Apparently I'm Not Good Enough

I took a long break from blogging, I shouldn't have, I apologise, I'm back.

On to the new stuff. Last week was a rather interesting week. While I was on twitter, my twitter spouse, the fabulous MvelaseP and JoziGoddess labeled me a "bad black" what is a bad black, you may ask? Usually, it's a black person, who is educated well, lives a middle class life and has an opinion. No. Really. If you are a bad black, according to the DA masses, you vote ANC based on some struggle-era nostalgia (oh the good old days of bullets, German Shepherds and tear gas) and therefore do not think for yourself. I "speak so well" and "am just like them" because I went to private school and have wealthy parents, which somehow excludes me from the black masses (not so are the wicked, not so!). This confused me, as I somehow have now lost all legitimacy to say that the DA doesn't look out for my interests as a young, soon-to-be-professional woman. That now, I must forget about BEE because I am "empowered" and give up my privileged position on the BEE pecking order for some white male who "can't get a job in this bloody country" (perhaps that should be one word) and we should all hold hands singing "Kumbaya" around a fire in a group masturbation exercise.

Erm. No. I'm NOT "just like you". In fact, I'm part of a tiny, tiny percentage of black people in this country who live a privileged life. I won't step aside for a kid whose parents and grandparents are Michaelhouse alumni so that he and his family, who have been empowered for the last three hundred years can "get a chance". I'm not afraid of my bad black status, I will use BEE to grow wealth for me and my family so that my children and grandchildren can go to St Anne's and Michaelhouse. In 2004, St Anne's elected its first black head girl. At that time, the school was 127 years old. Should I clap for them? No. Should I clap for your mediocre son and give him a job after he scored all C's in his final matric exams after his parents spent R500 000 on his high school education alone? Or should I give that kid who worked by candle light and got an exemption the chance to better himself and earn a decent living?

You say "It's not fair!" Life's not fair, get over it. Strive to be brilliant so that despite the current status quo, your potential employer will hire you, because you are just that good. Because if you are mediocre, you won't succeed in this country, black or white, eventually your work ethic will make you disposable or indispensable. We have a long way to go in terms of righting economic and sociological inequalities in this country - we're ONE generation into this all. BEE's not going anywhere. Until the DA gets that, blacks, good or bad won't vote for them.

Something that I saw that I found rather hilarious was the DA advert for the current municipal elections. They did a good job. I won't hate, but let's be serious, no one who tasted Apartheid like that old gogo is ever going to vote for the "wall-less toilet" DA.

Be more awesome, all of you.
M x