Entrenched in the minds of all South Africans are differences: social, economic, educational differences - drawn along racial lines which have given birth to prejudices. Differences no longer politically correct to acknowledge, but differences that subconsciously justify attitudinal racism. However, unless we are able to acknowledge and embrace these differences, it seems impossible to banish attitudinal racism, for unless an issue is acknowledged it can never be solved. According to Clarke it seems that as white South Africans are called upon to become conscious of the effects that apartheid has wrought on us – and on black South Africans – we become overwhelmed by defensiveness and denial – “We just want to get on with it”, “Apartheid is over, let bygones be bygones.” This leaves those who need their hurts, aspirations and experiences of injustice to be heard feeling frustrated and angry (2003). White people have taken up the attitude “om die slaagoffer te blameer (swart straatkinders is die gevolge van ouers wat lui is om te werk), om kontak met die ander rasse te vermy of om verskille te ontken (ons het ‘n demokrasie - ons is almal dieselfde) (Gouws, 2003). This lack of acknowledgement is the basis of attitudinal racism.
However attitudinal racism is not only present in white South Africans as shown by our own president. In 1997, the Hon John McIntosh preformed one of the boldest protests ever undertaken by an elected representative in South Africa, before or since. He went on an eight day hunger strike, starving himself for the same amount of time that Black conscious leader Steve Biko had been in police hands – proving that Biko could not have died from starvation. The Hon McIntosh remains committed to the democratic cause. Yet the ANC swore in John Gogotya MP, a black politician who took money from the apartheid Department of Military Intelligence to go to the US to denounce the cause of black majority rule (Leon, 2003). Attitudinal racism has led to the re-emergence of structural racism. President Mbeki has again and again used race to deflect legitimate criticism and developed a technique labelled “flaming” to attack his critics and silence dissent (Leon, 2003). These damaging circumstances have occurred because attitudinal racism has not been seriously enough pursued and simply swept under the mat and left to fester.
Racism is something South Africa has fought so hard to legally be free of, but it is now our own personal demons that have been neglected in this liberation struggle. Attitudinal racism lacks visible structures to fight against; the battle resides within each of us. Without visible evidence it is easier to pretend attitudinal racism does not exist than to face our own moral standpoints. Perhaps this is what makes it even more lethal. One form of racism alone is always damaging, but as we have seen, one form, uncontested leads to other forms. The structural racism of apartheid led to attitudinal racism and it is this undealt with attitudinal racism that threatens South Africa and has already begun to breed structural racism once again.
But what can be done? According to Gouws “aan die kant van die bevoorregtes beteken dit om plek te maak vir die “ander”, om die stelsel se verantwoordelikheid te eien en eie voorreg te erken, om verskil te aanvaar en te bevestig. Dit beteken ook om die gevolge van histories, ekonomies, en sielkundige onderdrukings te aanvaar” (2003). An important step for white South Africans is when guilt and shame begin to replace defensiveness, then can we start to become human again, not because we are taking responsibility for apartheid, but because we are aware of and sensitive to the very different realities of all the people of our country. We need to develop a perspective which differentiates what we can be responsible for, that is, our day-to-day attitude and actions toward the people we meet from the grand plan that was apartheid (Clark, 2003).
But what about those who were oppressed? They too have attitudinal racism of their own to overcome and attitudes to work on to form a prosperous future. According to Grouws “aan die kant van die slagoffers speel mense die sisteem, of blameer die sisteem (ek kan nie my lewe verander nie, want dis apartheid se skuld), of ontken hul herkoms of ontwikkel ‘n entitlement syndrome. Die afleer van rassisme is ‘n proses wat met konstruktiewe verandering gepaard moet gaan. Dit beteken om selfgeldend te wees, om verantwoordelikheid vir optrede te aanvaar, en om inligting oor hul kultuur en sistemiese onderdrukking te deel (2003).
Once we have acknowledged our differences, our past and our control over our own attitudinal racism we can begin to take steps of healing. While presently our country’s leaders seem lost to the war of political race-labelling and race-baiting (Leon, 2003), let us remember South Africa’s own international hero, Mr Nelson Mandela whose inspirational words were first heard in 1964 and again repeated in a speech after his release from 27 years imprisonment:
I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
With these sentiments in mind let us not forget how far we have come and put to waste all that has been so hard won. Let us rejoice in our liberty, seek to mend wounds and not fan fires, let us take charge of our own attitudes and choose to re-establish our rainbow nation.
All three articles are valid in that they discuss the different forms of racism and the different levels of society they affect. Gouws’s article differentiates between attitudinal and structural racism. It brings attitudinal racism to our attention and challenges us to change, however it also questions the government not playing more of a role. Clarke’s article is a particular challenge to white South Africans reminding them that just because apartheid is over it does not follow that the work is done. Leon’s article challenges the presidents behaviour and is frightening reminder that racism is alive and thriving still in South Africa, that unless we continually contest it, it threatens to return in full force to every level of society. It is also proof of the importance to work through attitudinal racism before it returns as structural.
