Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
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Iht Lowrtt. Mzy 10. IMS. Ft/f 7<br />
POLITICS<br />
South African shares views on apartheid<br />
David BooontJrr, aSooih AMau,<br />
fern that apartheid b a "Jevlulh-<br />
By Eva Fc*U<br />
Q: As a Htt/r growing up in South<br />
Africa, how were you "conditioned"<br />
to/ttt about apanhetd?<br />
A: Human beings vc amazingly<br />
adaptable and when people grow up<br />
in a system, they very seldom qucslion<br />
it. If they d) question it. ihcy<br />
only question it in the most obviou*ly<br />
unacceptable and odious form.<br />
Using analogy, it's the wne sort<br />
of problem in the women's tno\x~<br />
ment...people arc trying to look Tor<br />
any subtlety in language or attitude,<br />
that almost hai become accepted.<br />
like using the personal pronoun<br />
"he" when one meant people in<br />
general. <strong>The</strong>y (feminists) become<br />
very sensitive (o thcae thing*.<br />
Those are uu sensitivities one<br />
doesn't have in South Africa, and it<br />
require* the equivalent of the<br />
women's movement, an awareness<br />
movement, lo make people aware of<br />
*h»l*» happening.<br />
"If country<br />
has an economic<br />
base and you<br />
pull that<br />
economic carpet<br />
out from under<br />
it, it's going to<br />
stumble a bit. "<br />
You can'l cipect jomeihing like<br />
thai to happen out of the blue; it re*<br />
quirts an internal corutructivc<br />
movement.<br />
And there'* tery little reason in a<br />
country uich ai South Africa lo have<br />
such a movement, because the<br />
pressure ruv iw bem felt. Only<br />
recently has there been cnou[h<br />
BURLINGAME<br />
FORD/ PEUGEOT<br />
WING CHEW<br />
preiture to increase this<br />
.-. *w*rtrKu...ix>bod~cverconivio-JS-<br />
| ly thought that when you went to •<br />
• **«*. you didn't see black people;<br />
[.you JUM didn't think about seeing<br />
i black people on tic beach with you.<br />
I'«K if someone asks you the qucs-<br />
I tion, "Isn't it ttnngc ihat in • coun-<br />
'W where, the ratio of blacks t»<br />
whites is four to OM. you don't see<br />
(any blacks on the beach with you?".<br />
only then does it come to you.<br />
| That'* tht way things happen...it's<br />
certainly not malignant.<br />
, h'% won a case of indifference and<br />
apathy, which is certably not the<br />
'prerogative of the South African<br />
t saw ipanhctd as a way of life<br />
one didn't question, until somebody<br />
asked some intellectual questions<br />
about it: "Is it right that...?" And<br />
obviously the answer cannot be.<br />
"Yes. it U right." <strong>The</strong> answer<br />
could be. for instance, "Ye». ii'i<br />
pragmaticaUy working." but in fad<br />
it doesn't even work pugmatically.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re's no justification for it. if it<br />
doesn't work in practice and if it's<br />
not a natural policy in the Tint<br />
place, then there's every reason for<br />
it to change.<br />
Q: How Jo South African schoolt<br />
treat the subject vf apartheid?<br />
A: <strong>The</strong> EnglUh tradition in South<br />
Africa, which I grew up in. is<br />
somewhat schizoid in the sense tfui<br />
in theory they (the English) arc<br />
liberal, but in practice, they are very<br />
keen to look after their own interots.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no difference in the<br />
curriculum of the English and<br />
Afrikaan schools.<br />
<strong>The</strong> difference was that we would<br />
live discussions about ethic* and<br />
Jcmocracy. and the English can talk<br />
about the* thinjn in civics cl*».<br />
hut thev Ain't jpply it I" the l.val<br />
concept rjthcr trun a ciwwitt*: one<br />
<strong>The</strong> English look *t ruuor> m J<br />
very "hiitoncal" tontcst. «* uj*u»<br />
the present day. So ihst's whetc<br />
South African "civics" ended, and<br />
so there were no embarrassing or<br />
heated dweuwion* av you pcrrup%<br />
should have in such a school.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re's also a strong fcclmp in<br />
