RACISM is bad (in anyone’s colour), but we really should be careful not to ‘cry wolf’ and end up looking like ‘sheep’.
For the record, we have already learned our lesson that comparisons between people and animals is seen as ‘racist’ by some, but the above surely shouldn’t offend???
Read on and hopefully you will agree.
For starters, a Mondli Ncane took us to task on Facebook for the Herald’s front page a few weeks ago asking: “Why is life so cheap?”
This was a summary of three different stories inside the paper about two highly respected politicians being assassinated and a third about a dog that was killed when someone threw battery acid over it.
Mr Ncane and several others posted some rather harsh comments and seemed to miss the point of the story entirely. They were more concerned about the juxtaposition of humans and animals – which they saw as racist – than the brutal killings of humans and animals alike.
We replied very respectfully (in our opinion) to Mr Ncane’s post, but he and his ‘friends’ were not happy with that either, as it was online and not in print. He ended off with a rather ominous threat: “This is not over!”
Print space is limited, so if anyone would like to see the reply to Mr Ncane’s original attack, go to: www.southcoastherald.co.za and search: Herald accused of ‘racism’.
The point trying to be made here is that, yes, there are certainly many ugly racist things happening in this country – the two guys forcing a terrified man into a coffin and threatening to burn him being the most horrific.
But we should also guard against looking for a racist behind the wheel of every twincab. There are good people out there who are doing their best to fight this very real threat to our Smartie box society.
Most important is that we do not pass on prejudices ingrained by apartheid to our children. As an example, how’s this for a strange twist?
A young six-year-old boy came running up to his teacher (at a local school), crying bitterly:
“That girl called me a ‘white boy’,” he sniffled.
“But you are white,” replied the teacher.
“Well that’s racist,” he insisted
How does one explain that?
(PS: Mr Ncane, since the front page you objected to appeared two weeks ago, a third politician has been assassinated in Harding. Perhaps you can help answer the real question this time: Why is life so cheap?)
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on BBM 58F3D7A7 or WhatsApp 082 421 6033
