I would really hate to think the main reason I have my job is because of the colour of my skin. We recently had some unfortunate retrenchments at my work because times are tough, and thankfully I got to keep my job by what I imagine was a very small margin. I only hope that margin didn’t have anything to do with the colour of my skin. I can think of nothing more scary, deflating and horrifying than being here for a reason as inane as pigmentation. Personally, the idea that I’m only here because I fall into that group of ‘previously disadvantaged’ and meet a requirement, doesn’t make me feel fortunate or lucky, but ashamed and lacking confidence in my ability to do the job at hand.
Yes, I know the reasons and motivations behind B.E.E (Black Economic Empowerment) and Affirmative Action, but I can’t help thinking there has to be some kind of regulation on the process, and the first question asked should be “Can this person do the job?” Yes, there are then jobs that are deleted from the list because they require some kind of formal training that wasn’t afforded to the previously disadvantaged individuals. But I would tend to think then, that they’re the kind of jobs where it is almost impossible to learn from scratch, on the job without some kind of foundational education and basic understanding. And, in my opinion, if it’s that kind of job we’re talking about, then it’s likely more imperative to have someone who knows what they’re doing and how to do it properly at the helm rather than someone who’s floundering, or plain disinterest will cause more harm than create opportunity.
And when does ‘reconstitution’ end? Is there a period of trial, after which a person is evaluated on their growth and the potential they show, or does it come purely down to demographics and meeting quotas?
How is somebody who gets a job ever supposed to grow in confidence and ability with the notion of what (I believe, at least) is an unearned handout hanging over their head?
In the long term, it doesn’t seem to make sense if the projected outcome of such acts and programmes is to give a previously disadvantaged sector of the population the opportunity to increase self-esteem, self-motivation and increase quality of life for all. Pride is an essential ingredient in taking responsibility for our lives, but shouldn’t it come from what we do as opposed to what we are defined as? It seems a bit counterproductive trying to make up for the unfairness of the past by continuing to jam people into boxes according to the same criteria.
It seems a great number of the people in this country place more emphasis on their heritage, culture, traditions and language as a source of pride and motivation in life. I am a South African/Zulu/Xhosa/Indian/Afrikaner/Pommie/black/white/Christian/Hindhu/atheist, therefore I am proudly dot dot dot. It seems silly to be proud about, and find your bolstering identity in things you don’t have any choice over (I include religious stance here because many religious people embrace their religion as a part of their culture/heritage and therefore as inseparable from who they are. I include atheist because I believe no label we adopt signifies action more than our actions themselves).
I find cultural pride strange. I understand it’s role in place and time, but when I hear kids who weren’t even alive during apartheid talking about how ‘their people’ were wronged and ‘we didn’t have equal rights then, therefore we are entitled to this now’, it baffles and angers me because it relays an attitude of entitlement that actually doesn’t belong to them, if anyone.
Yes, so if my mother was allowed to live in a different area, with better resources and more varied opportunities, maybe she would have had more choices that having to study either teaching or economics, and maybe she would have travelled the world like she wanted to, and maybe I wouldn’t have grown up in the home I did, in the suburb I did, with the opportunities and resources I grew up with. But so what? How far down the line do we have to go to make amends for things that are long gone in the past when the present needs such urgent attendance? Two, three, four generations? Or do we look at people according to their needs first, with colour a secondary concern?
I know there are still business owners and other people in power out there who would prefer to have people of their own race and colour in their establishments and companies – but that is an issue that isn’t restricted to one group of people. But there are also fantastic B.E.E initiatives that actually educate and empower the people who really deserve to get ahead in life because they actively want it. They are presented with opportunities and they make the most of it – which is exactly what my mother did 27 years ago when she had a decision to make between two options and she chose what appeared to her, then, to be the lesser evil.
Equal opportunity does not equal outcome. Surely what you put in is what you should be getting out.
Surely we must have a better system in place than one which actively encourages laziness by placing emphasis on identity as a prime qualification for a post of any kind, without strict measure in place to make sure the person considered shows potential and personal ability or drive to get the job done?
I harbour no real fears about my own ability or potential but I do understand the effect affirmative action quotas have on me personally, and where the concept is doomed to fail, and I can’t help wondering – even as I hear more and more stories about government officials and employees who are unqualified, unskilled, unable and disinterested in their offices, making gratuitously more money than the people depending on them could ever imagine – what does this mean for the future of our country, the future we were all raving about 15 years ago?