South Africa that potitics \hould tie<br />
kept out of school,..it's rather like<br />
keeping religion out of school, that<br />
that's \omcthing >ou should do after<br />
hours, 10 discuss and weigh and<br />
debate. Certainly at the universities<br />
there's totally free debate, eicept to<br />
the extent that an>onc who suggest*<br />
_ or ferments violent overthrow i*<br />
silenced.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re's a concept of political banning<br />
in South Afrira. and I found<br />
out about this through the universities.<br />
Certain people would become<br />
political hotheads, and go too far in<br />
terms of what the government was<br />
prepared to accept.-one step short<br />
of blowing up government<br />
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course they got put awiy, and thL<br />
made one think about this tort of<br />
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Being put away means that one<br />
has to report to the police once «<br />
day. One can't leave the h.-wnc<br />
district, and one can't hold meetings<br />
with more than two or three people<br />
at a lime...one loses all political<br />
clout. So that's how I first became<br />
aware of these deep political •indcrcurrenti.<br />
they ceruinly weren't viuble<br />
or .heard at school.<br />
Q: How do you rtipond to the claim<br />
that dhrstment Is a crucUt/brm of<br />
grass roou praiur* on Jortign<br />
policy?<br />
A: I think that statement is true; the<br />
question is what the effcett arc going<br />
to be. If a country has an<br />
economic base and you pull that<br />
economic carpet out from under h.<br />
it's going to stuntblc a bit. If we do<br />
this, are we going to be in a befir*<br />
position later lo change things, o.arc<br />
we looking for a shon-term<br />
solution?<br />
My view is Urtctly economic.<br />
While you have financial interest in<br />
a company, you can go to a<br />
shareholders meeting and make<br />
material changes in thai company.<br />
Selective divestment is a more intelligent<br />
idea. If American owned<br />
companies are not setting a good e»ample,<br />
then the money ii "tainted."<br />
and there is good reason to divcM.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is ore point 1 would like to<br />
stress. <strong>The</strong>re is no model in the rot<br />
of the world t.*r taking an electorate<br />
of a country i in this case, 20 perccnl<br />
of the population) and expecting<br />
them to vott themselves out of office...<br />
it's cruy< <strong>The</strong> pressures in<br />
thii country for them to do thrt arc<br />
unrealistic, and tantamount to wanting<br />
an ovcmig.it revolution.<br />
Q: What is your opinion about<br />
apartheid?<br />
A: My opinion is that it U a temporary<br />
solution to any problem to<br />
separate the groups concciscd. To<br />
the extent (hat the black people in<br />
South Africa never had total rights<br />
within their so-called designated<br />
areas, that policy failed, and I can't<br />
say I ever «w much good come out<br />
of it. But as tt was originally construed.<br />
I couldn't have taken isuie<br />
with it. because ii seemed u. be a<br />
solution to a real problem.<br />
In rctn»pcct. it rus failed in the<br />
same way that partition of Ireland<br />
failed, although it seemed like a<br />
good idea at the lime. I draw that<br />
"/ he °.sty believe that it was construed<br />
u a Christian and deeply<br />
religious „ hition to the problem, not<br />
a malicious solution, in its first conception.<br />
"<br />
by exerting tubilc prcwures. While<br />
[here iv money (Arncrican n»ne>)<br />
in South Africa, they (America"S)<br />
are in a unique pmition "> chanpi*<br />
ihittj:*. (•> oiler j pivxj c*-"nplc M<br />
S*njth Alnun n.ijirunw:v.<br />
SctooJ, liom J praptiutn.'* |»>«m<br />
uf view, monc} ttginni; ti>p' where<br />
there's a good return tin ii, jnd<br />
bu\irm\ in South Africa ru» hecn<br />
incredibly lucrative. If America<br />
withdraws thai money. I feel quite<br />
turc the money will be invcMcd b><br />
European*.<br />
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