What seemed interesting and amusing at first has turned into pure frustration. Oh the little differences between a third world country and a first world one that can really deplete one's sense of humor!
Everyday I am astonished at the lack of sensitivity and kindness that exists in a city like this, whether it's driving down the road or enquiring about parcel over the phone...people could honestly care less! "Jo'burgers" are driven by money and things, it's all about squashing the underdogs and stepping on their heads to climb up to the top. You can never make enough money here to be happy....everything must be extravagant and have some foreign label attached...everyone must know YOU have made it and they have not.
Maybe its a vibe that can be found in any massive major city, maybe I'm just a small town Canadian girl that's been thrown head first into the big city unprepared for the greed that comes with it...who knows. Regardless, it's deeply frustrating....
What gets to me the most is the lack of kindness...it's very rare you have someone give you the right of way on the road, and very VERY rare that you encounter someone at a store or on the street that wants to help you out. Everyone is so paranoid of trusting the wrong person that their noses are rather thrown in the air with no eye contact and no conversation. Sadly, I'm being forced to become one of these people as well....
What one takes for granted in a country such as Canada (stability, random acts of kindness, etc.) comes back to your memory pretty quick when dealing with a cold, slow city like this.
The sad thing is, you can't really blame the people here for keeping to themselves...it's really just an outside front to an internal fear everyone has in their guts of becoming another daily statistic.
The problems of Africa and a crime-ridden city such as Johannesburg are not easily solvable...in fact I'd say they are impossible. No one wants to give their money to an organization that they know is ultimately corrupt and dishonest. No one wants to be the person to take a chance with that beggar on the side of the street by rolling down their window and passing them their change...no one wants to get hurt. So what is the answer? It's all so frustrating and upsetting...I almost wish I could be that ignorant Canadian university student again that thought the organizations of this world were out to change things for the better believing with all of my heart that people are inherently good. It's hard not to lose that faith in a concrete jungle like this...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I've got a bone to pick!
The other day I had lunch with some of my boyfriends relatives who have now relocated to Canada.
Seeming to be big advocates of my home country they encouraged us to think about going back. After the encouragement subsided we moved onto a discussion about the country of Canada itself. Around the table everyone started discussing what they didn't like about Canada...the crappy tourism industry, the boring people, etc. I smiled and nodded not wanting to debate with a table of South Africans. The problem was I couldn't help but feel a little bit offended and confused. The next day we met up again and the conversation seemed to continue between my boyfriend and the South African turned Canadian. He said he didn't really like Canada but it was the best option for the kids, if he could stay in South Africa he would.
On our way home bokke and I started to discuss it, I suddenly got a bit angry and erked. I mean I do understand why a family would move out of a place like Johannesburg in the name of safety and a brighter future for their kids I completely do. But what really REALLY gets me is that you see these South Africans doing everything they can to get out of South Africa only to relocate to places such as Australia, Canada and England and COMPLAIN! First of all, I am very patriotic when it comes to my country which may explain why i'm bothered so much and secondly I dont think its fair for South Africans to pick Canada apart once they've arrived. After all, they have gotten a successful job, a nice home and a great future for their kids. They are accepted and treated very well. If Canada isn't all that great and South Africa is better, please go and dedicate your energy and your time back in your home country...make it a better place...because leaving and taking your education and money with is only making the country worse. Canada accepts anyone with the education and finances with open arms into it. It's these very people that are taking those finances and smarts directly out of their country that desperately needs it and putting it into a country reaping with it. I understand when you have a family you do what's best for your kids...but I just find it extremely unfair that these people who are fighting so hard to get into a country like Canada feel as though they can bash it.
I am appreciating and falling in love with South Africa more and more every day but at the end of the day I know where I want to call home for the rest of my life. Canada has it's problems but they're problems I want to invest my money and time into because it's a country I appreciate and love so much. Those that come from South Africa should do the same for their country if they love it so much...move back if you adore it so much, if not then don't go bashing my Canada after you have decided to call it home! Make up your mind people!
Seeming to be big advocates of my home country they encouraged us to think about going back. After the encouragement subsided we moved onto a discussion about the country of Canada itself. Around the table everyone started discussing what they didn't like about Canada...the crappy tourism industry, the boring people, etc. I smiled and nodded not wanting to debate with a table of South Africans. The problem was I couldn't help but feel a little bit offended and confused. The next day we met up again and the conversation seemed to continue between my boyfriend and the South African turned Canadian. He said he didn't really like Canada but it was the best option for the kids, if he could stay in South Africa he would.
On our way home bokke and I started to discuss it, I suddenly got a bit angry and erked. I mean I do understand why a family would move out of a place like Johannesburg in the name of safety and a brighter future for their kids I completely do. But what really REALLY gets me is that you see these South Africans doing everything they can to get out of South Africa only to relocate to places such as Australia, Canada and England and COMPLAIN! First of all, I am very patriotic when it comes to my country which may explain why i'm bothered so much and secondly I dont think its fair for South Africans to pick Canada apart once they've arrived. After all, they have gotten a successful job, a nice home and a great future for their kids. They are accepted and treated very well. If Canada isn't all that great and South Africa is better, please go and dedicate your energy and your time back in your home country...make it a better place...because leaving and taking your education and money with is only making the country worse. Canada accepts anyone with the education and finances with open arms into it. It's these very people that are taking those finances and smarts directly out of their country that desperately needs it and putting it into a country reaping with it. I understand when you have a family you do what's best for your kids...but I just find it extremely unfair that these people who are fighting so hard to get into a country like Canada feel as though they can bash it.
