An interesting point was made the other day in relation to how the U.S. is reconciling its past compared to South Africa is reconciling theirs. It is quite obvious that South Africa has come a long way in a mere 16 years. I think one of the main reasons for this is the fact that most South Africans are very open when it comes to talking about race. The U.S., on the other hand, does not seem to be open to talking about race. A lot of times people in the U.S. will get offended very easily if someone brings up this topic of race. Now what we see in the U.S. is everyone ignoring the issue. One could say it is almost taboo to discuss our differences or even just bring up the topic of race. We as Americans act as if differences in race or ethnicity don’t exist, and yet we say we are open to diversity and pride ourselves on our ability to accept different ethnicities into our society. I know I have always felt awkward talking about race to people, but I have also realized that I have been desensitized, so to say, to being able to talk about race. As in, I just haven’t really brought up the topic anymore. Therefore, I too, am at fault for not taking the initiative to start a discussion on race to be able to at least start reconciling this black-white divide.
I’ve thought about something that Professor Don Foster said today in a lecture on Reconciliation in South Africa and this concept of racialization. We had discussed the Contact Hypothesis that basically states that if a group of people has equal status, a common goal and cooperation, a positive outcome and the possibility of a personal level of friendship, then people will be able to reconcile their past and their differences. The most important aspect of this hypothesis, I think, is the common goal because that seems to bring people together, which facilitates the three other aspects. We see a disconnect of this hypothesis everywhere in the world. Using South Africa as an example, there are many obvious places to look to find segregation. This segregation though is not written in legal form, it seems to be a natural, behavioral aspect of humans. Universities and beaches in South Africa are obvious spaces of society where people naturally segregate. There is a social construction of race in these public areas. Whites will gravitate towards a certain area of the dining hall, or the beach, as will Blacks, Coloreds and Indians. One of the main reasons for this natural segregation is this concept of security. Fear of the unknown. The ridiculous part about this semi-vicious circle is that people don’t want to take the time to learn more about each other. So the circle goes, for example, whites are afraid to interact with blacks because 1) they have assumptions like associating blacks with crime and violence, 2) therefore they don’t talk to blacks to learn that this is not necessarily the case, 3) they stay away from blacks “for their own safety”, thus there is no contact, no communication, no knowledge sharing, and the continued fear of the unknown.
This question of danger and security is an interesting one, though. Months before arriving in South Africa, I will admit that I was definitely scared about coming here because of all the stories I had heard about muggings, robberies and murders. In a way, I prepared myself very well for this trip in terms of maintaining my safety in South Africa. By the time April rolled around, though, there was no point in me being scared or nervous about traveling to South Africa anymore because, well, I was already committed to going, so what was I going to do about it? I knew I was taking a risk, but where there is a (reasonable) risk, I will find a way to do it. Taking risks is part of life, and without them, you are not truly living it. So I would continue to hear these stories of crimes and violence, but I had to turn a blind eye, in the sense that I couldn’t think about it. I acknowledged that it happened and moved on. Since my arrival in South Africa I have not experienced any sort of violence (knock on wood). This is a completely different experience than the stories people, and the media, had been telling me. It confuses me a great deal. While in South Africa I feel like I have experienced the real South Africa, if you will, but the more I think about it, I don’t really think I have. I’m not saying I want to experience the crime and violence that happens here, but I don’t feel like I am living in reality. The house my classmates and I are living in is walled in, with barred windows and a lockable gate on the front door. I feel like I live in a prison. These protections are everywhere for a reason, but it hinders my ability to gauge what is actually happening in South Africa. We may walk around the townships and the city, but we still don’t understand the full reality of what really makes South Africa tick.
In terms of reconciliation for South Africa, Don Foster did a good job of telling it how it really is and has reaffirmed what I’ve been saying. This is a process that will take a long time. Reconciliation should and cannot be rushed, and I think there are South Africans out there who have been doing there best to work at their own pace to make sure reconciliation works the first time around.
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