SOCIAL GUILT
Mentioning my past life in SA tends to evoke all sorts of reaction and opinion from people. Usually highly emotionally charged opinion. People either think that I'm a racist and want to tell me all the things that were wrong with Apartheid, and how much they disliked SA wine and cape apples anyway. OR they think I am a racist and want to tell me about their own prejudices and hates - thinking that I think like they do.
(Living in South Africa didn't make me a racist but it did teach me that any kind of prejudice, particularly through ignorance, is not a good thing.)
Someone asked me recently if I even bother mentioning where I was raised. There have been times when I wish that I hadn't, and quite possibly shouldn't. But denying my past would be denying 18 years of my life. Innit.
Sosiaalse guilt is nie lekker nie.
Mentioning my past life in SA tends to evoke all sorts of reaction and opinion from people. Usually highly emotionally charged opinion. People either think that I'm a racist and want to tell me all the things that were wrong with Apartheid, and how much they disliked SA wine and cape apples anyway. OR they think I am a racist and want to tell me about their own prejudices and hates - thinking that I think like they do.
(Living in South Africa didn't make me a racist but it did teach me that any kind of prejudice, particularly through ignorance, is not a good thing.)
Someone asked me recently if I even bother mentioning where I was raised. There have been times when I wish that I hadn't, and quite possibly shouldn't. But denying my past would be denying 18 years of my life. Innit.
Sosiaalse guilt is nie lekker nie.
posted by AKM at
2:00 AM
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