I am appreciating and falling in love with South Africa more and more every day but at the end of the day I know where I want to call home for the rest of my life. Canada has it's problems but they're problems I want to invest my money and time into because it's a country I appreciate and love so much. Those that come from South Africa should do the same for their country if they love it so much...move back if you adore it so much, if not then don't go bashing my Canada after you have decided to call it home! Make up your mind people!
Friday, August 15, 2008
A day in Hillbrow
Yesturday I ventured out of my "safe-haven" aka Bryanston to the depths of Hillbrow to Home Affairs for the collection of my common-law visa...talk about a reality check in the worst way.
Venturing down the N1 with two of my boyfriends labourers in the back of the bucky we made our way down towards central Hillbrow, also known and the Central Business District. We first stopped at the Refugee center to drop off one of the labourers, a Zimbawean looking for refugee status here in South Africa. There wasn't a single white person in sight...all you could see for kilometers was a line up of hopeful foreigners waiting not so patiently to get their stamp. Disappointed and frustrated our young friend knew he would have to come back in the morning and camp for a few days with everyone else. It was disturbing and sad to think of what these people are going through...no home from the Xenophobic attacks, no place to go except a line-up where hopefully they would be lucky to get the correct paperwork that allows them to stay.
Hopping back into the bucky we went to the other Home Affiars office where the more priviledged and wealthy get to go and stand in a smaller, less frustrating line under a roof. After an hour we discovered that the lawyer we payed a very ridiculous price to was not only overcharging us to stand in this line up, but the whole trip was pointless...the lawyer had to be there in order for me to collect my stamp. I left empty handed and very angry. I had to remind myself that I was lucky because: a) I had the money to pay someone to take care of my troubles and b) I didn't have to camp out in a line up because I had no home and no money and no country that wanted me.
Needless to say Hillbrow was an experience. Let's hope that the SA government decides to help these foreign individuals out that have no home because of the closure of refugee camps and the hate crimes they will find against them if they go back to their previous townships.
Venturing down the N1 with two of my boyfriends labourers in the back of the bucky we made our way down towards central Hillbrow, also known and the Central Business District. We first stopped at the Refugee center to drop off one of the labourers, a Zimbawean looking for refugee status here in South Africa. There wasn't a single white person in sight...all you could see for kilometers was a line up of hopeful foreigners waiting not so patiently to get their stamp. Disappointed and frustrated our young friend knew he would have to come back in the morning and camp for a few days with everyone else. It was disturbing and sad to think of what these people are going through...no home from the Xenophobic attacks, no place to go except a line-up where hopefully they would be lucky to get the correct paperwork that allows them to stay.
Hopping back into the bucky we went to the other Home Affiars office where the more priviledged and wealthy get to go and stand in a smaller, less frustrating line under a roof. After an hour we discovered that the lawyer we payed a very ridiculous price to was not only overcharging us to stand in this line up, but the whole trip was pointless...the lawyer had to be there in order for me to collect my stamp. I left empty handed and very angry. I had to remind myself that I was lucky because: a) I had the money to pay someone to take care of my troubles and b) I didn't have to camp out in a line up because I had no home and no money and no country that wanted me.
Needless to say Hillbrow was an experience. Let's hope that the SA government decides to help these foreign individuals out that have no home because of the closure of refugee camps and the hate crimes they will find against them if they go back to their previous townships.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Race Slang
After much internal debate and frustration I have come to learn to sit in silence and keep my big mouth shut when it comes to race slang.
I have met some pretty great people and can say I've made some good friends....they are smart, intelligent, kind people...but we have one thing that seperates us and makes us differentiate in opinion and thinking...that's our upbringing. They have been raised in Africa, me Canada.
Canada, and the Canadian educational system takes pride in claiming "our home and native land" to be one big happy multicultural family. As kids, we are raised to cringe at words such as "nigger" while white South Africans are raised with words that meet the equivalent such as "kaffa" and "munt"...that are said in a family home just as "hello" is...and that's no exaggeration.
After a month here I felt angry and frustrated at how so many educated, kind white South Africans can walk around saying these words like they are not hateful and terrible. When I heard them I heard colonialism and apartheid and I just wanted to get angry. My boyfriend, who feels the same as I do about the words sat down with me and made a very very good point. While he admitted the slang to be as wrong as it sounds he asked me to take a closer look at my "race friendly" country I call Canada. While a cocasion Canadian knows better then not to make a degrogatory comment towards an afro-Canadian, they will still turn around and put that hate towards a Canadian Aboriginal...or more recently in the West, towards an Asian...suddenly, I realized that words such as "Indian" and "Chink" flowed out of a Canadians mouth just as swiftly as black slang out of the mouth of a South African. "What"...my boyfriend said to me, "is the bloody difference?". A little bit dumbstruck I sat for a moment and realized he was right...many Canadians are total hippacrites...as we send our money over to Africa and cry elephant tears over World Vision commercials, we forget more and more about our own issues in our own backyard....and most of all our issues up North on the reserves.
None of these words are right, they take away self-confidence from an individual...they cause war and hate crimes...no race slang should be validated...because when vocalized it has just as much damage as an ak-47. Now, I'm in no way validating my new friends choice of vocabulary, but i'm not validating my Canadian friends as well...and most of all I'm not putting myself on a pedistool saying i'm perfect. We all have to watch what we say, because every country suffers from a form of harsh racism.
I have met some pretty great people and can say I've made some good friends....they are smart, intelligent, kind people...but we have one thing that seperates us and makes us differentiate in opinion and thinking...that's our upbringing. They have been raised in Africa, me Canada.
