Need advice

[nola74]

Over the years, living in New Orleans and cocktail waiteressing, I have often come across ignorant people who when finding out that I am a South African bokkie they make insulting Apartheid jokes, which really annoys me. Some foreigners think that all white S A 's where responsible for apartheid.
Please advise me on a polite response, because I start to boil and the last ignoramus got the finger.
I actually love people from all walks of life but people who knock my country, I do not have patience for.

Thanks, Bird from Durban

[Jaybang]

Howzit Nola,

Yes, I think we all come across this type of thing in our time abroad. Its like you go to a bar and some person starts talking to you, and as soon as he/she realizes your south African he starts cracking racist jokes, and just itching to use the "K.." word, and it always makes me feel sick.

Here is what I do, and the last time I did it, it was kind of funny to see the guys reaction...

With a very straight face, I simply turn and say "My mother is African..." and you can see the thought immediately in his head.. ".. but your white!!" ... but they are so ignorant, they get confused, because in reality they know so little about South Africa, that they really don’t know what to say or how to react, and ultimately in his mind, he has now disrespected your family.

I find that this usually shuts them up pretty quick.. It just depends on if you can keep a serious kind of insulted look on your face, which is easy, as I am generally disgusted and insulted anyway!

Try and let me know how it goes.

[ches]

Jay! That's awesome! Of course, I couldn't use it because my mother is British...

But I'm surprised that Miz NOLA is coming across people informed enough to have heard about apartheid. Here in Tennessee, when people find out I'm South African (which, is no different in their eyes to "Southern African" and sometimes, "South American"), all I get is the blank stare and "but... you aren't black?"

Seriously.

Check out this post off the discussion board to my husband's online Astronomy course at the local State University:

I learned that there are many different observatories for the telescopes. I was just curious: for the ones that are located in different countries (i.e. Chile and South Africa), does the U.S. own and operate these telescopes? Does NASA control these? I was just curious how that works if it is in another country. Is it kind of like how the military has different bases located in different countries?

[Woestynryer]

Best maybe is to just blame it on the Afrikaners....seems that's the easiest way and most non-Afrikaans speaking people do it anyway.(I'm an Afrikaner so not sure who I can blame it on ;-)

Seriously - I just tell them 'Ignorance knows no skin colour' that usually makes them think.

[nola74]

Thanks guys for your imput. I have used the line that my dad is black often, but it is a bit hard to believe because I look like the typical blonde Durbanite. It does shut people up though. I prefer giving them the finger most days - just kidding. People can be surprisingly informed about South Africa and then some can be rather ignorant. But thats okay. I have great American friends here who cannot wait to travel to South Africa. There is nothing like an African sunset and its wild beauty.

Cheers, Belinda

[SB-Angel]

Why not try educating them?

Being of South African origin and having a white skin has, over the decades, been a curse. I have been classified as racist before opening my mouth and quite frankly, I’m sick to death of it.

Not so long ago, while preparing to interview a blowhard African-American businessman on a subject unrelated to politics, I was informed that he felt ‘uncomfortable’ about being interviewed by me. He had picked up on my somewhat subtle South African accent and decided I was a racist and referred to me as “one of them”. For a moment, I felt as if all the energy had been sucked out of the room, and to say I was peeved would be too mild by far. I underwent what I imagine a ballistic implosion felt like. But I kept calm long enough to gather my thoughts. I needed to tell this man the truth. The truth the world does not want to hear. The truth the media has successfully withheld from the masses and of course many South Africans still living in SA that have their collective heads in the sand.

What transpired in that interview could, of course, not be reported to the magazine I was commissioned to work for. I transcribe an edited version of the recorded conversation as follows:

Me: I am no longer bound by diplomacy, so forgive me if I occasionally lapse into reality, but did you just call me a racist?

Businessman: I suppose so, yes. You are South African, are you not?

Me: So, in your opinion, which is obviously grossly misinformed, all South Africans who oppose the ANC government, are racists? What would you call the millions of black South Africans who are anti-ANC? Are they being racist too? Don’t judge me by your preconceived ideas of racism. Many white South Africans took part in the anti-apartheid struggle, as they thought the ANC would bring democracy to South Africa. But they were wrong.

Businessman: Nelson Mandela is a hero the world over! How can you say this?

Me: Should I question why you have condemned Osama Bin Laden and his followers as terrorists, when they were clearly claiming to be freedom fighters, just as Nelson Mandela did? Should the rest of the world not be demanding that you make him your next President? To South Africa, there is no difference between what al-Qaida did and what Mandela, Mbeki and the ANC did and still are doing.

