval because only a Black person can define what it is to be Black, only a Black person can say what it means to be Black and thus only you, Black person,  knows what it is to be right.

In outlining the "Morals Responsibilities of White people towards Black people in South Africa I mentioned the following:
White people have the responsibility to assist black people in rebuilding their impoverished communities. Black communities are not in any way conducive to the mental development of a child. They lack sports facilities, they lack enough educational facilities and they also lack recreational facilities. They have enough alcohol outlets, and recently, shopping centers too. There is a lot of White people controlling funds of some of the biggest foundations and corporations in the country. If they could invest that money into building Sports and Recreational centers in some Black communities, we would be a step closer to achieving the goal of equality.

Assimilation is another way White people can help deal with the legacies of the past. The division of the races that was passed as a law during Apartheid is doing more damage even today. It is the reason why White people cannot understand why Black people have so much to complain about and little to be grateful for. It is the reason Black people cannot understand how there can be possibly poor White people or even stupid ones. The assimilation of the races means opening ourselves to the understanding of the other's language and culture, religion and ways of life. This is a responsibility of White people since Black people have for many years pursued the 'white-standard' that they have learned and understood a lot about the cultures, languages and religions of the White person. In fact it was in many ways forced on Black people and now it is the turn of the White person to pursue the understanding of the Black person. This is crucial since you cannot ask to be friends with someone whose culture, language and way of life you do not understand. (This is assuming, of course that White people want to be friends with Black people)

White people also need to stop thinking or saying Black people are poor. Black people are not poor, they are just deprived of opportunities. There is no need to pity Black people who cannot afford especially not in front of your kids, it sends the wrong message. Black people are not your responsibilities, your are not charged with the responsibility to look after black people. You wouldn't be, you would fail dismally if you were. You owe Black people, that's all. Whatever donation you give out to support a cause to the betterment of the Black community or a Black child you need to understand that you are not doing anyone a favour, you are only taking collective responsibility to mend the injustices of the past. You are helping Black people fight the systematic injustices of today that continue to deprive the Black child of opportunities.

The one biggest moral responsibility, however of a former oppressor is to apologise to the formerly oppressed and seek forgiveness and understanding. Explain to their victim about the derangement that had overcome them so they understand it was not a result of their actions but of your thinking;  promise to make means to undo the damages where possible, promise and convince the victim that such will never happen again since you now see the world differently. Ask for an opportunity to regain their trust which was lost. Ask for an opportunity to continue living among you and your family or your people.

That is how such wounds are healed, ideally. In South Africa, I wonder if White people have a collective voice that can say their apologies for them to all the Black people. If the AWB was still recognised as a political party or a movement it would speak for a fraction of the Whites. The NP could also speak for a few White people whose interests it represents, I don't know about the DA because they might ask a Black person to speak for them and cause a confusion. The point of the matter is the first step to reparations and redress in a moral level is to apologise and pledge to make things right by starting a relationship of mutual understanding and openness.

The reason why there is still racism in South Africa even today is not necessarily that White people still believe that they are better than Black people. It is because they are confused about themselves and about the kind of relationship they are expected to have with Black people. They do not know where they stand with Black people and they are not aware of what Black people think of them, they do not know what is expected of them on a Social level. This is why the political and Social parties (If they exist) that represent White people need to come forward and begin a discourse on the reparations or creation of Social Relations between the races

#FeesMustFall To the Ground

This year has see a lot of hashtags being used for social change in a big way. South Africans are starting to appreciate the power of Social media, more specifically the hashtags. We have seen the call for the fall of the statue of Rhodes go viral on the hashtag #RhodesMustFall. Everyone who could, shared their opinion on the matter and the movement grew so much that it reached students overseas. Such is the power of Social Media. Ultimately the statue of Rhodes as a symbol of colonialism has fallen. Only we wonder if this truly meant the emancipation of the minds of those who still thought like colonial slaves; those who feel that everything white is deserving of the utmost respect and service. Those who believe that there exist only the White race and everything else relative to it.