Canada, and the Canadian educational system takes pride in claiming "our home and native land" to be one big happy multicultural family. As kids, we are raised to cringe at words such as "nigger" while white South Africans are raised with words that meet the equivalent such as "kaffa" and "munt"...that are said in a family home just as "hello" is...and that's no exaggeration.
After a month here I felt angry and frustrated at how so many educated, kind white South Africans can walk around saying these words like they are not hateful and terrible. When I heard them I heard colonialism and apartheid and I just wanted to get angry. My boyfriend, who feels the same as I do about the words sat down with me and made a very very good point. While he admitted the slang to be as wrong as it sounds he asked me to take a closer look at my "race friendly" country I call Canada. While a cocasion Canadian knows better then not to make a degrogatory comment towards an afro-Canadian, they will still turn around and put that hate towards a Canadian Aboriginal...or more recently in the West, towards an Asian...suddenly, I realized that words such as "Indian" and "Chink" flowed out of a Canadians mouth just as swiftly as black slang out of the mouth of a South African. "What"...my boyfriend said to me, "is the bloody difference?". A little bit dumbstruck I sat for a moment and realized he was right...many Canadians are total hippacrites...as we send our money over to Africa and cry elephant tears over World Vision commercials, we forget more and more about our own issues in our own backyard....and most of all our issues up North on the reserves.
None of these words are right, they take away self-confidence from an individual...they cause war and hate crimes...no race slang should be validated...because when vocalized it has just as much damage as an ak-47. Now, I'm in no way validating my new friends choice of vocabulary, but i'm not validating my Canadian friends as well...and most of all I'm not putting myself on a pedistool saying i'm perfect. We all have to watch what we say, because every country suffers from a form of harsh racism.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
It gets better...
The Sunday Times last weekend quoted a secret report that Mr. Mbeki accepted 30 million rands (US$4 million at current rates) from a Germany arms company and gave 2 million rands (US$280,000) to Zuma and the rest to the ANC.
Mr. Mbeki's office has dismissed the report as nonsense.
“The truth will be revealed,” Mr. Zuma said, to chants of “30 million! 30 million!” from the crowd. He later launched into the anti-apartheid song that has become his trademark — “Bring Me My Machine Gun” — and the crowd sang along.
“Our president is the target of a political conspiracy and we are convinced that the conspiracy is led by the state president (Mbeki),” the head of the influential ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, told the rally.
Accompanied by loud cheers, Mr. Malema warned the country's judges to keep their hands off Mr. Zuma and demanded that Mr. Mbeki stand down immediately and let Mr. Zuma take over.
“If you touch the old man, you must touch us first. Nobody will arrest Zuma as long as we are alive,” Malema said. “Before you get to him you must kill the youth of this country. We are prepared to die for Zuma.”
(Taken from the globeandmail.com, August 6, 2008)
It's after reading an article like this that one can't help but wonder if these new "leaders" have forgotten all about Madiba's (Nelson Mandela's) morals and principles when running a country. The ANC is no longer proving itself to be a reliable party...in fact, it is daring to lower its standards to the ruling parties of the apartheid days: days full of illegitimacy, ignorance and scandal. Sadly all my eyes are seeing these days is a feirce sprial downwards from a country post 1994 that once proved so much potential and harmony, a country that proved to the world peace can come about through negotiations and compromise and most importantly HONESTY.
Mr. Mbeki's office has dismissed the report as nonsense.
“The truth will be revealed,” Mr. Zuma said, to chants of “30 million! 30 million!” from the crowd. He later launched into the anti-apartheid song that has become his trademark — “Bring Me My Machine Gun” — and the crowd sang along.
“Our president is the target of a political conspiracy and we are convinced that the conspiracy is led by the state president (Mbeki),” the head of the influential ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, told the rally.
Accompanied by loud cheers, Mr. Malema warned the country's judges to keep their hands off Mr. Zuma and demanded that Mr. Mbeki stand down immediately and let Mr. Zuma take over.
“If you touch the old man, you must touch us first. Nobody will arrest Zuma as long as we are alive,” Malema said. “Before you get to him you must kill the youth of this country. We are prepared to die for Zuma.”
(Taken from the globeandmail.com, August 6, 2008)
It's after reading an article like this that one can't help but wonder if these new "leaders" have forgotten all about Madiba's (Nelson Mandela's) morals and principles when running a country. The ANC is no longer proving itself to be a reliable party...in fact, it is daring to lower its standards to the ruling parties of the apartheid days: days full of illegitimacy, ignorance and scandal. Sadly all my eyes are seeing these days is a feirce sprial downwards from a country post 1994 that once proved so much potential and harmony, a country that proved to the world peace can come about through negotiations and compromise and most importantly HONESTY.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Inflation & Zim.
It's doubtful that the news about South Africa's economy has made it outside of Africa because the whole world seems to be struggling with their own country at the moment. The price of goods are up as well as the price of oil...the economy here is looking grim. I'm learning about a new type of survival here for myself and discovering more and more with each day that there is way too much we take for granted in a place such as Canada. Overall, I doubt the crashing of the economy will affect me too much right now as I work for the richest of the rich and with the economy going into the toilet these people will only get richer, and sadly, the poor will only getting poorer...thus bringing up the number of hijakings and robberies. It's every man/woman for him/herself here.....so sad. On the upside, there are many people here that are doing amazing things with their time and deciding to address this divide in Africa. I haven't quite decided where I fit yet, but when I do I hope to help as well.
A country that has been making the world news these past couple months is Zimbabwe. I don't go a day without meeting a "Zimbo"....black or white. My boyfriend's friends are all from Zimbabwe and it's rather interesting/sad to hear their stories from the country. I saw a 5 million dollar bill the other day, worth about 3 American dollars....can we say inflation? I'm happy to see the African Union stepping up to the plate again, but the President of SA continues to be a dissapointment...a wimp...and a pacifist. Everyone has now decided here to love the future president of SA Jacob Zuma more and more each day as he speaks out about the shattered Zimbabwe I still think he's full of crap ... looking for supporters to overlook the fact that he raped a young woman with AIDS and told the world that it was ok.
