About White Inherited Privileges

Source I

The article talks about a white individual who basically explains he was born into a white family during the Apartheid era, which ensued in him becoming a recipient of white inherited privilege. This allowed him to receive an excellent education. But that he has not been capable to accumulate wealth or own land. That his voice and opinions are all he has, especially when living in a county like South Africa, which allows citizens to voice their opinions resulting in him being exposed to other people's opinions about people of white decent.

All the criticism has reached a point where one would think white people aren't allowed to think or feel for themselves anymore, since they are painted to be nebulous, racist individuals. The review affects the individual on an emotional level, where he gets upset when he reads about how awful of a person he is, because he is white. The Apartheid era having left a mark on the soul of the citizens of South Africa, has caused that we view each other as races, and that wealth or poverty is defined by skin color, but not to forget it reflects a antiquity of oppression and injustice, where the perpetrators were not punished. Harm was committed and that cannot be undone with a vote or having an education or a job. The injustices committed cannot be indulged over by living next to all races and get on living in a nonracist society, because we live in such a society. We need to understand that anger follows, once we as humans experience pain. And as human beings the most hurtful thing is having to witness loved ones being humiliated, or subjected to injustices and feeling disempowered to help.

He even goes on to state that he too a white individual has been a victim and can relate to being hurt from a personal experience which angered him just because he witness someone close to him being hurt which had me feeling disempowered. Now one has to imagine how much collective amassed anger must be developing in black homes, where victims of pain, humiliation and disempowerment at the hands of white people during the Apartheid era reside.

He went on to explain that as a white person he tries to understand the hurt but that no matter how hard he does just never will.

REFERENCE: News24. (2018). White, privileged and ignorant. [online] Available at: https://www.news24.com/MyNews24/white-privileged-and-ignorant-20180410 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2018].

Source J

The article talks about Julius Malema Economic Freedom Fighters leader and the promise he has made to fight against white privilege. White people resent those who talk out about the subject of white privilege and that this can be seen by what is happening with the Democratic Alliance party leader Musi Maimane. Black people are not taken seriously and they will not be discouraged from fighting whiteness and white privilege and that there are different rules for the different races in South Africa.

The journalist replies to a march that took place in Johannesburg to Sandton where no weapons were allowed, where there was no intention or attempt to injure a white person, where roads weren't obstructed, where every single one of the participants followed the orders of the officers of the law as they lead them to their destination. Such a march can have them labeled as fascists. But as soon as white people participate in their separate marches in Pretoria where they are armed and have an intent to harm and cause havoc no journalist would dare to call them fascist.

Tshidi furthermore expresses white members within the African National Congress are not speak able to speak in an indigenous language, but we hear them say Amandla' a slogan which they have used throughout their lives but cannot put in the effort to pronounce it correctly. She discusses how lives were lost during the liberation movement for the people but never truly tried to learn or understand the languages of the people they are dying for. Worst of all ANC senior veterans are well known for promoting white privilege as there were cases of there being two families one white and the other black both arrived in Lusaka after being driven there together. They were then separated the black family being moved to the camps while the white to apartments.

REFERENCE: Madia, T. (2018). EFF won't be discouraged 'from fighting against whiteness and white privilege' - Malema. [online] News24. Available at: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/eff-wont-be-discouraged-from-fighting-against-whiteness-and-white-privilege-malema-20180511 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2018].

Source K

The source talks about the reactions Musi Maimane received after his comments about white privilege and poverty, and him basically making comments to challenge these issues. Put off course by race has exposed our hypersensitivities and worst of all how far off we are from the rainbow nation we aspire to be when we started in 1994, as soon as one refers to colour in terms of race, black or white in a debate expect it to deteriorate into a finger pointing, name calling argument. In the view of the writer the TRC (Truth And Reconciliation Commission) was nothing but a merely lost opportunity, as it failed to serve its purpose all it did was put a plaster over a raw, deep septic wound and as a result racial groups today still feel the pain and anger caused by an era of oppression and separation as it was never truly dealt with.

He went on to explain that the DA feels it should be the ruling party now because the ANC has failed to unite the people of South Africa and refusing to take responsibly for its failures as a party and government. White citizens feel their sense of belonging is being threatened while the blacks feel disregarded by the binary talk of white and black, and still feel excluded and ignored. Maimane feels that racial inequality needs to be dealt with first. Because he fears if it is not done it could cause civil violence. But to avoid it he feels a solution to unifying South Africa could be found when all share their stories and listen to them with empathy because it takes one party to reach out when two parties are in conflict.

