Racism 'an exercise of power'

2005-08-01 09:54

Here we go again. The hysterical reaction to my column last week has been as predictable as a book of lousy old jokes, but I refuse to gloat and say "I told you so".

Almost to the last letter, many of the most highly defensive correspondents have made the two cardinal mistakes I knew they would make: seeing me as a racist for pointing out the still prevalent malady in our society; and then wrongly accusing me of claiming that all white people are racists.

In their view, I'm guilty as charged.

There have also been a few thoughtful and sensible individuals, such as Mr Jones, who, while acknowledging the veracity of my statements, still felt that I should have pointed out the existence of "racism by blacks" as well. Since when does many mean ALL?

The trouble overall with answering these charges is this: in the particular context of "black racism", that was never the point of the arguments of the past week, which basically were replying to what I had said regarding the blasts in London three weeks ago.

Those who wrote to demand that I apologise for my views were not blacks, just as those who made a huge non-issue of dragging blacks into the fray were not blacks.

'Black racism' a separate matter

Thus, in this particular context, "black racism" is a separate matter altogether.

The other trouble is that, in the overall context of the debate, I maintain that it is wrong to accuse me or any black person of racism because, in my view, racism is in reality an exercise of power rather than a straightforward case of skin colour.

Yes, skin colour and the exercise of power are deeply related but are not necessarily one and the same thing.

Thus, I refuse to accept that black people can be racists, and I will tell you why.

For centuries, darker-skinned people have been victims of unrelenting racism all over the world.

What is nowadays termed "black racism" is, in reality, a case of the victims reacting to their condition.

In other words, I see no logical way in which, say, an aggressor together with the victim of his violence can be both justly accused of violence when the victim starts to hit back in warding off the blows.

Centuries of suppression

To me, racism is about power and its abuse: having, in the case of the former racist regime, all the state powers - economic, military, social - which were then grossly abused by the white establishment to subjugate and dehumanise the dark-skinned people and exploit them for the benefit of the ruling white minority.

Necessarily in this instance, skin pigmentation played an important and dangerous role, with the result that it was law to expect blacks to be subservient to whites, as exemplified by terms of servitude like baas, kaffir, boesman, koelie, bobbejaan, hotnot, and so on.

At an earlier time during the era of colonialism and slavery, in America, for example, black people were literally lynched by whites for so-called crimes like defying a white slave-driver, or for falling in love across the racial colour divide.

In SA, many went to prison for that "immorality".

To this day blacks, notwithstanding 11 years of uhuru, are largely powerless.

The economy is still firmly in the grip of the former overlords.

What is called "black racism" is a reaction to centuries of institutionalised racism and barbarism by whites; now whites find it very convenient to turn around and claim that blacks are racists.

The gluttony and black-enrichment policies of the current government are worrying, but that is another issue for another time.

Jon Qwelane's column is published each week on News24, courtesy of Jon Qwelane and the editor of Sunday Sun, which originally carried the article.

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