Regardless, I'm taking each day with stride here and opening myself up to learn what I can from anyone. I'm being as careful as I can not to slip up and prove my dear blogging friends right that South Africa is just a crime ridden place where no white person in their right mind would go.
Bye for now...
A country that has been making the world news these past couple months is Zimbabwe. I don't go a day without meeting a "Zimbo"....black or white. My boyfriend's friends are all from Zimbabwe and it's rather interesting/sad to hear their stories from the country. I saw a 5 million dollar bill the other day, worth about 3 American dollars....can we say inflation? I'm happy to see the African Union stepping up to the plate again, but the President of SA continues to be a dissapointment...a wimp...and a pacifist. Everyone has now decided here to love the future president of SA Jacob Zuma more and more each day as he speaks out about the shattered Zimbabwe I still think he's full of crap ... looking for supporters to overlook the fact that he raped a young woman with AIDS and told the world that it was ok.
Regardless, I'm taking each day with stride here and opening myself up to learn what I can from anyone. I'm being as careful as I can not to slip up and prove my dear blogging friends right that South Africa is just a crime ridden place where no white person in their right mind would go.
Bye for now...
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Race, prejudice and trust.
I live in a clash of cultures, where the influence of the West meets historic Africa.
There is so much segregation here. Sadly, it's not hard to understand why but then I feel the need to smack myself and say that it isn't and that it is not ok. If the English whites aren't talking badly about the Afrikanners then they're talking about the blacks and vise versa, it goes for every group here. There is so much segregation and prejudice it's all very unreal. I try to compare it to the history of segregation in North America but then realize that it is no where near comparable. South Africa is a unique case and there just doesn't seem to be an answer or a solution to the amount of hate against race here at the moment.
I'm finally driving on my own...and now that i'm over driving on the left hand side of the road I'm mainly focused on my safety....are the doors locked?...are the windows rolled up?....is my purse at my feet?...it's so hard not to be judgmental in a city like this...
I've been fortunate to come from a country where I have for the most part felt safe in and didn't need to feel threatened by a gender, race or appearance. I've been lucky to be able to trust the average person....it's obviously different here, you really can't trust a soul. It's scary to think about the possibility that after my time here I may judge someone so harshly by their appearance rather than who they are as a person....but then again, I suppose this is the price you pay when you decide to move to Johannesburg, the world's murder capital.
Until next time...
There is so much segregation here. Sadly, it's not hard to understand why but then I feel the need to smack myself and say that it isn't and that it is not ok. If the English whites aren't talking badly about the Afrikanners then they're talking about the blacks and vise versa, it goes for every group here. There is so much segregation and prejudice it's all very unreal. I try to compare it to the history of segregation in North America but then realize that it is no where near comparable. South Africa is a unique case and there just doesn't seem to be an answer or a solution to the amount of hate against race here at the moment.
I'm finally driving on my own...and now that i'm over driving on the left hand side of the road I'm mainly focused on my safety....are the doors locked?...are the windows rolled up?....is my purse at my feet?...it's so hard not to be judgmental in a city like this...
I've been fortunate to come from a country where I have for the most part felt safe in and didn't need to feel threatened by a gender, race or appearance. I've been lucky to be able to trust the average person....it's obviously different here, you really can't trust a soul. It's scary to think about the possibility that after my time here I may judge someone so harshly by their appearance rather than who they are as a person....but then again, I suppose this is the price you pay when you decide to move to Johannesburg, the world's murder capital.
Until next time...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Safe and sound...
After 27 gruelling hours of travel Maple has made it safe and sound to her new home, Johannesburg. The first 3 days have been only exciting as it has been 5 months since I last saw my boyfriend.
Our little house is beautiful and very “African” with the thatched roofing and pavement walls. It’s winter, so the pavement doesn’t necessarily make a warm house at night, but I’m sure I’ll be thankful when summer arrives. While the house is cozy and homey, I also like to refer to it as Fort Knox…we are well secured…barred windows, many locks and high voltage electric fencing, simply a necessity in this town.
I haven’t been so much out and about just yet; it’s been a lot of unpacking and settling so far. So for those waiting for some crazy, hectic story (perhaps just to prove a point ;) ) it hasn’t happened yet.
I got the sit down lecture that I’ve been hearing for months and know what is out there waiting for me if I’m not careful. While confident and slightly excited for my new life, I can’t say nerves aren’t there beneath it all. I start work across the city next week, then I will begin to drive the highways alone and face the real Johannesburg that I have been barred away from.
To touch quickly on the subject, the violence that has been happening across the country (referred to as Xenophobia) is terrible and sad. One guy that works for my boyfriends company was badly hurt last week and he is not even a foreigner, but was mistaken for one. Let's hope and pray that the violence will slow down, as it doesn't look like it's going to any time soon.
I will write more and dive back into debates when I'm not so jet-lagged and overwhelmed.
Cheers!
Our little house is beautiful and very “African” with the thatched roofing and pavement walls. It’s winter, so the pavement doesn’t necessarily make a warm house at night, but I’m sure I’ll be thankful when summer arrives. While the house is cozy and homey, I also like to refer to it as Fort Knox…we are well secured…barred windows, many locks and high voltage electric fencing, simply a necessity in this town.
I haven’t been so much out and about just yet; it’s been a lot of unpacking and settling so far. So for those waiting for some crazy, hectic story (perhaps just to prove a point ;) ) it hasn’t happened yet.
