Afrikaner Human Blood

Current state of affairs:
Wanna get some attention? Wanna get people talking about something? Simple. Make a shocking video and upload it on YouTube. And watch it spread through cyber space like a virus in a body.

Yes, in case you were wondering, I am talking about viral videos. They are pretty amazing, how quickly they can spread and how much “damage” they can do. And although still quite young, this year has already seen its fair share — Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus, Kony 2012… and of course the ones make us do more laughing than actual talking like S**t Girls Say and its thousands of parodies.

But another one has recently emerged. And I’m not quite sure if it will gain as much popularity as the others, but it has definitely gotten some people talking, including at least one major media house, BBC. It’s called Afrikaner Blood.

What this video essentially portrays are the activities of Kommandokorps, a fringe extremist group of Afrikaners in South Africa led by one Franz Jooste, who are very unsatisfied with the current state of their country. They believe it has been corrupted by the political integration of other ethnic groups, specifically blacks. Teenage Afrikaner boys are sent to this camp for a nine-day military training regimen that will prepare them to one day retake their country, and mark the end of this imposter “Rainbow Nation.” They are told to honor their superior Afrikaner blood, and are brainwashed into believing that their enemy is the dark-skinned, flat-nosed, thick-lipped, dwarfed-brained black man. Interestingly, most of the boys who come are opposed to the racist ideas and have, along with the majority of South Africans, embraced the diversity message promulgated by Nelson Mandela. But by the end of the nine days, they enthusiastically trample the South African rainbow flag, and swear allegiance to the past and future (according to them) legitimate South African flag.

Pretty extreme right? I think so. Extremely extreme!! And basing on most of the chatter that I’ve heard and read across the Internet, most people agree with me. But there is also an ominous attitude prevalent in all this chatter than causes me to squirm rather uncomfortably and forcing me to write.

The attitude I’m speaking of is a tendency to dismiss the group and its leaders as insane, senseless idiots who somehow just don’t seem to get it. That this is not about them, in fact it’s really never been about them. It’s about the “Africans,” ’cause this is Africa and finally the “Africans” are getting their rightful place. So they should get with the program where the “Africans” run things or “f*** off!” Something about this way of thinking doesn’t sit right with me.

Recently I’ve been thinking about why people do what they do. I’ve been asking them too and I’ve come to the conclusion that people aren’t stupid.  Most of the time I ask them because I want to show them how wrong they are.  The funny thing however, is rarely do they ever leave these discussions suddenly enlightened.  It’s actually I who comes out having learned something.  Something along the lines of, “hmm… I guess you have a point.”

Now I’m not saying that every opinion is right. And some are actually extremely wrong! But every opinion has a history.  Opinions are not randomly formulated. They come as a conclusion of experience and reasoning. Sometimes years of experience and reasoning.  Opinions are reactions. When you understand this, suddenly you realize just how complicated it all is!  Simply telling someone, “You’re racist! That’s wrong! Straighten up!” doesn’t work anymore. People aren’t stupid.  People are rational beings. There is a reason behind every emotion, opinion, and action.

So now with that in mind, what can we say about ethics?  What am I trying to say about right and wrong?  Nothing really at this point.  Right is still right and racism is still wrong.  But when it comes to establishing justice and equality, is it right to just suddenly dismiss one groups experience and history as being somehow insignificant to the whole story for whatever reason? And is it right to usurp someone’s mental capabilities and make the decisions for them that they were supposed to make for themselves? And when we do aren’t we in fact telling them that they are less human than we are?

So what is the alternative? Maybe conversation. Maybe making an effort to listen to every story, including Franz Jooste’s. Ask him what it means to have Afrikaner blood. What does it mean to have Afrikaner history and identity? What is Afrikaner identity? And if we come to the table with open minds, the answers might surprise us, and the conversations might inspire and unite us. Kinda like the “racist” stories of the Old Testament of the Bible have inspired and united millions of people from all ethnic backgrounds.

Or we can just remain concerned about our own opinions, histories and identities. Only concerned about what it means to have African blood, or Anglo-Saxon blood, Japanese blood or whatever blood we are or not. Like Jewish blood. Because how comes they get to have their own state, and the Palestinians don’t? Is Jewish identity that much more important Palestinian identity? Could it be that in our way of trying to solve the huge problem of racism and inequality we are actually creating it? Perhaps.

And perhaps it’s because we are adopting the same attitude that caused it in the first place. The attitude that says you, and your identity, and your opinions don’t matter here. Yes, the reasons may be different—ethnicity, sex, religion, age or ideology. But it is still the same spirit: the one that breeds racism.

I’m not quite sure what it would take to get Franz Jooste to an amicable conversation with black men like myself. I don’t even know if it’s possible, he is pretty extreme. But it would be nice to see that there is an effort, or at least a desire. And who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us and come to realize that the blood that flows through his veins is special indeed—it’s Human Blood.