South Africans protest over Barack Obama visit (Mexicans, illegal aliens, highway)
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It must be jarring for Obama to be exposed to protests no matter how fringe that is mostly Black. He is used to near 100% adulation from Blacks here at home.
So? I'm Puerto Rican and I never use words like negro or ****** or any other racist words. It's disgusting, and shame on black people who use those words amongst themselves as well
Then how do you call blacks "black" in Spanish? Negro is not a slur word -- not really or completely - yet.
I can only speak for myself but I think many whites have the same conclusions.
In the 70s and 80s we were in the midst of a cold war between the US and the USSR and it was fought on the battlefields by proxy in Africa.
My homeland then Rhodesia, and now SA were a real powerhouse back then. The settlers had revolted against the throne and as time progressed they surrendered states but still kept control of the natural resources. Head office simply moved back to the US and UK.
When I left in Jan 81 from the new Zimbabwe, a year old by that time, the Zim dollar was the strongest currency in the world followed by the Rand. The GBP was artificially the strongest b/c they took the pound and divided it by 100 and the rest had used the 10 shillings and divided by 100. I got ZAR1200 for my Z$1000 I was allowed to leave with on a faux 3 month holiday as a single man.
We produced in the region upward of 60% of the world's gold in the early 80s. Stands to reason we had power back then. That would not do for the US and UK powers that be so sanctions.
We were on our way to righting the wrongs of our forebearers and probably would have worked out a longer transition to majority rule with proper transfer of power and knowledge. This evolutionary aspect was never allowed to happen which is sad as even in my early 20s, I was not overtly racist even though my dad was.
Under apartheid which means simply separate but equal, blacks, unlike Coloureds and Indians had land and were autonomous and heavily subsidised by the white government. In Rhodesia we had similar places called tribal trust lands. That would roughly equate to your native Indian reservations. In the 80s, I felt no threat to travelling through these regions and we had to have a passport in many cases. Schools were built with the best facilities available. In my late wife's hometown, they built two huge schools for the blacks and were the most modern. In my hometown, Mpilo hospital in a black township was the most advanced and modern and even us whities went there for special treatments and tests.
The picture that was presented in the US was that we were keeping them back but is very far from the truth.
Our "house boy" in the 70s never wore shoes despite us giving him them to wear. He was a first or second generation of his family to have some education.
I use this analogy. Both my grandfathers had cars in the 30s. My dad serviced his own car and taught me, I actually stripped engines down on my own cars and refurbished them. This is a natural evolution of transfer of knowledge and improvement on predecessors.
When the white settlers came to Africa, they locals had not even discovered the wheel. Enter a new and foreign way of doing things and you already have a huge disparity from the onset.
What has gone horribly wrong in Africa is that the new leaders are trying to redress what they see as discrimination and apply a quick fix. I saw with my own eyes black folk that would excel in theory but when it came to practical and application, there was just a huge gap. It is that car thing that is missing.
Oddly enough, my career has always involved blacks in one aspect or another and I made a point of talking to them and still do. My last gardener is now in his 60s and has buried most of his kids (AIDS). Their traditions is that the kids should care for you in old age (kinda like your how your SS works) but now is rearing 8 grand children, He and his wife still have to work as common labourers and their employers are still white folk. He states emphatically, it was better under white rule.
My occasional partner in business is also black and younger than me, he too is of the same opinion. Simple folk like me have never really mistreated the black folk. You have to remember, brought up with privilege, it is much the same as it is with white folk in the US.
This is getting too long now but ask more questions if I have not addressed them.
I will say, the Brits invented apartheid, the Afrikaner merely assigned a name to it.
Am I glad it is gone? Yes but I would have preferred more time to transition. At the end of the day, we all have pretty much the same desires that our kids make it a tad better than we did. We are after all, all humans.
Good read. Pretty well covers it. One, certain, minor but interestin thing I remember reading about keeps popping into my head. The core issue is not really minor, just specific circumstances. Poaching. The program I was watching, and a couple articles I read, were following a program that was utilizing bush tribesmen as game wardens. The government paid them, medical services, general living condition improvements, etc, in exchange for their services. Making poachers disappear. Something they were quite effective at, thus your game herds were not very heavily damaged by poachers.
When the power shifted, they said this was one of the first things chopped from budget. So, the poachers have returned, and there are a lot of problems for the herds and the bushmen. I was curious, as to how much of this is actual fact and if so exactly how bad its gotten.
Good read. Pretty well covers it. One, certain, minor but interestin thing I remember reading about keeps popping into my head. The core issue is not really minor, just specific circumstances. Poaching. The program I was watching, and a couple articles I read, were following a program that was utilizing bush tribesmen as game wardens. The government paid them, medical services, general living condition improvements, etc, in exchange for their services. Making poachers disappear. Something they were quite effective at, thus your game herds were not very heavily damaged by poachers.
When the power shifted, they said this was one of the first things chopped from budget. So, the poachers have returned, and there are a lot of problems for the herds and the bushmen. I was curious, as to how much of this is actual fact and if so exactly how bad its gotten.
Poaching is a huge problem here and yes you are right, they did not deem this important initially. The main culprits are Mozambicans but we have had our fair share of low life whites involved too.
Now poachers are shot on site, there is no mercy and the black folk who do hold nature dear to their hearts will kill you if you are found where you should not be. We still utilise them.
The problem are the Chinese that think Rhino horn is medicinal or an aphrodisiac. Govt funding has all but dried up and current initiatives are privately sponsored. If you care, there are many FB groups which you can donate to. Ivory is also in demand in China who do not subscribe to the international ban. Huge outcries have resulted in deployment of air force helicopters.
The legacy of Africa is sadly one where b/c of the failure to either maintain and develop has resulted in looking for the easiest way to survive. A lot of "comrades" from the bush wars still have their AK47s and will hunt to extinction anything that moves. They will also do this merely to stay alive. Ghana is a prime example of the lack of simple wildlife like baboons which should be in abundance. All you see there are crows, vultures and the occasional dead rat for offer alongside the road from local poachers. I only saw 3 domestic dogs there in my many business visits. Here in SA you still see many dogs and cats in the townships but here there is food available thanks to the persevering white farmers. I know, my late wife worked for the SPCA and I went with her on many call outs to the township we have here.
So? I'm Puerto Rican and I never use words like negro or ****** or any other racist words. It's disgusting, and shame on black people who use those words amongst themselves as well
Uh; "negro" ain't racist, it's the Spanish word for "black". Too; Vinny del Negro was the coach of Da Bulls out of Chicago and he's "white". LOL
I'm mulatto, I hate back. change your CPID to thetotallybrainwashed, you lemming.
you're "mulatto" and you think "negroes" hate you? you better get off your computer, you're going to miss your flight back to the 1800s.
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