I got the sit down lecture that I’ve been hearing for months and know what is out there waiting for me if I’m not careful. While confident and slightly excited for my new life, I can’t say nerves aren’t there beneath it all. I start work across the city next week, then I will begin to drive the highways alone and face the real Johannesburg that I have been barred away from.
To touch quickly on the subject, the violence that has been happening across the country (referred to as Xenophobia) is terrible and sad. One guy that works for my boyfriends company was badly hurt last week and he is not even a foreigner, but was mistaken for one. Let's hope and pray that the violence will slow down, as it doesn't look like it's going to any time soon.
I will write more and dive back into debates when I'm not so jet-lagged and overwhelmed.
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Disturbed.
I should definately be focusing on my soon to be due paper on Proportional Representation but I can't do it right now. Sitting in class an hour ago I was suddenly overcome with sadness and frustration thinking about this blog I have started and the comments that have followed. I have to just say everything that I need to say to make me feel better.
This blog will mainly be a response to my comments from blog members A2Z and Jeff, who have been honest and have replied with I believe the best intentions they could have to my posts. But I need to reply with the best of my intentions and out of concern for this shitty world that we have to live in.
First of all, the main cause for my concern comes from the problem I have with how influential the internet is and how everyone and anyone can post their thoughts and views online. Whether these views are extremely left or right on the spectrum, they still have equal opportunity to be heard...this is a beautiful and a scary thing. While my fellow bloggers Jeff and A2Z im sure had innocent intentions and just wanted to inform me of what i'm going to face in South Africa im scared that those out there on the internet that are reading these posts may take their comments the wrong way. It was thoughts such as these that at one time were assumed to be innocent but turned into extreme. I'm sure when the Belguims went down to Rwanda and noticed a physical difference between the population they had no idea that these sketches that they made would lead into the mass genocide of 1994. What makes your views (jeff and a2z) any different then how the Germans felt towards the Jews? They too thought that Jews were born with a lower iq then that of other Germans and look where that led to....the death of 6 million innocent people, who didn't deserve to die over anyone else because of their race.
Please dont take this the wrong way a2z or Jeff, you may not feel that your words had racist undertones but I feel like you should recognize what others can do with them and how they could interpret them.
One of my comments was discussing how it's been proven that blacks are less intelligent then whites even in Canada because even after all of the opportunities that are laid at their feet they still committ themselves to gang violence and poverty. First of all, the surveys from which this information is coming from needs to be examined closer. There was a similar survey that my friend pointed me to trying to prove a similar point, it was later discovered by many scholars that these questions were skewed and twisted to prove the point true. So next time someone wants to present me with cold hard facts saying that blacks are generally less intelligent then whites then please point me to the article/website so I can see this for myself.
I think that there is too much emphasis placed on the faults of black leaders in Africa over the faults of white leaders as well. We all know that Ian Smith former leader of Zimbabwe was no saint and please don't get me wrong, there are black leaders in Africa as we speak that are responsible for the blatent murder of their people. What I'm saying is that attention needs to be given to all corrupt leaders, not just the black ones. People need to start investigating Western Imperialism to its depth and see all of the evil deeds that have sprung from the many middle aged white men that have nodded their head in approval to the initiation of many unspeakable evils. To list two we could talk about the slaughtering of thousands in Latin America in the 1970's (Argentina and Chile) of which the US supported, or we could discuss the lives that are forever ruined in the Middle East and North America from this terrible decision for a war that has killed thousands.
Please remember that before colonialization and mass immigration societies all over the world had their own system of government that worked for them beautifully. Africans had a way of life before the arrival of Europeans that worked and prospered...through the slave trade and colonialization the mentality has been born that because things weren't done the "western way" these people were simply un-intelligent savages. This is where your (Jeff and A2Z) mentality is stemming from.
I know that crime is terrible in South Africa, and when a family member gets raped or killed by a merciless black man it is IMPOSSIBLE not to hold a grudge and hate SA. I'm not saying that these terrible crimes are to be overlooked and understood, but im begging people like you two to please look past your experiences in South Africa and past this notion that blacks are inferior, because that mentality causes nothing more then a larger divide and more violence. There should be no sympathy for a rapist, but dont say that person committed the crime because they are black, the main population of Africa is black, what are the odds!?
I know that one of you is very religious, I too, at one time was a devout Christian (now....not so sure..go figure I had a problem with people in the church!). How can you say that your fellow man is by nature inferior compared to the white man because of the colour of his/her skin? What makes you white and right? Jesus would be appalled by those words of yours.
Lastly, I hope the comment saying that I must really love black because I kept my font that colour wasn't meant as I took it, because if so, the whole validity of your arguement was lost with childish words such as those.
So anyways, it's all out, I feel better. I never wanted to make waves and that was not my intention by writing this blog. But I felt so overwhelmed with greif today that I knew I had to say what I needed to say. Our conversations have been respectful so far, so please lets keep them this way, I hope you don't feel attacked....but please, take my words seriously. I can only hope that you will one day wake up and realize that you have been tainted....and I can only hope that I make it through my time in SA without agreeing with you two.
That being said, I do feel wrong writing about SA and not being there yet, so this will probably be my last post until I arrive in May....then perhaps we can have an even better debate.
Peace.
This blog will mainly be a response to my comments from blog members A2Z and Jeff, who have been honest and have replied with I believe the best intentions they could have to my posts. But I need to reply with the best of my intentions and out of concern for this shitty world that we have to live in.
