Ha ha, knew the title of my story would get your attention - almost as good as using the word "sex". Ok, now I know the neck hairs are bristling, and you're all in defensive mode, ready to attack me for daring to crticise my own kind. So be it. However, I believe that getting a balanced view on life requires a bit of self criticism.
To calm you down a bit (white people that is), I need to state that because certain attitudes of my own kind annoy me, does not mean I turn a blind eye to the failures of other "kinds". We are a nation that loves to categorise people, aren't we.
Why do I say "we" are doff. One of the reasons is how we refuse to admit that a lot of the current problems in the country are due to us. We try to convince ourselves that all things were better during apartheid. We are unable to even try to consider what it must have been like as a black person living under apartheid.
I'm not asking you to love other races, I admit I prefer to mix with my own kind. All I want is for you to do is aknowledge that we have to tolerate one another in order to have a future in this country. Some examples of white peoples doffness:
It is suggested by the ANC that an indigenous language be taught as a compulsory subject. We have a hissy fit - why? is it not just plain common sense that knowing an indigenous language would be a huge asset to the future's of our children? Is it nice sitting amongst black people where they can talk about you without you understanding them, but they understand you. Who is more powerful in this situation?
Bafana underperform yet again - white reaction condescending, like Bafana are not "our" team, they represent the blacks. Yet we scream murder when black people say rugby and cricket are white sports. Surely you can't criticise one way of thinking one day, and yet do the same thing the next day.
Other day I was in a queue at a public office. I'm used to pretty negative people behind counters, but the black guy in this case was very polite and helpful. An Afrikaans woman was next. First thing, she demands to be helped in afrikaans. Guy says sorry madam, I can't speak afrikaans ... lady of coorse makes a scene, black guy once freindly to white people has the first nail of negativity towards "us" slammed into his head. I mean, could she speak his native language? Come on, we can all understand english, and very few of us can speak a "black" language, so who's the better person in this scenario?
Then we have a lot of us who say blacks were better off during apartheid. Really? Would you like to have a child call your father "boy". Would you have liked to have had to have a pass to move around in certain areas, not being allowed to go to good schools or universities. Not allowed to use certain publis facilities - not even allowed in the Kruger Park, etc etc etc etc. Please guys, be realistic, as bad as the current regime is, for a black person it in generally infinitely better than apartheid. Not seeing this is just denial.
AA and BEE - yes, shockingly applied by the current inept corrupt regime - but as concepts make complete sense. We say let these things adjust naturally, why force them. Come on, live in the real world, would black people be advanced without a bit of pressure? Rubbish, there is not enough good will, past imbalances need to be addressed, and some force needs to be applied.
Our general negativity and will to take the bait of racial incitement also makes us doff. Malema played with us, got us hook line and sinker - with his D for woodwork nogal. Now we're poisoned - I see it all the time. Watch rugby with my mates, black oke knocks on - Stupid "k" - white oke knocks on, ignored, just a mistake. We're poisoned, and its making us weak.
Then theres the crowd that say don't worry, we'll chase them all into the sea if they push us too far. Ja right, at the moment common criminals even dominate us - where are all our recces and Selous Scouts now. Its a different war now, sorry, accept it, we're pretty much helpless now, our position of control has been taken away. It was easy fighting the okes when we were in control, but don't be doff, the whole scenario is different now, we had a false sense of superiority. The only clever fight now is to create a climate where we all tolerate one another. Feeding the hatred is getting us nowwhere, it only feeds the ANC.
Moral of the story, as white people we are not innocent angels, we are not just victims. Our actions are also responsible for the predicament we find ourselves in today. Don't bury your heads in the sand, sort out your faults as well - only looking at the faults of others will never get you where you want to be.
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