Mommy, they’re calling me a racist again! White South Africans are so used to it. Anything you say or do which is not immediately approved of, wham-bam-boom – ta-daa! Racist!
As if racism is an exclusively white thing. Wait, we’ll get back to this one.
White people have now developed two slightly amusing habits as a result of their very existence being automatically linked to racism. In the first place you get the advance-apology: “I am not a racist, but….” and what follows on that introduction.
The other is the very meaningful gesture which all white South Africans understand by now. The tapping of the right forefinger on the left forearm or the right cheek to indicate skin-colour. For example: “Do you know who was appointed as the new manager?” “No, but I heard….” (combined with the tapping to indicate that it was an affirmative action, BEE appointment of a black candidate not necessarily based on skill, qualification and merit. Go ask Eskom, SAA, Post office etc if you don’t understand exactly what I mean.)
It is quite tedious, to be honest. In particular the misaprehension amongst South Africans of colour that being called a racist is a huge insult to a white person. It is not. No longer anyway. It has become a joke now, in particular when even innocent student fun is used as examples of racism. That is clutching at straws to prove a point for which no evidence exists. It is really somewhat pathetic, come to think of it.
Way back in 1994 (and some of us have moved on, you know) the majority of South Africans of all colours were somewhat excited of what awaited them. They were fed with all the good news, all the positives, all the prospects. They started feeling like someone who had chocolate cake for breakfast, cupcakes for lunch and fudge for supper.
The transition of 1994 was a difficult one for white South Africans. A way of life, an entire system of beliefs of 300 years had to make a complete u-turn and that meant emotional and psychological sacrifices. To hear, on top of that, the constant refrain of: Racist! Racist! and the tiresome and non-sensible kickback to Apartheid! Apartheid! year in and year out had two effects in the long run.
1)Some people, after being called “racist” over and over again for two decades and more, started to believe that. They crawled into their little corners and apologised and apologised and did everything possible to prove the accusation wrong. They are people like Conrad Koch, the boy who plays with a doll’s behind, and a handful of other libtards.
2)The majority, however, got to the point of saying: “No matter what I do, no matter how often I try to prove you guys wrong – you believe I am a racist. Nothing I can do about that.” Shrugged their shoulders and carried on.
You see, the black South African, in thoughtlessly repeating a word of which he never contemplated the true meaning, automatically links this word to an appearance. Because a person is white, he is a racist. If he could now become black, for argument’s sake, he won’t be a racist anymore even if he is who he is or does what he does. Even the very liberal white person is racist. And yet the young black male believes that showing off his white girlfriend would show that he is no racist. I have heard so often lately: “I date a white girl” that pure mathematics regarding the demographics of the country would show that, if every claim is to be believed, every white woman between the age of 16 and 60 in South Africa must be engaged to three black men! Back in 1994 many white people would say: “I’m no racist, I have black friends!”. Those days are long gone, so the guys still using their white girl friend as evidence of them not being racist – you are again 2 decades behind in development. You just can’t get it right, can you?
This is much like the scenario where you find the most homophobic guys tumbling out of their closets at one stage or the other. Demonise and project your own struggle to hide your own feelings of guilt – easy to understand: Black people scream “Racist” at every white person they see in the hope that everybody will turn on that person and not see the real racist standing right there! You turn into what you hate the most. You are a racist yourself. And after 20 years, the mask is now slipping.
20 years ago when I was 20 years younger, it would have mattered. Now I exist only as a racist in your mind. Nothing I can do about it. And because you have got to live with the ghosts in your mind, not I, I can do nothing more than pity you. It is your choice to live with that which you have created in your own imagination. It matters absolutely nothing to me.
So you regard me as a racist? I doubt whether I really take note of it, and frankly, it doesn’t even bother me any more. Don’t waste your time in thinking that you might hurt me with the accusation. I have liberated myself from feeling guilty about what happens in your mind. I have taken that weapon from your hands and I have left you behind as a screaming, shouting, bitter noisemaker…That is my personal liberation and there is NOTHING you can do about it.
By Daniel Lötter (Front National)