First of all, the main cause for my concern comes from the problem I have with how influential the internet is and how everyone and anyone can post their thoughts and views online. Whether these views are extremely left or right on the spectrum, they still have equal opportunity to be heard...this is a beautiful and a scary thing. While my fellow bloggers Jeff and A2Z im sure had innocent intentions and just wanted to inform me of what i'm going to face in South Africa im scared that those out there on the internet that are reading these posts may take their comments the wrong way. It was thoughts such as these that at one time were assumed to be innocent but turned into extreme. I'm sure when the Belguims went down to Rwanda and noticed a physical difference between the population they had no idea that these sketches that they made would lead into the mass genocide of 1994. What makes your views (jeff and a2z) any different then how the Germans felt towards the Jews? They too thought that Jews were born with a lower iq then that of other Germans and look where that led to....the death of 6 million innocent people, who didn't deserve to die over anyone else because of their race.
Please dont take this the wrong way a2z or Jeff, you may not feel that your words had racist undertones but I feel like you should recognize what others can do with them and how they could interpret them.
One of my comments was discussing how it's been proven that blacks are less intelligent then whites even in Canada because even after all of the opportunities that are laid at their feet they still committ themselves to gang violence and poverty. First of all, the surveys from which this information is coming from needs to be examined closer. There was a similar survey that my friend pointed me to trying to prove a similar point, it was later discovered by many scholars that these questions were skewed and twisted to prove the point true. So next time someone wants to present me with cold hard facts saying that blacks are generally less intelligent then whites then please point me to the article/website so I can see this for myself.
I think that there is too much emphasis placed on the faults of black leaders in Africa over the faults of white leaders as well. We all know that Ian Smith former leader of Zimbabwe was no saint and please don't get me wrong, there are black leaders in Africa as we speak that are responsible for the blatent murder of their people. What I'm saying is that attention needs to be given to all corrupt leaders, not just the black ones. People need to start investigating Western Imperialism to its depth and see all of the evil deeds that have sprung from the many middle aged white men that have nodded their head in approval to the initiation of many unspeakable evils. To list two we could talk about the slaughtering of thousands in Latin America in the 1970's (Argentina and Chile) of which the US supported, or we could discuss the lives that are forever ruined in the Middle East and North America from this terrible decision for a war that has killed thousands.
Please remember that before colonialization and mass immigration societies all over the world had their own system of government that worked for them beautifully. Africans had a way of life before the arrival of Europeans that worked and prospered...through the slave trade and colonialization the mentality has been born that because things weren't done the "western way" these people were simply un-intelligent savages. This is where your (Jeff and A2Z) mentality is stemming from.
I know that crime is terrible in South Africa, and when a family member gets raped or killed by a merciless black man it is IMPOSSIBLE not to hold a grudge and hate SA. I'm not saying that these terrible crimes are to be overlooked and understood, but im begging people like you two to please look past your experiences in South Africa and past this notion that blacks are inferior, because that mentality causes nothing more then a larger divide and more violence. There should be no sympathy for a rapist, but dont say that person committed the crime because they are black, the main population of Africa is black, what are the odds!?
I know that one of you is very religious, I too, at one time was a devout Christian (now....not so sure..go figure I had a problem with people in the church!). How can you say that your fellow man is by nature inferior compared to the white man because of the colour of his/her skin? What makes you white and right? Jesus would be appalled by those words of yours.
Lastly, I hope the comment saying that I must really love black because I kept my font that colour wasn't meant as I took it, because if so, the whole validity of your arguement was lost with childish words such as those.
So anyways, it's all out, I feel better. I never wanted to make waves and that was not my intention by writing this blog. But I felt so overwhelmed with greif today that I knew I had to say what I needed to say. Our conversations have been respectful so far, so please lets keep them this way, I hope you don't feel attacked....but please, take my words seriously. I can only hope that you will one day wake up and realize that you have been tainted....and I can only hope that I make it through my time in SA without agreeing with you two.
That being said, I do feel wrong writing about SA and not being there yet, so this will probably be my last post until I arrive in May....then perhaps we can have an even better debate.
Peace.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A Question of Legitimacy...
On December the 7th, 2007, former President Thabo Mbeki stepped down from Presidency of the ANC and Jacob Zuma took his place.
Jacob Zuma has been a part of the ANC since 1959, he served 10 years alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island and played a significant role in the process of negotiations between the National Party and the ANC (along with many other parties) from 1990 to 1994 when South Africa dismissed apartheid.
In June 1999 he was appointed Deputy President of South Africa and believed to be the future President of South Africa until 2005 when he was faced with charges of rape and fraud. Eventually, he was let go of both charges and carried on winning the position of Presidency of the ANC this past December. Given the strength of the ANC in National elections Jacob Zuma can be assumed to be the future President of South Africa in 2009.
Despite his past charges of rape and fraud Zuma continues to be supported by many, this support has allowed him to remain a credible political figure in the eyes of many South Africans which seems absolutely ludicrous to me...but who am I to judge? I don't live there yet, but I just can't help it.
As a self-proclaimed polygamist, it is incomprehensible to me how he continues to achieve undying support from many women's groups around the country. If the reports are true, Jacob Zuma has publicly stated that he didn't rape his friends 31 year old daughter because she was wearing a skirt and therefore, asked for it. He knew that she had AIDS, but he figured it was OK, because he showered directly after having sex with her. This boils my blood. A continent infested with AIDS is going to be looking to the future President of South Africa and thinking that it's alright to sleep with someone with AIDS, as long as they clean themselves after! If the President of SA said so, it must be true!
