It was inevitable, at least depending on the kind of human values one observed(s), that apartheid in South Africa would ultimately have produced an egocentric white person: one who suffers a tendency to confuse their immediate perception as a sole representation of the absolute truth and reality.
This egocentricity is generally devoid of the broader reality, and measures the relevance of ideas in the public domain only to the extent which they gratify those who own it, and without regard for all apparent conflicting interests and/or whether such beliefs might be inconsistent with the actual truth or otherwise.
For example, it was common sense then, that white people where superior, and therefore it was important to legislate this perspective such that it became an unquestionable natural order of things, protected by the rule of law.
In the long run, it did become the natural order of things that the dominant point of view must at all times be white inclined, and subsequently, every other alternate perspective must be a product of buffoonery, illiteracy, stupidity and any other label reserved for anyone existing outside of the white circle. Thus we inherited a certain kind of the white ideologue: one that presumes itself to be correct on every subject matter, including the best processes under the sun that we must follow if South Africa is to prosper.
There arises our current and prominent conflict: that black empowerment and affirmative action are less gratifying in terms of the white egocentric perspective. This is irrespective of whether the actual reality is that whites continue to enjoy an upper hand in the job market as recently revealed in a research by the South African Institute of Race Relations. It therefore suggests that according to a certain white egocentric outlook, the very essence of BEE/AA policies must be a problem only because it suggests an alternative viewpoint outside of the white world (see article).
At one point, I had to consider the possibility that maybe, somehow, BEE/AA make some white people feel less needed in the process of building a prosperous, democratic, non-sexist and non-racial South Africa. But that cannot be true! The black majority's commitment to reconciliation attests to that.
Except that it would be ideal for those patriots to partner in the process of nation-building, instead of primarily offering clamorous attacks on the ambitions for a transformed society. I suppose then, that the question today is whether we do have a white society that we can trust with upholding, promoting and vigorously advocating for racial transformation, outside of the few traditional pro-poor patriots (like Jeremy Cronin)?
It s from this perspective, that the assertions that generations of white kids must continue to reap the benefits of apartheid until black people sort out their skills and educational challenges suggest a rather worrying but growing culture (if not belief) among many a white thought leader. For it sends out an offensive message, that as far as whites are concerned, BEE/AA are ‘not their baby to feed'. Notwithstanding, it also contradicts - vulgarly so - the core foundation of the negotiated settlement of 1994: the general commitment towards black upliftment.
Although some black consciousness activists might argue the correctness of BEE/AA not being ‘white people's responsibility', it becomes a totally different ball game when certain actions from the white sector seem to be intentionally geared towards undermining and closing the space for black self-determination.
It seems, therefore, that despite of the reality in the job market the word ‘transformation' still sends shivers down the spines of insecure and egocentric whites (like Brendan Huntley, for example). These continue to project measures of social redress as some form of anti-white ethnic cleansing, even when such assertions are inconsistent with the reality on the ground. Unfortunately, this creates a loose perception that a wholly transformed society scares the living hell out of our white community. Or does it?
Setumo Stone is a writer, social commentator and youth activist
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