Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,047,835 times
Reputation: 11862
Advertisements
It seems many South Africans, mostly Anglo South Africans but also Afrikaans speakers, and most white, are coming here in greater numbers than before. It'd be interesting to get a 'snapshot' of European South Africans from people who have experience with them, or if there are any of them here, their own view of themselves.
I've heard many still hold onto racist attitudes, but that this is largely in response to the high crime rate, a government which seems to put the once elite white middle and upper class at a disadvantage, and perhaps attitudes ingrained during the Apartheid period. I know people are individuals, but has anyone detected this racist strain among South Africans? I actually have a Afrikaans South African friend who says, and I quote, 'I hate Afrikaans people' (I'm sure she wasn't being totally serious) saying they are racist, intolerant. Do you think it's true that English speaking South Africans are less racist than the Boers.etc?
Anyway of the South Africans I've met race wasn't really mentioned but for a few times...just how bad things are getting back there. I have heard them say the crime is out of control.
I also have an impression they tend to be conservative and religious, at least moreso than Australians, perhaps on par with the US or higher? I believe black South Africans are pretty religious as well. Have you noticed this?
How do the two groups seem to get along? Is there still a lot of conflict between Afrikaans and English speaking South Africans?
And of course what of white/black relations in South Africa itself? Are they improving or getting worse? Is the society still mostly segregated or is there a lot of mixing going on?
At my work I have interacted with a lot of white South Africans, and I haven't found that. The chairman of the company I work for is friends with Mandella and helped get past apartheid, so maybe the interactions I have had a skewed from normal. I have found them mostly concerned about travel around the cities they live in and getting car jacked or robbed. Most of them aspire to stay in the US, or potentially a move to London. again, all only from my experience.
The English speakers and the Afrikaaner speakers were to a large degree two separate cultures living side by side. This is especially true with those who considered themselves to be Boers as they were forcibly united with the Cape Colony in a move that really was completely out of character with the way European wars had been conducted for quite a while. Not since Napoleon had you seen one European country gobbling up others whole outside of the wars of unification for Germany and Italy, and they stand aside as a special case as in general the public of all the small ancestor states favored the unification if not the use of war to bring it about. In the case of South Africa Britain wanted the goldfields of the Boer states for themselves and did what it took to procure them.
Most white South Africans I've met seem to be quite open-minded, and some seem to know a tremendous amount about the different African languages and the cultures and everything else. It seems like quite a few end up teaching English over in Pacific Asia...just as a place to go, I guess.
I feel for them though, as all the Asians expect all Africans to be black...and everyone who is white just assumes they must be racist people. It's gotta be a tiring identity to constantly represent, to be a white South African.
That being said, I did meet one white South African who actually was a racist. But he was the major exception.
Most white South Africans I've met seem to be quite open-minded, and some seem to know a tremendous amount about the different African languages and the cultures and everything else. It seems like quite a few end up teaching English over in Pacific Asia...just as a place to go, I guess.
I feel for them though, as all the Asians expect all Africans to be black...and everyone who is white just assumes they must be racist people. It's gotta be a tiring identity to constantly represent, to be a white South African.
You guys probably don't remember Zola Budd who was a South African long-distance runner representing the UK in the Olympics back in the 1980s. She ran into this assumption ALL the time. Because she had family living in SA she didn't want to diss the government back then and so the tabloid media constantly accused her of supporting them and their policies.
This is based on the one and only English South African person I know who is from Durban (ie; not the capital): Totally denies there was any apartheid in SA. There was no segregation, all people got along, partied together, etc. Anyone who says different was a dupe of the propaganda. She is also not a racist. Yes, very conservative and religious but has a heart of gold and is a very good and loyal friend. According to what she says, things are not too bad in Durban re crime and race relations but pretty awful in Johannesburg these days.
Have only met a few. I've met one white South African who was a racist jerk, and several who were just regular people.
I work every day with a white South African woman who emigrated here with her husband and sons. Our workplace is very diverse and she appears to be very comfortable with it. She said they moved to the States because there were no opportunities there for them, she said the crime is terrible. She recently got her American citizenship.
I have met a few White South Africans. Most of them seemed pretty nice to me. I've only met one racist White South African. He also claimed Nelson Mandela was a terrorist. He was the first White South African I had met. He wasn't Afrikaner. Most White South Africans I have met are Afrikaner. When I started talking about South African history with them, they seemed very happy that I knew some things about South Africa. One thing I found was this. They all don't like the current president. They loved Nelson Mandela. That is what I found.
According to what she says, things are not too bad in Durban re crime and race relations but pretty awful in Johannesburg these days.
Durban is a very dangerous place, it has the exactly the same problems Johannesburg has. It also has the most violent neighborhood in South Africa, Inanda township. And it is actually Cape Town that has the most murderers per capita which I found surprising, Johannesburg has more of almost every other crime though. Most of South Africas big cities are incredibly violent and among the most violent in the world.
I've known few in the Bay Area and they've been very nice people. They seem to fit in quite well in California/America. Even more so than the Australians I've met.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