I agree with the words of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau when he said that "Politics have no place in the bedroom". A politicians personal life should not interfere with how she/he governs a country...but when comments and allegations like these are made, they are hard not to forget and hold against someones character. I can only hope that if/when this man takes Presidency in 2009 his governing decisions won't follow along the same lines as his personal life choices. The shoes of Nelson Mandela are large and indeed hard to fill, but if this man rules as he rules his own personal life, in my opinion, the shoes are not even worthy of being put on in the first place.
Jacob Zuma has been a part of the ANC since 1959, he served 10 years alongside Nelson Mandela on Robben Island and played a significant role in the process of negotiations between the National Party and the ANC (along with many other parties) from 1990 to 1994 when South Africa dismissed apartheid.
In June 1999 he was appointed Deputy President of South Africa and believed to be the future President of South Africa until 2005 when he was faced with charges of rape and fraud. Eventually, he was let go of both charges and carried on winning the position of Presidency of the ANC this past December. Given the strength of the ANC in National elections Jacob Zuma can be assumed to be the future President of South Africa in 2009.
Despite his past charges of rape and fraud Zuma continues to be supported by many, this support has allowed him to remain a credible political figure in the eyes of many South Africans which seems absolutely ludicrous to me...but who am I to judge? I don't live there yet, but I just can't help it.
As a self-proclaimed polygamist, it is incomprehensible to me how he continues to achieve undying support from many women's groups around the country. If the reports are true, Jacob Zuma has publicly stated that he didn't rape his friends 31 year old daughter because she was wearing a skirt and therefore, asked for it. He knew that she had AIDS, but he figured it was OK, because he showered directly after having sex with her. This boils my blood. A continent infested with AIDS is going to be looking to the future President of South Africa and thinking that it's alright to sleep with someone with AIDS, as long as they clean themselves after! If the President of SA said so, it must be true!
I agree with the words of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau when he said that "Politics have no place in the bedroom". A politicians personal life should not interfere with how she/he governs a country...but when comments and allegations like these are made, they are hard not to forget and hold against someones character. I can only hope that if/when this man takes Presidency in 2009 his governing decisions won't follow along the same lines as his personal life choices. The shoes of Nelson Mandela are large and indeed hard to fill, but if this man rules as he rules his own personal life, in my opinion, the shoes are not even worthy of being put on in the first place.
Monday, March 3, 2008
So what now?
Let's just let the raging idealist inside come out for a moment to pose a question...
If everyone hates SA, if everyone gives up on it....what happens next? Do you just leave it to rot?
If all the educated people of SA are fleeing to the Western world...how are things ever going to get better?
I understand that one would rather not risk their life by commiting themselves to a place where they don't even feel wanted...but I just so often think about the future of a place like this and wonder what's going to happen to it.
I've heard the stats, and I don't doubt or deny them...in fact, speaking to my boyfriend earlier I asked how his day went, "it was great" he said...."except for the part where I had to watch a gang of men violently beat an individual on the streets"...."did you call the police?" I replied.....he just laughed.
Ok, so I get it, SA is a mess with crime. But as long as SA continues the phenomenon often referred to as "brain drain" what will happen next? How will the place ever improve?....This is a genuine question and thought. I'm not in any way saying everyone should go risk their families and lives just to contribute to a society that doesn't even want them...but what do you honestly think is in store for a place like SA? Especially with a man like Jacob Zuma who is presumed to take presidency in 2009?
Europe wasn't always so democratic, people had to fight for their country and many often died...unfortunatley they couldn't just move somewhere safer.
So if we reach beyond the stats and reality of crime in SA and look at a long term perscription, what should be proposed?
If everyone hates SA, if everyone gives up on it....what happens next? Do you just leave it to rot?
If all the educated people of SA are fleeing to the Western world...how are things ever going to get better?
I understand that one would rather not risk their life by commiting themselves to a place where they don't even feel wanted...but I just so often think about the future of a place like this and wonder what's going to happen to it.
I've heard the stats, and I don't doubt or deny them...in fact, speaking to my boyfriend earlier I asked how his day went, "it was great" he said...."except for the part where I had to watch a gang of men violently beat an individual on the streets"...."did you call the police?" I replied.....he just laughed.
Ok, so I get it, SA is a mess with crime. But as long as SA continues the phenomenon often referred to as "brain drain" what will happen next? How will the place ever improve?....This is a genuine question and thought. I'm not in any way saying everyone should go risk their families and lives just to contribute to a society that doesn't even want them...but what do you honestly think is in store for a place like SA? Especially with a man like Jacob Zuma who is presumed to take presidency in 2009?
Europe wasn't always so democratic, people had to fight for their country and many often died...unfortunatley they couldn't just move somewhere safer.
So if we reach beyond the stats and reality of crime in SA and look at a long term perscription, what should be proposed?
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Glossy Eyed Liberal
In a capitalist society, so many young people end up following the accepted norm of the cookie cutter lifestyle in the appropriate order...highschool, university, wedding, mortgage, kids...etc. Anything done outside of this order is often found confusing by our parents and their parents generations who have, for the most part, lived their lives out in this way and worked hard to give us the same.
Nowadays, so many of us in our mid-twenties are feeling the need to "travel"...whether it be a contiki tour in Europe, or volunteer work with some sort of organization in Latin America. Either way, we are finding a way to do it, to just go somewhere. This has almost become a necessary thing to do before settling into the above norm of life.
