Someone sent this to me from the DSA. "Democratic" soicialists of America- left wing of the Democratic party. My favourite line: "white liberal is a dirty word". Well, it should be, quite often. Nonetheless, the idea of a triumphant "left wing black nationalists" grouping is rather more racist a term than anything they describe. Macdonald >Subject: dsanet: White S. African liberals unhappy >Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 19:30:18 -0800 > > >From: "Rachel and Andrew" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: "DSANET" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: dsanet: White S. African liberals unhappy > >Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 19:38:33 -0400 > >MIME-Version: 1.0 > >X-Priority: 3 (Normal) > >X-MSMail-Priority: Normal > >Importance: Normal > >X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 > >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Precedence: bulk > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >This message is from: "Rachel and Andrew" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > >Headline: In new South Africa, 'liberal' is a dirty word > >Byline: Themba Sono > >Date: 09/22/1999 > > > >Liberals and liberalism in South Africa are, as they've always been, the > >buffer between white Afrikaner nationalism and black African nationalism. > >But now, in a cruel twist of history, liberals who were once at the mercy >of > >the white, right-wing apartheid regime find themselves the scapegoats of >the > >new black left-wing regime, the African National Congress. > >Ironically, the apartheid government (1948-1994) warned white liberals >that > >this would happen - that if their wish for black equality became a >reality, > >they would find themselves on the receiving end of the anger of >triumphant > >black nationalists. > >And - in a dangerous trend of intolerance from the black left - that's >just > >what has happened. Today "white liberal" is a dirty word in South Africa. > > > >The Democratic Party - the largest opposition party in the legislature >and > >the most liberal of all political parties - is often characterized as a > >white racist party, as "neo-Nazi." And yet its leader is Jewish and its > >membership includes blacks. While some former supporters of the apartheid > >government belong to the DP, many other parties, too - including the ANC >- > >have members who were former apartheid supporters. > > > >Not even true white right-wing parties, such as the purely apartheid, > >neo-Nazi Afrikaner Resistance Movement and the conservative Freedom >Front, > >receive such abuse as the "white liberals" of the Democratic Party. > >Even the Institute of Race Relations, which I head, is a target. The >think > >tank, with a multi-racial membership of scholars, businesspeople, >nonprofit > >organizations, and overseas institutions and individuals, was founded in > >1929 and is credited with exposing many of the injustices of apartheid. >It > >has spent millions of dollars on scholarships for black South Africans, > >including former President Nelson Mandela and many of the black >journalists > >who have now turned against it for being a "white liberal" institution. > > > >Why have white liberals become targets? > >First, the reality of South African politics - whether under the white > >apartheid government or the black ANC - is that there always has to be an > >enemy, a scapegoat. > >The white right wing was easily demobilized and has been electorally > >defeated since 1994. Without this white right-wing enemy, a black >left-wing > >government that pursues a conservative economic policy - as the ANC does >- > >would find it hard to justify its policies. Hence the need to distort the > >political compass so that liberal whites now become the white right-wing > >"enemy." > >Second, the party of power is intolerant of both criticism and the normal > >push-and-pull of democracy. > >Both the Democratic Party and the Institute of Race Relations have >opposed > >some ANC legislation, such as race-based affirmative action. Their > >opposition to this has been characterized - incorrectly - as a liberal > >design to block the transformation of South African society being >engineered > >by the ANC. > > > >Third, South African liberals shun the dominance of the state over the > >individual. But the ruling ANC socialists - like their apartheid > >predecessors - support group rights over individual rights. > >Fourth, it is convenient for black leaders to construe white liberal > >criticism as an antiblack attitude. > > > >The hurt experienced by blacks during the days of apartheid racism has >left > >a bitter legacy. Though genuine political criticism and debate should be > >part of a democratic system, for a white-led party to criticize a black > >majority party invokes the problem of race in South Africa. > > > >Consciously or unconsciously, most blacks associate being white with > >racism - and more so when whites adopt an ideology that is being >projected - > >even if unfairly - as antiblack by black politicians in the ANC >government. > >Fifth, race politics still govern political consciousness in South >Africa. > >This isn't just a legacy of apartheid racism but of black power and black > >consciousness politics of the US in the 1960s and '70s, when figures such >as > >Jesse Jackson questioned the "racial assumptions of white liberal > >institutions and churches in the United States." > > > >This anti-liberal bandwagon came to South Africa in the form of the South > >African Black Consciousness Movement, which was founded by Steve Biko, >the > >activist murdered in the custody of South African police. Members of this > >movement are now influential in circles of power and the antiliberal >stance > >has resonance across the black social spectrum. > >Sixth, white liberals are the only whites outside the ANC fold who have > >legitimate anti-apartheid credentials. This rankles ANC leaders - hence >the > >demonization of white liberals outside the ANC sphere. > > > >We should challenge the intolerance and authoritarianism that is coming. > >Opposition parties - indeed, individual citizens, too - should not have >to > >keep quiet. > >A civil challenge to the government is part of a democratic process. And >the > >political intolerance growing under the new black rule in South Africa is >a > >danger - as we've seen elsewhere in Africa. > > > >Themba Sono is a professor at the University of Pretoria graduate school >of > >management, in South Africa. He is also president of the South African > >Institute of Race Relations > > > >http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/09/22/fp9s1- > > > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