The success of the #RhodesMustFall campaign could be blamed for what came soon after. I am referring to the #IamStellenbosch. I have never been more confused. I saw a bunch of loony looking young people holding up placards saying the most confused statement one could expect from University Students. I still have no idea what this campaign was trying to achieve with black students holding up placards you could swear a white person wrote for them and paid them to take a picture with. I cannot for the life of me imagine a situation in this decade, let alone in 2015 where a black child would refer to themselves in the negative as a non-thing, a non-white! As thought the goal was to be white and if you fail, you are a non-white, without identity as the only point of reference is white. such colonial mentality that obviously couldn't fall with the fall of Rhodes. This was a big blunder from the organizers who have shown just how out of touch they are with society. In this case Social Media worked in exposing the ineptness of (possibly) a white person trying to lead a social movement against discrimination, ending up demonstrating the continued existence of white privilege in South Africa

The next hashtag came to show every doubtful mind that this is the age of Social Media, the year of Students and the era of the Youth. This hashtag saw the country's leadership being pulled by the nose while institutions of higher learning went on a standstill. This was a call that resonated and still resonates with the whole world. It speaks of an issue that concerns all, young and old. This is the #FeesMustFall campaign which became a movement across the country and saw students from the UK and the US pledging their alliance and marching along in their respective countries.Students marched to the sits of South African Political Power as those in the country Marched to Parliament, Luthuli House and The Union Buildings in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria respectively, and the Supporters of the campaign from abroad marched to the SA Embassies in their countries. 

This was a necessary outcry from Students over the unnecessary and discriminatory annual University fee increments. The cost of higher education especially University fees can be seen as a systematic method of keeping the life of the black person in the hands of the Oppressors, the colonialists who own the banks that offer us study loans. The situation is this simple, for as long as higher education cost this much, many of our people will remain restricted in the service of colonial interests. Social and individual development in the black communities will be a thing of mystery. Education is the key to mental emancipation, restricting black people's access to education is a means of keeping the black person oppressed. The is no other politically correct way of discriminating access except for financial excuse. 

The unspoken truth is that majority of black people who either failed or dropped out of University had financial challenges. Majority of black kids in University either have a part time job, cannot afford the expensive textbooks, are struggling to cover rent for accommodation and/or feel the demand of the social environment is overwhelming without enough finances. Those who manage to make it through through a Study-loan from a Bank, for example have no reasons to celebrate yet. Firstly they will have to face a long period of unemployment while the interest in the loan are accumulating. This is a form of enslavement because for many years they will be working for the Bank owners who are previous slave owners who have creatively designed a way of keeping invisible chains on the whole black race. (This is done through home loans, car loans and personal loans and all other store accounts with exorbitant interests). On top of that there exist the "Black debt" (black tax to be discussed in a separate entry)

The call for the fall of University fees is one that every South African needs to support for the sake of the country itself. For the sake of the continued existence of the black race, for the sake of freedom. This is a step towards leveling the playing field in a country of vast inequalities and injustices. Free education means freedom to choose a profession or career; free education means freedom to think for yourself, it means mental emancipation. Free education means healthy living, it means less violent crimes and abuses; less frustration as a result of lack of understanding; it means more political involvement, more social involvement. More self understanding and more purposeful living. Free education represents an end to an inter-generational struggle of the black race. Free education means progress in a country where it was promised 21 years ago. Free Education means an opportunity for every black child to be all they can be, to unleash their full mental potential.

This is a call that every man women and child must heed to. When the revolution awakens again everyone must get up and join the hashtag. Fees Must Fall to the ground and be a thing of the past like Apartheid. In 1976 the struggle was against the use of language to deny black people an opportunity for an education, this time the struggle is against the use of Fees to deny the black child an education. We have been quiet for too long because we some how believed it is the way it has to be or that we didn't have the power to make a difference. Now we know this is not how it has to be as other Countries have scrapped University fees (German for example) and South Africa has scrapped Basic education fees, why stop there? If we thought we did not have the power to force the government, the students of 2015 have shown us that the energy and intelligence of the Youth is not to be taken for granted. We have seen the effectiveness of the Social medias and the usefulness of the hashtags as a tool for Social Change. We now know what power we hold in our hands, let us now come together and use it.

‪#‎Equality‬ is Just and ‪#‎Justice‬ is Equal. ‪#‎Freedom‬ is a Right and yet ‪#‎Rights‬ are not Free. Freedom is Right!

‪#‎Education‬ is the highest form of Freedom. Our Rights allow for Education to be Freely accessible. That is Justice! Is our Freedom not Free? Are our Rights wrong? Is the promise for Justice Unjust? Are we more Equal in our inequality?
#Freedom will Reign. #Justice must prevail. #Equality shall be realised. #Education will be Free!!!

‪#‎FeesMustFall‬
‪#‎FLA‬

*In referring to Education I focus only on Higher Education as Basic Education is free in South Africa and the bar on that has been lowered so much that the value is equal to what is paid