So many (my family especially) can't understand why in the world a young adult who has been seemingly given so much opportunity and is so privledged would want to purposely put themselves in danger and leave a country that so many people are fighting to get into. I can't say I don't see their point because I do. My Canadian citizenship is something I will never give up and I feel blessed to have it. For us, the world is an open door and with some money we can instantly become globetrotters entering and leaving almost any country that we wish. For others, this is not the case, their citizenship offers them little more then a hopeful trip within their borders. I realize all of this and am thankful everyday for being so lucky to have the opportunities that I do. Honestly, my reasons for wanting more are still mostly unknown...when asked why I want to trade a secure life here in Canada for one in a crime ridden city like Johannesburg I don't really have an answer. I just want something different, something raw and something real. I'm not stupid, I realize Johannesburg is dangerous and scary for a 24 year old 'glossy eyed liberal' like myself, but I also know that I won't push my limits, and I will be safe. My South African boyfriend is often amused by my intense idealism and continually shakes his head as I continue to put faith in a world that, in reality is rotting.
The point of this is that I realize the dangers of a city like Johannesburg, I realize the possible potentials and consequences that could be in store for me, but I am confident that everything will be ok. I'm not just another liberal idealist running over to Africa to try and save the continent...I just want to live my life, do something different and feel alive. At the moment I can't do that here in Canada, living my life and following the path of security and comfort. I'm not ready for my 50 year mortgage and office job. I want to experience the raw truth of life outside of the Western world. A year from now I could be writing from SA cursing the country, or maybe I'll be content, God knows...I just want to see it all for myself and offer up a "Canadian" point of view of the country. For a change, I'm going to start off positive, instead of smothering myself with negative thoughts and images of the country, I'm going to give it the chance that no one wants to.
Nowadays, so many of us in our mid-twenties are feeling the need to "travel"...whether it be a contiki tour in Europe, or volunteer work with some sort of organization in Latin America. Either way, we are finding a way to do it, to just go somewhere. This has almost become a necessary thing to do before settling into the above norm of life.
So many (my family especially) can't understand why in the world a young adult who has been seemingly given so much opportunity and is so privledged would want to purposely put themselves in danger and leave a country that so many people are fighting to get into. I can't say I don't see their point because I do. My Canadian citizenship is something I will never give up and I feel blessed to have it. For us, the world is an open door and with some money we can instantly become globetrotters entering and leaving almost any country that we wish. For others, this is not the case, their citizenship offers them little more then a hopeful trip within their borders. I realize all of this and am thankful everyday for being so lucky to have the opportunities that I do. Honestly, my reasons for wanting more are still mostly unknown...when asked why I want to trade a secure life here in Canada for one in a crime ridden city like Johannesburg I don't really have an answer. I just want something different, something raw and something real. I'm not stupid, I realize Johannesburg is dangerous and scary for a 24 year old 'glossy eyed liberal' like myself, but I also know that I won't push my limits, and I will be safe. My South African boyfriend is often amused by my intense idealism and continually shakes his head as I continue to put faith in a world that, in reality is rotting.
The point of this is that I realize the dangers of a city like Johannesburg, I realize the possible potentials and consequences that could be in store for me, but I am confident that everything will be ok. I'm not just another liberal idealist running over to Africa to try and save the continent...I just want to live my life, do something different and feel alive. At the moment I can't do that here in Canada, living my life and following the path of security and comfort. I'm not ready for my 50 year mortgage and office job. I want to experience the raw truth of life outside of the Western world. A year from now I could be writing from SA cursing the country, or maybe I'll be content, God knows...I just want to see it all for myself and offer up a "Canadian" point of view of the country. For a change, I'm going to start off positive, instead of smothering myself with negative thoughts and images of the country, I'm going to give it the chance that no one wants to.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Coming soon...
Soon enough this 24 year old Canadian will be moving her life to a new country, South Africa.
While currently enduring as patiently as possible the never ending opinions and frightened looks as I tell those around me that I will be moving to Johannesburg, I have decided to do what it is that I feel like I need to do, and that's go.
I can't help but feel that many are judging me, thinking I am following someone elses dreams other than my own, but the truth is, I am following my dreams.
Always up for an adventure, always up for something outside of the norm...this next phase of my life is somehow what I always knew I would do.
I've decided to keep an online blog to post my personal opinions and feelings about the current social state of South Africa and all of it's dynamics in living in a place like Johannesburg. I want to be brutally honest, truthful and raw. I won't tell any family or friends about this blog as I don't want it to turn into one of those cheesy "I did this today..." blogs, or scare anyone close to me.
This blog may be conceived as ignorant or informative, regardless, I feel the need to offer a second opinion to the many with pre-conceived notions towards a country that most have never visited. With so many immigrants from South Africa in North America, it's hard not to make a judgement on a place that you have only "heard" so much about.
We will see, I still have some time now to finish up this degree, pack my bags and finally get on the plane in June. So, please read my blogs in the near future, that is, if it at all interests you,
While currently enduring as patiently as possible the never ending opinions and frightened looks as I tell those around me that I will be moving to Johannesburg, I have decided to do what it is that I feel like I need to do, and that's go.
I can't help but feel that many are judging me, thinking I am following someone elses dreams other than my own, but the truth is, I am following my dreams.
Always up for an adventure, always up for something outside of the norm...this next phase of my life is somehow what I always knew I would do.
I've decided to keep an online blog to post my personal opinions and feelings about the current social state of South Africa and all of it's dynamics in living in a place like Johannesburg. I want to be brutally honest, truthful and raw. I won't tell any family or friends about this blog as I don't want it to turn into one of those cheesy "I did this today..." blogs, or scare anyone close to me.
This blog may be conceived as ignorant or informative, regardless, I feel the need to offer a second opinion to the many with pre-conceived notions towards a country that most have never visited. With so many immigrants from South Africa in North America, it's hard not to make a judgement on a place that you have only "heard" so much about.
We will see, I still have some time now to finish up this degree, pack my bags and finally get on the plane in June. So, please read my blogs in the near future, that is, if it at all interests you,
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