The Settler Mentality on Land, Racism and the African Plagues
So this is how my day started. On my timeline last night I saw a post from one of the people I have on Facebook. The post above. And then I read the comments. And boy was I angered.
As my Facebook “friend” who loves Africa so much agrees with the incredibly vile assertions of his friend.
And it went on…
And then I had to say something…
After sending that comment and receiving that response, I tried really hard not to engage further. But the baiting…the baiting was harsh!
And I folded. I responded with this;
OK I’ll bite.
Like the last time this happened, this will be my very last comment on this thread.
The fact that you read my comment as a “racist and bigoted point of view” is disturbing. It will be perceived as disturbing by most who read this thread but I know you David. You are the perfect embodiment of the Dunning Kruger effect. The comment simply asks people to set race aside for a moment and consider history. Consider that this is not the first time the issue of land has come up. That all the previous times, hardly anyone said anything to stop the same from happening. Consider that this is clearly an issue that has been enshrined in the South African constitution since 1994 and it’s only now that something legal is being done about it. But no, that is a racist and bigoted point of view.
For a man who claims to love Africa and Africans so much, agreeing with your incredibly vile friend who I shall not dignify with a mention nor a response that we “blacks can run nothing.” That we “blacks are hopeless idiots,” and that “Monkeys have more Brains” is disturbing. It will appear disturbing to most who read this thread but I know you David. You came to Kenya hoping to start a business but was burnt. You came in assuming that you know how things are run and were rudely shocked. Now you hate (?) all Kenyans. You consider everyone corrupt. That is your reality. You are allowed to live it.
In response to your long-winded list of contradictions;
- Zimbabwe and South Africa are completely different contexts. Zimbabwe was not land reform, it was a land grab. What is happening in South Africa is constitutional requiring decisions taken in parliament, subject to laws. The SA government has the benefit of hindsight. No one in the ANC has suggested racing along with this reform and the president has stated that he will only pursue options that will help SA prosper.
- Carlton Hotel did not collapse because of mismanagement and corrupt work practices of the new management. It collapsed due to the increase in crime in the CBD and was actually being managed by Anglo American who have since sold it to Transnet who are now renting it out as an office building among other things. Lots of new better hotels have sprung up in Johannesburg…and that’s the reality of the world we live in. Businesses collapse. Others spring up.
- I shall not discuss Kenyan politics with you.
- Again, your Dunning Kruger effect kicks in. As a petitioner in the Kenyan case, I know what the defenders of the status quo are arguing. They are arguing the case from a cultural and a religious perspective. The difference here is that South Africa is not defending the status quo…actually, those that do not want the land reforms are the defenders of the status quo. The law can be an arse…and that’s when it is disadvantageous to any group of people, regardless of their race. The status quo here is as it is.
- Yes. We will hark about the injustices we have endured. Because we have endured these injustices. I am not justifying murdering white farmers in the same way as I am not justifying the murder of black folk in South Africa. That is wrong. But must be looked at in a more nuanced way.
That is all.
I did say that I would not respond to the thread any more. I don’t consider this a response to the thread rather me trying to understand, as I said in an earlier blog post, the other side. And then came this…
Do people really believe in some of the things they say? I do not for one moment believe that my thoughts on things are perfect…however…plagues? Really?
That is all.
