Consequences of speech freedom
Fact of the matter is that arguments about who holds the moral high ground is superfluous in the grand scheme of things.
THE latest racist tumult caused by Sodwana Guest House owner Andre Slade serves as another unfortunate example of how the actions of a single individual can sow much racial discord in our country where, despite more than 20 years of democracy, social cohesion still remains brittle.
Slade publicly declared he no longer accepted black people (or government employees for that matter) at his establishment.
He should have expected the subsequent public outcry.
But when ANC provincial leaders and the community gathered on Wednesday to protest against his anti-black stance, he appeared unrepentant, saying he was guided by the Bible and ‘black people were sub-human and whites were royalty’.
While there may well be enough suggestion that this is simply the actions and sentiments of a demented cult-like zealot which should be ignored, what he, Penny Sparrow and a number of others should bear in mind is that airing or acting out their personal prejudices in public holds wider implications.
It fuels the perception that all whites in general are hard-core racists.
Equally, the many black hotheads who so eagerly vent their own prejudices on social pages by advocating the killing of white people must be condemned in the strongest terms.
Banning black people from a guest house is far less discriminatory than calling for the outright murder of whites.
Even politicians make themselves guilty of stirring up racial division, conveniently using white people as whipping boys when it suits them.
The perception also exists that the reaction to black racist remarks or actions are tolerated far more compared to incidents involving whites.
Fact of the matter is that arguments about who holds the moral high ground is superfluous in the grand scheme of things.
Racism exists across the spectrum of our diverse society and is not restricted to a specific ethnic group.
At this juncture in the development of our young democracy there is simply no place for public bigotry.
Every individual has the right to harbour personal beliefs about anything and the principle of free speech is enshrined in the Constitution.
But exponents of prejudice must act responsibly in the knowledge that their radical conduct has the potential to ignite fires of conflict to the detriment of social cohesion.
That is something South Africa can ill afford.