Oppression and persecution of blacks was a direct result of supremacist beliefs of white people caused by faulty race science created by white people, years of colonial settlement scratched aggregate structural Eurocentric domination in worldwide societies, economies, and politics. The sins from our forefathers are exactly that, our forefather's sins, they do not need us to apologies or even feel guilty for them as they are not ours. The writer then goes on to discuss that there are a large number of financially struggling whites and wealthy blacks but they are part of statistical margins. And that statistics prove to us that if life was a 400 meter race white people have a 4 second head start and a lot less hurdles to go over compared to their black counterparts.

The writer then goes on to admit having white privilege of dolls represent their skin color and image, hotel shampoos that cater for their hair type, haircare products that they can find in anywhere, nude referring to their stocks or makeup that matches up to their skin color but not to their son who's haircare products can only be found in the ethnic section. The writer even expressed they can go out and apply for a loan and mark themselves as white under the race category simply carries more weight than their pay slip because automatically it's assumed they've got more collateral. And that admitting privilege does not mean one undermines the value, talent and self-made successes of those without privilege many individuals without privilege have succeeded through their own efforts and talents.

In the view of the writer black poverty was contributed to by blacks being removed from their homes and their right to own land taken away from them while whites were granted legislated privilege to own land. The DA wants to right this by raising the standard of living of individuals left out from opportunity, by pushing forward land reform and restitution. The writer then addresses that black people are asking is white people acknowledge white privilege and realize it does not take away from honoring those who had to suffer to liberate our country, offering respect to those who built our country, or from placing belief that South Africa belongs to all that live in it. The DA believes reconciliation can bring real effect to the intention of our constitution and that our country's most powerful resource is its people and their energy working together in a shared hope and goal.

The writer then goes on to raise their opinion that the DA wants to redress the issues of today, by firstly removing the ANC government and instilling its own polices that will attempt to dismantle white privilege, and close the inequality gap.

REFERENCE: News24. (2018). White privilege, black poverty and the DA offer. [online] Available at: https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/white-privilege-black-poverty-and-the-da-offer-20180514 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2018].

Source L

The article talks about Mmusi Maimane the DA leader, and him being put under attack by his own senior colleagues in parliament because of his comments of black poverty and white privilege having to be confronted. Members of the DA confessed they were afraid that his comments would alienate white voters before the next election and they are much needed since they need their votes to get control over Gauteng. MP Ghaleb Cachalia came to the aid of the party leader stating that the topic is complex and needs party leaders to gather and discuss.

The writer discusses how this internal battle inside the DA is a result of worry that arose from the confrontation. Worry that came from a place of fear as members felt that this would directly or indirectly affect their positions and the kinds of impacts it will have on their jobs as senior white party members in government and parliament while those who see the bigger picture with Mmusi said the ambush is on a bigger fight. About the candidate selection processes that should put more black people on the DAs seats in Parliament. The writer feels Mmusi's comments provided a platform to his opponents within the party to now challenge him on the diversity note. The article furthermore discusses Mmusi's talks of diversifying the lists and his comments about white privilege having created uncertainty in people about their positions feeling they may not be secure anymore.

The journalist goes onto point out there's a need for the DA to show diversification and that their lists will entail more black people. And that Mmusi's test of leadership will be on the results of the lists processes. The article furthermore went on to discuss how Mmusi has refused to apologies for his comments or for trying to change the party, since South Africa remains a unequal society in which black citizens remain left out of opportunities. And that the effects of apartheid are still seen today and the ANC has done nothing to deconstruct the inequality. Since the DA feels it can do what the ANC has failed at.

The journalist went to explain that the liberation of one race will not cause the enslavery of another, and the journalist feels that that's what white people fear, but that's not the case as he also feels if all people were to come together as humans and see the injustice to one we can then all work together to resolve and reprimand it. The same as if one was on site of a women being abused there would be no need for them to be women to get involved to stop the injustice. The writer goes on to discuss how inequality is still persistent in our country where a white child grew up to an expensive education while a black child to peanuts price. These being the systems that create the problems we have today and the only consistent measure for inequality we have today is race. The journalist even points out one can't even use income as a measure since the results will not be accurate because white South Africans still earn more than their black counterparts. This leading the point where we as people label blacks as poor because whites are rich but in reality black people are poor because of their history and a past of being separated that created injustice. And that we are run by a government that has failed to set up reforms.

REFERENCE: Cele, S. (2018). Mmusi Maimane feels pressure as 'white privilege' race row rocks DA. [online] News24. Available at: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/mmusi-maimane-feels-pressure-as-white-privilege-race-row-rocks-da-20180506 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2018].

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