Thursday 15 October 2009

'Dear Pessimists...'

Submitted by Black C.

Sometimes I even wonder if, by entertaining your whims, I am not wasting my precious time because, much as you would like to believe, you are actually not so different from Julius Malema.

You see everything in black and white, and you see negativity everywhere. You often choose outrage over reason. You're in denial, and a few setbacks confirm your prejudices.

But, unlike Malema, you like to pretend that apartheid did not happen, and you want to deny its impact on our current socio-economic situation. You have a big problem: you suffer from historical amnesia.

You think we're going the way of Zimbabwe - and other failed African states - and we're not. Jacob Zuma is our fourth president since 1994, and Zimbabwe has had Robert Mugabe in power since 1980.

South Africa has a sophisticated economy, a strong and independent media, effective and fearless opposition parties, big business here is really big and politicians are not laws unto themselves.

You can choose to see only the negatives, such as crime, unemployment, poverty, corruption. But let me tell you: there is no place like South Africa.

You can pack up and emigrate if you want to, but chances are that you'll be back here some time in the near future. Many others have returned.

Some of us do not really understand why you are so preoccupied with Malema and what he says. When I am in a taxi and someone makes a remark about Malema, the reaction is usually common: "Malema? Wahahahaha!!"

You fear that one day the poor may invade farms. Are your for real? Invade farms? For what? Even in Zimbabwe the poor do not invade farms. Only politicians and their gangs do that.

People here have learned the art of forgiveness, and our history is now really just that, history - except for people like Eugene Terre'blanche, whom many of us see only as contemporary clowns, to be pitied, not taken seriously.

You can choose to get stuck in the past and hang on to old racial prejudices. You can choose to go against the flow of traffic, have your clock ticking backwards, but the rest of the country is moving forward.

I can't force you to love this country and be positive about the future, but it is for your benefit that you now start seeing the bigger picture - seeing that the positives actually outnumber the negatives.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

A 19-year-old woman has described the terror of fending off a burglar with her bare hands and a knife during a home invasion at her house in Doubleview yesterday afternoon.

Melissa said she was sleeping at her Oxcliffe Road home yesterday afternoon when she was awoken by a dark skinned man who pulled the blanket off her.

“The next thing I know he jumped on top of me and put his hand around over my mouth telling me not to say anything or do anything,” she said.

But the teenager, who moved from South Africa to Perth two years ago, fought back, pulling her attacker’s hair and striking him in the face.

Anonymous said...

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/6222544/teen-describes-home-invasion-terror/

FanonPoqoChimurenga said...

My, my - so what are you saying anon 7:22? This sort of thing happens in Australia also? Here I was thinking it only happens in Azania (South Africa).

Anonymous said...

one to make you laugh

found this on the za sucks website

I saw this black taxi today and across the front of it, it said OPERATION SHANTELA!! Have no idea what this means, but will search the net for clues. I do believe we are drawing closer to a full out genocide of White people. To all those stupid librals out there your time’s coming!! I am a daily reader of this website and am glad that we can be informed of what is really happening in the TURD WORLD!! Some brilliant reading and info - thanx to Mike Smith, Uncle Cracker and all you guy’s on exposing the truth!!

well iam from durbs but live overseas now and those taxis always have funny names that mean stuff all like fools gold and broken dreams its cause they dont have the best english

get over it

Anonymous said...

Shantela is a black woman's name, probably a hip-hop artist.

The za sucks blogger probably got confused with Shatila, which is a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut.

Anonymous said...

i cant believe natal r out of the currie cup tis terrible

Anonymous said...

"Jacob Zuma is our fourth president since 1994,"

That's a clumsy - if not completely false - statement.

Unless you're including FW De Klerk, which wouldn't make any sense when referring to "1994". When society says "since 1994" (or "the new SA"), it's commonplace to see Mandela as the first president.

And referring to Mbeki's second term also doesn't somehow make him "another" president.

Therefore, SA has had three presidents - not four - since 1994.

Anonymous said...

"Pessimist"...the new buzz word to slap on someone when you don't like what they have to say. It use to be "Racist" but I suppose that one is worn down to the metal.

So if I had to say that I don't like the fact that we have a partisan civil service and I want to see some change, then in your eyes, I would start frothing at the mouth, horns would sprout from my temples and my mere presence would invoke a frenzy of keyboard strokes culminating in an attack on some impeccant expatriate.

From what I can tell the meek are still waiting to inherit the earth, conscientious objectors have yet to win a war and your headphones are still plugged firmly into the "whinge box".