This is what I found while looking for a flat on Gumtree in Johannesburg:
Looking for WHITE house mate
Date Listed: 04/08/2009
Ok, Jane. I mean. SERIOUSLY? And you know what is so messed up? There were about 15 others just like it.
I’m not going to go into my whole schpeel about how the white peoples’ imprisonment and then fear of the blacks is fueling so much of the violence here. After all, I can’t say I understand enough to adequately. Certainly both sides are wrong. Violence in no way is acceptable. But this? Why can’t Jane see that her hatred is only fueling more hate. A Gumtree used for lynchings? But enough…
So here I am in Johannesburg. Much to my surprise, it’s freezing cold. So cold that I have taken to carrying around a portable electric heater, which I use to warm myself like a lizard.
I felt guilty for being so ignorant of Africa’s potential coldness. I felt like just another dumb white person who couldn’t possibly imagine an Africa with leafless sycamore trees and below zero nights. I mean, chilly, sure, but not frozen tundra. Ok. And since I am confessing my ignorance, I had also thought/hoped that there would be monkeys here. You know, any kind of monkey. Even mean monkeys. Baboons would also be fine. I pictured a garden where Jasmine could survive, maybe even Mango Trees, and rabid monkeys that would flay themselves onto my balcony to steal from me. Occasionally they might get electrocuted on the 10 ft tall electric fence, and yeah that would be awful, and smell like a backyard braai, but still, it was my fantasy. Don’t knock it.
So there are no monkeys and it’s cold. There aren’t any zebras either. Bummer.
In some ways, could we applaud Jane for her honesty? Is an out of the closet and in Go-Go boots racist better than a closeted one? I guess she could have screened her email, or phone interviews, or simply chosen a white candidate over a black one. No one would know her heart of darkness. But no. No. What am I even suggesting…NO. We cannot applaud Jane. Because its NOT ok to broadcast racism. We can call her though. Yes, lets.
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And if I get a response, I'll post it in the comment thread!
See, the problem is that you are looking at it from an American politically correct point of view. I agree, it would be wonderful if no one advertised their racism like that. But she is not doing that, she is just following a safe rule. It is unrealistic of you and, sorry to say, a little bit preachy, to expect there the same you have got accustomed to here. They will get there eventually. Their state is treating their gays better that US, that's just an example. Just it is not a good idea to look at them like you are from a better society. You are from a different one, that's all. No offense intended.
What about background checks? References? Don't those things exist in S.A.? If her Mum and Dad are so concerned, as in your scenario, why couldn't they spring for a few reference checks? A security system for Jane and her roommate?
The thing that seems odd is your insistence that somehow, "Jane's
concerned parents will find her perfectly safe with a white, but not a black roommate; and your inclusion of the possibility of rape precludes the possibility of a GIRL roommate, doesn't it?
I have sited rape concerns, mostly just as an example. Also, it happens to be true that black south africans are sadly much more likely to rape a woman of any race than the white ones. A black girl roommate might have black friends, friends of friends, etc. And she might not. It might be completely safe, depends entirely on the particular person. My point was, that the realities of life in South Africa are different than here and it is silly and unjustifiable to measure their habits by the same measure as in US. As I have mentioned, they will get to the better place eventually, they are doing a great job. But the original post was quite condescending towards the local customs without consideration for the situation.
But seriously, I don't know what it's like in South Africa. Maybe she's a racist, but maybe because of social norms there you risk bringing unwanted social judgements onto yourself if you room with someone from another race...maybe only in a particular part of town...who knows....but I think I'll withhold judging her since I don't know much about that culture or her.
It's not a renter looking for tenants, or an employer looking for employees, both cases in which none of these characteristics should be at all relevant. It's one person looking for compatibility with another. Do you think it's wrong to place any sort of qualifications on that?
I bet a lot of black tenants find it convenient to be able to immediately skip that block of ads instead of contacting each one, then meeting them in person and thinking "Ohh....."
Here in the US of A- a black potential housemate would simply have been quietly rejected by 'Jane' with no explanation.
Cape Town, on the other hand, was splendid. It felt more like San Francisco. People in J-Burg didn't smile much. Cape Town was so laid back and friendly. I didn't feel the racial animus there, like I felt in J-Burg.
How on earth are racist idiots ever going to learn if the rest of society gives them excuses?
"It's different there."
Yeah, it is. People are so accepting of racism that they print blatantly racist ads in the public newspaper. Anyone remember the NO BLACKS ALLOWED signs that were once posted all over the US? Hell, we had NO IRISH ALLOWED too. Pick an ethnicity, and there were somewhere at some time idiots who proudly proclaimed that they didn't allow THEM inside...
She does have an inkling that her request is wrong.
REGRET ONLY WHITE PEOPLE PLEASE.
equals= "Sorry I have to be a racist bitch about this, but you black people scare me!"
I'm glad she regrets it. We now stop excusing her, and make her feel ashamed. Anyone who lives somewhere where racism is so blatant should make the effort to shame people out of their stupidity. That is what J.E. Lewis is doing, and I applaud her-there is nothing preachy or condescending in standing up for others civil rights.
Yeah, nobody in Johannesburg knew there were racists in town before J.E.Lewis came and pointed this out. Yes, it was sarcasm. No, she is not really standing up for the civil rights there with this blog. While with good intentions and coming from a different background, she is judging from the outsider's point of view.
And no one here, including me, justified Jane's bahavior. I am just in favor of taking it within a context.
