An anthropology of low expectations

Readers will recall that last week I took to task the invocation of ‘context' by Johnny Steinberg in order to ‘understand' and ‘situate' the moral failures of political leaders like Thabo Mbeki. Legacy debates will not go out of fashion anytime soon and so it is worth pushing the dialectic a little bit further.

Steinberg responds by claiming that " ... if Mr McKaiser's argument is taken to its logical conclusion, we should never again invoke the humiliation of Versailles lest we excuse Adolf Hitler. Nor dare we mention land hunger as a source of grievance in Zimbabwe lest we give Robert Mugabe succour. We are to still our questions, bury our curiosity and butcher our intellects in order that we may condemn."

Nonsense. But interesting nonsense - a colourful example of a straw man that I could trot out for beginner logic students to play with. In this rejoinder, Steinberg gives examples with which I certainly would agree. Of course one can point out multiple sources of any political or socio-economic problem. That is indeed the point of intellectually curious social science research that aims to offer us a critical understanding of the world we live in. Nothing in my criticism of Steinberg's use of ‘context' to understand Thabo Mbeki's legacy is incompatible with this. It is not rocket science to accept that there can be multiple sources of explanation for any issue.

What Steinberg in fact did, but tries to fudge by pretending he was engaging in subtle intellectual pursuit that I missed because perhaps I was sneezing while reading him, was to poorly distinguish between the contextual facts within which Mbeki had acted as a political animal and the individual moral and political blame that can properly be attributed to Mbeki. Mbeki simply chose AIDS denialism - period. History will and should rightly hold him morally responsible.

The irony of this exchange between Steinberg and myself was brought to my attention by a couple of readers who pointed me to an excellent review by Steinberg of Didier Fassin's "When bodies remember: Experiences and Politics of AIDS in South Africa". Steinberg rather pointedly - and rightly - criticises the excessive attempt on the part of Fassin to understand Mbeki. He calls this "an anthropology of low expectations" and concludes by urging that "we should beware generous anthropologies of African mistakes." Yet, fast forward to late 2009, and Steinberg himself is engaging in a low-expectation anthropology of African mistakes. It is important for researchers and writers to journey into the headspace and social landscape of a subject with critical distance. This does not mean that we must lack empathy. Nor that we should never exonerate someone or diminish the degree of responsibility we attribute to them. Mbeki's ‘leadership' on HIV/AIDS, however, is not such a case in point.  

The bigger debate is ultimately one about structuralism's fate. Our individual beliefs, attitudes, personalities and behavioural patterns are strongly influenced by social, economic, political, familial and other structures into which we are born and within which we become adults. We cannot pretend to live in solitary universes as individuals. These social facts mean that individuals can only be fully understood if the structures within which they were and are shaped are understood equally well. This is the point of much social science. And it is a worthwhile and compelling enterprise.

What too many social scientists get wrong - and also biographers whose works are derivative of empirical psychology and sociology - is to perpetuate two analytic mistakes. The first is a failure to recognise that structures are constituted by persons with flesh and blood and brains and bodies - human beings. Instead, structures are anthropomorphised. Human traits are casually attributed to inanimate things. Then, in a jump of logic, we can, for example, claim that it is not a human being who is racist, but an (inanimate) ‘system' or ‘institution' that is racist, as if systems and institutions are not constituted by persons who take decisions that we can attribute to them as persons. The fetishishing of structures allow leaders to be given convenient space to escape full responsibility for actions and decisions. Structures influence who and what are.  But they do not determine what we do. We are capable of acting differently to how we in fact act. That is why attributions of praise and blame in the game of morality makes sense- even in the face of facts about he context within which we act.

The second confusion is a failure to distinguish between empiricism and normativity. Of course empirical projects are hugely intellectually interesting. New data and facts are the lifeblood of knowledge production. But normative questions - questions about how we ought to behave as opposed to how we actually behave - are equally important. If not, we will never bother to strive towards norms of moral excellence but simply replicate past mistakes well-chronicled in empirical social science works.

Ultimately, our criticism of Thabo Mbeki is a normative one. We take his intelligence seriously enough to blame him for failing to transcend the structures into which he was born. He could have and should have acted other than how he in fact acted as president of South Africa. A softer, later-Steinberg analysis of Mbeki's legacy perpetuates a condescending anthropology of low expectations, one the earlier-Steinberg would have rightly disapproved of.

