Racism

It's probably my naivety coming through again, but I really thought that South Africans were starting to realise that it doesn't matter whether you're Black, White, Coloured, Indian or Asian. I guess it's a little too idealistic of me to expect a change in 13 short years.

Two stories I heard this week really shocked me though. I can't believe people have such (openly) racist attitudes.

My manager was showing me photos of a managers get-together they had in Cape Town earlier this year. She paused at the one photo showing a (rather arrogant and too skinny-looking) white women. I asked who it was, and she said:
"I don't know her name, but she doesn't like black people. It's a whole group of them at Head Office actually. They don't want talk to us, they don't want to sit next to us, they don't want anything to do with us."

I was stunned. A company with a (supposedly) wonderful BBBEE policy still has a chunk of people with a seriously racist attitude.

Then yesterday the Fidelity guard came to get the cash, and told us that he had just been to Woolies. He had greeted the (white) manager there in Zulu. The manager had had a real fit, telling him that he must only greet him in English or Afrikaans, otherwise he will have him thrown out.

Thrown out for greeting someone in your mother tongue?

This really makes me sad and angry. I can only hope that over time, attitudes of people will change.