This raises an interesting point. An unknown Jane is judged to be a racist and deserving a scold solely on the basis of her roommate ad. Because we come from a place where such ad is in a bad taste. At the same time here crazy people are bent on the new president's failure because he is not what they want. The race is rarely mentioned, but the whole thing does not really make the country look good on the racial record. The truth is, sadly, that even without racist ads there is racism here. It is just sometimes less in your face, but deep inside just the same, if not worse. And since we do not really know Jane, it is entirely possible that she is not as racist as she seems from the ad. More than likely she has colleagues of many colors, she went to the school with black kids and she most definitely studied both English, Afrikaans and Zulu languages there. If you ask me, Orly Taitz is a much bigger racist from what we already know about her.
Hmm. I don't doubt the points you raise are valid. As I work on issues of sexual violence, I am well aware of the statistics. However, my point was that it was PRECISELY her NEED to SAY it that I think is telling of how this cycle of violence is perpetuated. You can be a pretty 19 year old white girl, and prefer to live with one of your own, couldn't she simply say "Females only." OR, Could she not have simply NOT interviewed anyone who "sounded" or "read" as "black?" OR, GOD FORBID, if she had to MEET them, to allow them into her gated compound for a few brief moments, could she not simply give the flat to a white person!!!!
Being afraid of rape is normal. Hell, I am afraid. But I would never write a posting like that.
I'm sorry. But if a man really just wants to get with a girl he meets in a bar, or a woman at work, or a female friend, is it OK to just say: "Hey, sweetie, all this talking is cute, but can you give me a BJ?"
Sure. He would be HONEST. But he might get SMACKED.
No, she did not need to state it this way. But in South Africa it is not viewed exactly the way it sounds for an American. It is not very nice, but some people still are this way. It is not viewed as the end of the world or an absolute no-no there. And I do not agree that this is exactly the reason for more violence. She probably had her reasons for the statement. Violence is perpetuated not because of some student's ad, albeit not the model one, but primarily for economic reasons and because of those nasty tiny minorities within all the races who think violence is the only answer. You just put too much weight on that ad, that's all.
It seems like that is the last and most remote behavior we should be trying to find justification or express empathy for. Maybe Jane has been raised in a climate where overtly racist judgments are more "run of the mill", more palatable, more an accepted facet of her surrounding culture: that is no excuse. None.
Every person, everywhere, makes choices about who they know and why they shy away from or reject people. Every person, everywhere, makes choices about whether or not they intervene in the public sphere to promote ideas of bias or stereotype. Jane is making a conscious choice to intervene in the public sphere, in a place whose past racist establishment dehumanized millions of people, actively promoting militarized racism.
She is choosing to perpetuate that legacy. Words matter. Attitudes expressed in advertisements matter. They convey fear and help to sow hate and resentment. They are a legacy of a culture of horrible crimes. It's not about America being "politically correct" and South Africa not: it's about whether Americans or South Africans or Koreans or anyone else, individually, in each case, can transcend those biases that propagate violence and suffering.
Only when enough people are willing and able to do that, to stop sliding back into the primordial ooze of overt bias and hate, can a society really become free. Maybe Jane is young, foolish, afraid; maybe she's too weak to transcend bias. That doesn't excuse her; that means she NEEDS to be preached to. She needs people to express their righteous indignation and say... "regret" not enough humanity in your soul Jane... try to be stronger.
You cannot justify racism, gender-based violence, hatred or the stratification of people's rights by calling them "cultural". They are not cultural traits; they are vices; they are the death of culture, and they are a threat to what every human being should have a right to life: a life free of the hatred and intimidation other human beings might direct at them.
I agree that racism is bad, and in none of my comments did I say that it was ok. If you got from my responses that I think that racism is acceptable in some places more than the others, then you did not quite get what I meant to say.
I will reiterate it. The original post makes too much of the ad. There are so many veiled forms of racism perpetuated both in US and South Africa. It is just South Africa got a later start. And even so, in two years there I have met only a couple of racist people. But the changes do not come overnight. In general, in two years I got the impression that the South African society is actually not very racist. There are many aspects in US that are more racist than in SA. This is why I feel that you going that hard on Jane's ad is unjustified and you speak in general terms without understanding of local situation. I am sure Jane had her reasons, she even apologized in the ad.
My point is that you go on this ad so gang-ho, so "we know better than anybody else", that I find myself wanting to stand up for Jane. She does not deserve it much, but your over passionate and too righteous approach is the thing many people over the globe dislike some Americans for. I respect you for your strong emotions on racism, but there are much worse examples of racism even right here in US to get righteous about.
Yeah, I read that article before I came here. Alas, I'm a New Yorker. And yeah, it was inspiring. However, I remember part of the article where the woman who signed them in was a bit disapproving. But anyway, I don't care to start another debate. Sure, it was a great article, and certainly says alot for South Africa.
However, as much as you can hold this up as a testament to the progress here, why can't I point out that Jane's ad was broadcasting racism, or that she's suffering from a post-apartheid hangover? I am not saying she is an awful person, or that she represents everyone, or even a majority. I am just saying, all I want is to find an apartment here, and I find a few ads like Jane's. Yes, there were also ads specifying Indians. And sure, there may be blacks who would prefer to live with other blacks.
I haven't lived in America for years, I am not feeling righteous, and I am well aware of the racism there. In fact, I would raise my voice whenever confronted with it. But Jane's ad was totally out of line.