With the enormous changes and the forgiveness factor which
has taken hold of South Africa over the last thirty years we have seen a huge
shift in attitude and respect for people of other cultures and faiths. The
world paused when Mandela was set free and forgave his enemy. What a huge heart;
people couldn’t believe it. And what would be the use of holding a grudge? He
was running a country, not a twelve-step program. The country needed repair; he used reverse
psychology and focussed on the positive, not on revenge. He gave South Africa a
fresh new face.
Change in attitude
As Mandela’s influence spread and took hold white people
eased up on their fear of people of color and there was positive interaction.
You no longer call your domestic worker a girl or a maid. You are not allowed
to label people or say you whites or you coloreds and call them Pakis or
terrorists; there is zero tolerance. Crimen
injuria is a law in South Africa that forbids racist remarks. For the most part this kind of deterrent
works, but are there still people who think that because of their skin color
that they are a superior race? Do you still give your domestic yesterday’s food
or food that you have saved up in the fridge? Here are some signs that you are
a closet hater.
Indications that you
have not changed and are still racist
·
Your domestic worker still calls you madam and
you are not on a first-name basis.
·
You still pay your domestic eight hundred rand a
month.
·
Your domestic does not have her meals with you,
but sits alone.
·
You still believe you should get the seat in the
bus or train over a person of color.
·
You still give your domestic polony and bread
for lunch; you never give her a hot meal.
·
At a day hospital you grumble that blacks are
coming into your day hospital instead of going to one in the townships.
·
You still call coloreds and blacks ‘these
people’.
·
You still expect the domestic to look after the
little ones, clean the house, do the windows and continue working until four or
five.
·
You put butter on your bread but give the
domestic worker margarine.
·
After a long day of cleaning up, when it rains
you still expect her to walk to the station instead of giving her a lift.
·
At Christmas you give her three hundred for a
bonus and think you have done a good deed. Having stated the above, the madams
today are not all white.