The other day a B.E.E. official came to do evaluations at work with some of us. I was slightly surprised when I was called down to be interviewed by her – but then I have that silly habit of forgetting the colour of my skin. What it did do was call into question my perception of my own self-worth and ability. It didn’t last long, but it sure didn’t help either.
I was really interested to read this, as a recent arrival to South Africa from Australia (via Hong Kong) I am very interested in the issues you have discussed above. Thanks for presenting it in such a manner that it has educated me a little more about this most interesting country that my family and I will be living in for the next few years
Affirmative action is not designed to help the “previously disadvantaged”, it is supposed to help the currently disadvantaged. Systemic racism tends to last for generations after the the offical systems have been dismantled, leading to continued privileging of certain social groups even if they no longer possess the government-backed power they once had. Theoretically, affirmative action is a way of counteracting this, in order to help bring things back into balance. It is a very difficult thing to try and judge, and determining the point at which is it no longer necessary requires a lot of debate and analysis. Undoubtedly there are more than a few individual cases which seem “unfair”, but it’s a program designed to operate on a systemic level, so you can’t really get a true perspective by just studying individual cases.
I’m Australian and I’m not all that familiar with the political and social minutiae of South Africa, so I can’t really comment on how relevant these facts are to your situation and the things you discussed here. But those are the general principles at work here. If affirmative action is genuinely creating unfair circumstances then that is definitely something that should be investigated further, because it’s not supposed to work like that – but it will take more than just a few personal anecdotes to determine whether or not that is the case.
Also, it’s interesting that you hate the idea of getting a job because of the colour of your skin. I can assure you, white people don’t exist with that kind of guilt.
Hi Tim. I agree with everything you’ve said, but I have the feeling you think otherwise – perhaps I am reading you wrong.
I know, and that’s exactly a part of the problem. Why should my white friends have a harder time getting jobs they are more qualified for than their counterparts of colour who aren’t, especially in the case where it’s a numbers game, and not reconstitution for the ‘currently disadvantaged’?
As for those hardworking people who do fall under the B.E.E. quota system, it’s a pretty deflating idea that you might be where you are, to make up numbers. Just the thought.
Well, I was trying to be careful about what I said, because as I mentioned, I’m not all that familiar with South African politics – but what I have read makes it seem like a rather uniquely complicated situation (pretty much par for the course for Africa, I guess). I’m used to discussions about affirmative action revolving around privileged white people complaining about “reverse racism”, because they can’t grasp the idea that people of colour are inherently disadvantaged by systemic racism, thus necessitating reactionary programs like affirmative action. Just going by what you’ve written here, you seemed to be coming from a similar direction: the mistaken idea that everyone starts off on a level playing field, therefore hard work and qualifications should be the only criteria taken into account. If there really was a level playing field, then affirmative action would not be necessary. But that’s not the case in Australia or America, where people of colour statistically earn less money and face other social problems due to residual racism amongst the white majority. These problems persist despite the obvious exceptions, like Obama. That’s the sort of environment where I have developed my opinions on this subject; I’m not really sure how well it translates to the South African climate.
I can understand the desire not to be judged by the colour of your skin, but hoping that your qualifications will be the only thing taken into account isn’t going to do much good when the positions of power are occupied mainly by racist white people. And that’s mostly what it comes down to: your white friends might have a harder time finding jobs, but how does that compare to the situation faced by people of colour? How much worse would things be if affirmative action didn’t exist?
I’m kind of split on the subject, personally. It seems like a program that is best suited to more extreme, overtly racist societies – once you move beyond that, it starts to breed resentment which can counteract the aims of the programs. But at the same time, racism still exists, so it’s kind of hard to just do nothing about it. Problem is, there’s no easy, quick-fix solutions.
Hi Tim, thanks for the response. What you described relates quite well to the South African climate, the only problems we seem to be experiencing is a cultural one, with certain entitlement issues on the part of those who feel they ‘deserve’ handouts rather than hand-ups – and the system allows for what many of us feel isn’t what affirmative action, as you’ve described it, is intended for. I truly do understand the dilemma of the situation as you’ve described, but personally experiencing ‘feeling like a number’ isn’t exactly bolstering to my own motivation and feelings of self-worth or satisfaction. Surely a part of uplifting a sector of society that has been disadvantaged in some or the other way is providing them with not only with physical and material resources and opportunities, but caring for their psychological health and growth as well. I don’t know if there’s an answer, or a happy medium, and I don’t think there is a quick-fix solution. But I do hope that it does more good than harm.