*McKaiser is an associate at the Centre for the Study of Democracy

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This is all interesting but... I am still missing the part where, in discussing AIDS, we place due emphasis on personal responsibility. McKaiser's first rejoinder to Steinberg touched on individual agency, but alas, this is only to debunk Steinberg's "situational" analysis and and to . .more ascribe moral choice only to Mbeki. By all means Mbeki's navel-gazing on AIDS sent many to needless death, but, in this day and age, we all know how HIV/AIDS is transmitted. Isn't it time, at the risk of sounding callous, that we acknowledged that most people in SA contract the disease through bad individual choices? . .less by Jean Racine on December 18 2009, 08:19 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

"we should beware generous anthropologies of African mistakes." AFRICAN Culture thrives on obfuscation. Big Man Cult. Europeans demand high standards or cuplrit is condemned and evicted. Africans vote again - shout Racism when others expect ethics and honour. by CYNIC on December 18 2009, 08:32 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Laborious but accurate Mr McKaiser is right, if a trifle laborious in his dissertation. Mbeki must stand accountable for perpetuating the ridiculous polciy on HIV/AIDS which he formulated with his loony co-conspirator, Manto Thsabalala Msimang, that undoubtedly resulted in the . .more deaths of countless thousands who might otherwise have lived with access to ARV's. A man of his intellect ought to have known, and done, better. . .less by Norman McFarlane on December 18 2009, 08:58 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Mbeki and AIDS Mbeki unfortunately believed the propaganda spread by the ANC about himself. He was touted as the ANCs intellectual. His Native Intelligence was far superior to that of anyone else, medical scientists included.History shows that whenever a fork in the . .more road confronted him, he chose the path of least benefit to his people. His Native Intelligence was a dark and destructive force which denied that which clashed with how he wanted the world to be. His legacy to his people was poisoned by mulish stupidity, bolstered by his supporters who didn't have the courage to point out that the emperor was naked.The entire ANC are to blame for the decimation of their own people. . .less by Guy Mullins on December 18 2009, 08:58 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Cr@p Eusebius Mckaiser's articles, but for the pompous diatribe, always fails to meet expectations. Cr@p, in fact... by Concerned Citizen on December 18 2009, 13:01 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Mbeki and AIDS So when can we see a class action on behalf of those who were born with AIDS whose HIV positive status could have been prevented? Can we expect to see Mbeki indicted for criminal negligence as the person responsible for the early deaths of . .more hundreds of thousands of black persons? And what about his loony former AIDS ADVISORY PANEL who were complicit in this crime against humanity; including the unrepentant Anita Allen? . .less by Oompah on December 18 2009, 13:47 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Money for a World Cup but not ARVs and neviropine? I agree with McKaiser, and what's more I am absolutely disgusted at the expense South Africa has incurred in getting ready to host the football extravaganza that is the 2010 World Cup when countless thousands died needless, preventable deaths hastened by . .more poverty, malnutrition and poor access to adequate health care and medicine. I am sorry, there is simply no excuse for what happened. We are not Switzerland, but this is not a poor country either. What in God's name possessed Mbeki? He was in charge. He was in a position to make the most difference. Instead, he fueled his personal peccadillos about how the West characterises black male sexuality, and so on. ARVs are most definitely not without side-effects, but at least they prolong lives and allow patients some dignity. One could have had beetroot, garlic AND anti-retrovirals. The fact that Neviropine was not swiftly available in every clinic, hospital and medical outpost is a disgrace. There are no justifications for what has happened and Mbeki and his cohorts should be put on trial. . .less by Bunny Jones on December 18 2009, 16:18 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Forget about condemning Thabo Mbeki. Rather publish the proof that HIV causes AIDS. by Johnny Winter on December 18 2009, 20:51 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Johnny Winter Why should I publish it when others better qualified have done so to the satisfaction of all but the very obtuse, and those with flat-earth syndrome? The only open question is whether Thabo and his ilk were disingenuously obtuse, or lamentably of . .more the flat-earth persuasion . There are hundreds of thousands of early deaths and countless persons unnecessarily born with HIV calling for an answer to this question . .less by Oompah on December 19 2009, 00:08 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Mbeki and AIDS A relevant point seems to be whether or not medicines were available to arrest the progression of AIDS in those who had it, and if so, why those medicines were not made available to those who needed them. In their crazed denialist state Mbeki and . .more Tshabalala-Msimang declared ARVs of no benefit in arresting the progression of AIDS, and further declared the drugs to be highly toxic. AIDS sufferers were denied access to these drugs in the public health system. How utterly scandalous! All those needless deaths just to show the world how "clever", "intellectual", and "left brain" the little skunk was. . .less by flebus on December 19 2009, 08:36 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Unfair to blame Mbeki only - what about Mandela? Mandela deserves his Nobel prize for outstanding leadership around 1994, just as Mbeki deserves credit for an outstanding economic structure. However, Mandela, as president, provided no leadership, no direction or explanation on Aids. The newspapers were . .more shouting it out every day and he was advised by world class conventional scientists - he did nothing. It must be the biggest irony of all, the man who have led his people to freedom - condemned exponentially more black people than apartheid and colonialism combined. . .less by Jan on December 20 2009, 10:02 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