Businessman: Huh? (mouth agape).

Me: Perhaps you are not aware that the communist regime in South Africa now kills, rapes, and assaults people indiscriminately to the point where South Africa is considered the most dangerous place, outside of a war zone. You seem to imagine that one act of terrorism is justified because of its motive, while another is condemnable. If you believe Mandela fought against apartheid, you display gross ignorance. The battle against the ANC was a battle against communism. Mandela hid behind the apartheid mask, and the world swallowed the lie, his real purpose was to install communism in South Africa. Mandela even admitted at his trial that he was ‘influenced’ by communism. If you cannot believe me, just look at what he accomplished. South Africa today is ruled by the ANC, within which, all the members of the ruling elite are card-carrying members of the South African Communist Party, an organization fundamentally clinging to Marxist doctrine. The liberal West fell for the trick and today only Botswana, Swaziland, and Lesotho are non-communist; but the latter two are crumbling. Ironically, there is more racism in South Africa today than there ever has been. Mandela’s objective was never the eradication of racism – racism is practiced with an iron fist of no tolerance, which is proof in itself that his fight had nothing to do with apartheid.

Businessman: Is this for real?

Me: I have seen video clips victims of “necklace” murders. I recall one victim still had his arms tied behind his back. Although it is unthinkable for the normal human mind that people can dance and chant around a burning and begging human being, it actually happened in more than 500 reported cases. Why? Perhaps we should ask the so-called Mother of the Nation, Mrs. Winnie Mandela, what she meant, when she said, "With tyres and matches we will liberate this country".

Businessman: Holy sh*t -- I don’t believe this!

Me: A terrorist is a terrorist, regardless of the motive. A debate about South Africa's policies and politics would be fruitless unless you became educated about its history – but not as it has been recorded by those who purposely distorted the facts. Although the white South African government was called racist and the average white citizens were called thugs, one only needs to look at the outcome to find out who spoke the truth during the anti-apartheid war. The former white government said they were fighting communism, while the ANC said they fought for justice. Now, more than a decade after the handover, there is a communist government in place and less justice.

Businessman: I came from America to address a delegation in London but instead I am being re-educated about South African politics. What you are telling me is insane!

Me: Everything there is insane -- even more insane when someone calls me a racist. Not for a moment will I doubt your patriotism. Don't you dare doubt mine.

Businessman: Hell, no. Come to America and from there expose this government for what they are.

Me: Do you really think the world wants to come out from their false guilt and learn about Mandela and his side-kicks? Do they need to be reminded of why he was imprisoned in the first place? Recall, he was once the most wanted and notorious terrorist and mass murderer. I don’t think the masses could grasp the fact that bigger power games are being played here. World power moguls carefully conspired and manipulated circumstances to put a puppet martyr on the throne of the wealthiest country on the African continent. Now he and the ANC government are the champions of the oppressed, he is the icon of all freedom fighters. Slowly driving out the whites and killing the farmers, one by one.

Businessman: What can America do?

Me: I cannot tell America what they must do. But I can tell America what they must not do. The very worst thing is more foreign aid. For the most part, foreign aid is government to government, and as such, it provides the financial resources that allow Africa's corrupt regimes to buy military equipment, pay off cronies and continue to oppress their people. It also provides resources for the leaders to set up "retirement" accounts in Swiss banks. Even so-called humanitarian aid in the form of food is often diverted. Mugabe's thugs rip labels off wheat and corn shipments from the United States and Europe and re-label them as benevolence from the dictator. Most of what Africa needs the West cannot give, and that's the rule of law, private-property rights, an independent judiciary and limited government.

At this point I turned the tape recorder off.

Educate yourself.

[ches]

You, ma'am, are a moron.

I would appreciate it if you would stop peddaling your lunacy as The Truth From The Country I Haven't Lived In Since 1998. You are a conspiracy theorist and a muckraker.

Cindy-Lou, you seem to have come across this forum as some kind of free advertising for your Internet Bulletin Board of Lies and Mistruths.

Your brand of "journalism" is more shameful than the partisan journalism of the US media.

In fact, it strikes me that someone told you you could write good and now you're blowing your trumpet all over the place, somewhat off-key. I suppose you're a "freelance" because nobody will put you onto their payroll?

By the way, that photo on your website is hideous. Haven't you heard of photoshop?