ANC always cries it is not the individual leader but the collective that governs I have to ask, what is the collective doing with regards to more that one million aids orphans? The scandalous waste of money on parties, cars, 1st class travel, body guards, accommodation violations, tender inside trading at triple the actual costs . .more etc. No attempt is being made to set up rural organized Kibbutz type villages for the underclass. . .less by didi on December 20 2009, 23:50 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The Good News is that the DA have efficient HIV clinics in the Western Cape There are no fewer than 9 HIV clinics within a 5 kilometer radius of the main shopping center in Milnerton. A friend of mine owns a restaurant in the Milnerton area, a waitress who is HIV positive came to her and she Googled HIV clinics in . .more the area. The clinics are efficient professional with no queues. The waitress has been able to understand that she is now an AIDS survivor. Her drugs were adjusted to her needs and she is able to attend regularly during the first phase on being on the drug without having to take a days leave sitting in long queues. Viva the DA . .less by Didi on December 21 2009, 00:05 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Didi Waitress in Milnerton? Any place there worth eating at? by Jean Racine on December 21 2009, 02:00 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

the above comment... was rather too glib and apologies to Didi by Jean Racine on December 21 2009, 02:02 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

AIDS DENIALISM I think it is rather presumptuous for the author of this article to hail groundless accussations at Mr Mbeki. If he read Mbeki's biography, which dedicates quite a large section of the book to this no-issue, he would not be writing these silly . .more articles. A Socrates said, question everything, and dont accept anything as the truth, as nothing is cast in stone. Now, there is a mass of research done by independent Neurologists, with years in the field, who supoort Mr Mbeki. So This proves that, not only is the author of this article misinformed, he did not do his research, or he just wants to convince the uniformed of this bullshit that he wrote here!!!!!! Get a F****** life and stop writing nonsense. . .less by Skhoskho on December 22 2009, 12:08 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Mbeki's African Intelligence Mbeki with his intellect, probably only reasonable to above average, with the benfit of hindsight, was such a dissapointment. He had the ability to turn around nearly all the problems that beset SA to day. From Eksdom, to refugees from Zim who take SA . .more jobs, AIDS of course, education, health, crony capitalism etc. But he kept the SA Titanic full steam ahead to the iceberg. Crunching into the ice is happening now and it will take some time to see if we're going to sink or not. But, for sure, we're in trouble. And he had plenty supporter for a 3rd term - bizarre. As for the attempts to whitewash him, also bizarre. Does Skhoshoko think you must question how a turbine works before you can buy one to geenrate the electricity SA needed so badly? Bizarre. African intelligence. . .less by Amos on December 23 2009, 13:15 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

@Skhoskho You write : " Now, there is a mass of research done by independent Neurologists, with years in the field, who supoort Mr Mbeki." What on earth??? Independent neurologists???? What on earth have they to do with HIV/AIDS?? And what do they . .more support Mbeki on? Methinks you are talking absolute rubbish! Give us a reference or two identifying these so-called neurologists and their alleged "support" of Mr Mbeki. Mr Mbeki remains one of the worst disasters to have hit this country; let's hope against all hope JZ does better, Mbeki has set the bar low enough. . .less by flebus on December 25 2009, 22:09 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Mbeki - such a failure What in fact did Mbeki achieve. Zero. The economy runs through the private sector and business common sense. At least he did not interfere with the model. As for the rest he was too busy with his racist views, his choice . .more of whiskey, his internet games, and his destruction of hundred of thousands of his countrymen through AIDS and the total destruction of Zimbabwe. What a legacy? . .less by Zimkone on December 29 2009, 09:48 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Shame on the White Left! Guys ... you should all go and dig out newspaper editorials from the 1990s hailing the absolute brilliance of Mr Thabo Mbeki. Do you recall the "studious Intellectual", "brilliant strategist", "backroom schemer", etc, labels attached to Mr . .more Mbeki? Now some farts like myself would have nothing of this, and whenever I pointed out that Mr Mbeki may be a lot of things, but he is NOT super intelligent, not studious, not a strategist (Zuma is hom one over in this area), and definitely, most definitely, not a genius. He is at best a schemer, and not even good at that. Shame on the White Left (the Black Sash, the UDF, Helen Suzman, etc) for holding up this man, and his ANC, as Super Genius leaders who will save us all. Shame on them for selling SAcans out to the ANC's incomparably stupid and malevolent leadership! . .less by JVR on December 29 2009, 21:17 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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