In South Africa, many social issues are
present such as poverty and traces of segregation. The article “Crossing the Racial Divide” by Lydia
Polgreen includes the life of a white, middle-class, South African family that
moved into the poorer part of the country to see what life was like. They
immediately noticed the poverty, the only thing people had was what they needed
to live. The family also caught traces of segregation, as some of the folks
were not comfortable with them staying. What makes these issues complex is the
difficulty it would take to solve them. The Hewitt family soon learned how hard
living was and realized it would take a strong community to pull though. But
old traces of segregation were preventing that from happening.
When the Hewitt family moved in,
they soon learned the hardships ahead. “They took only the barest necessities…
clothes, a couple of pots, some blankets, and thin mattresses.” In addition,
when living in a shack it was hard to stand the cold. “They all slept on a pile
of mattresses on the floor, fully clothed in multiple layers.” In the first
week, the entire family, Julian and Ena Hewitt and their two daughters, caught
the flu. Even if they bring more stuff next time, it will be hard helping the
community if they can barely get around themselves. The way to help these
people is to simply join their community. “There is a real sense of community,
where people rely on each other and take care of each other,” said Ena Hewitt.
This makes the issue complex because this kind of poverty cannot be helped by
giving money, but by living the tough life with the people and helping them out
physically.
There is also a little segregation
left from the apartheid period in the 19th century. Though some
middle class blacks moved into white areas, most if the race in South Africa is
still segregated. When the Hewitt’s moved in, some people despised them because
they didn’t think they were genuinely interested in the poor South Africans and
just did it as a publicity stunt. One person tweeted “You know what? Hope the
paraffin stove falls over you and you people burn in that shack. Bye!” Would
they have said this if the family were black? This makes it more difficult to
help people in need if the wealthier whites are still a little segregated from the
blacks. And as mentioned before, it will take a community of people to reduce
poverty. In what used to be a very racial nation, it is going to take a long
time for no traces of segregation to be left and until the people of South
Africa come together, it will remain in the state it is now.
The biggest social issue in Africa,
poverty, is very complex because a long history of segregation prevents the
people from working together. The Hewitt family’s trip shows how even though
they had good intentions, they were still not accepted in the society. South
Africa is a great example of a place where social issues have serious effects
on each other, and how the solving of one might lead to the solution to the
other.
Hey, Tomas! I think this is the article that was in one of the Upfront magazines that we received, wasn't it? It's funny a few weeks ago I was deciding whether to use it or not for my blog post. Anyways, the most intriguing part, in my opinion, of your blog post was the third paragraph because it brings up a really interesting thought. Before reading the paragraph I asked myself, "What did the black South Africans think of the Hewitts'?" It seems obvious that their reaction would be one of the two: either, they will be very appreciative or that they would see the Hewitts' as another group of white people "pretending" to help them for media efforts. Although it's very sad that they would think that way, I can see why they'd think that, there must have been so many more groups who have come like the Hewitts' to help them. To answer your question of "Would they have done this if he family was black?", probably not, the racial differences in South Africa must have played a role and they probably would see help from a black family different than help from a white family. Although, sad it is true. Can you further explain the last sentence of your response, I feel that it is very strong but could use some elaboration. How will the solving of one lead to the solution of another issue? Which issues connect to eachother?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the suggestion on my last sentence. What I mean by one solution may lead to another, is how if segregation was gotten rid of, the poverty situation could be a step closer to being solved. I was thinking about how the richer parts of the country are segregated and not excepted into each others community. But perhaps if wealthier whites could be accepted by poor areas, they may be able to help them out. Like the Hewitt family, the could learn about the lifestyle of the poor parts of South Africa and see what the people need and find out ways to help them.
DeleteHey Tomas. I could tell you really empathized with the family. The way you described the hardships they went through, it was almost as if you hoped your family wouldn't do this but you applaud this family for doing it and for their bravery. Another cool thing to think about is where would they move if it was New York they were talking about. Also, even though you said they had a lot of social issues, you never really specified. you hinted at racism and balance of power with rich vs. poor, but you never really said anything specific besides segregation. just a little helpful criticism.
ReplyDeleteReally liked it,
Sam
I now realize that I indeed could have specified what social issues present in South Africa and thank you for pointing that out. I think that issues like discrimination and poverty are the affects of segregation between rich whites and poor blacks. When the groups are separated, it creates tension whenever someone or a group of wealthier people like the Hewitt family comes over. People in the area discriminate against them, and their own issues of poverty go nowhere.
DeleteHello Tomas Engquist! I have to agree with Sam Browning and Yazeed Mualla that the conclusion of this blog post could have been more specific and I think you should have gotten more in depth to sum the whole article up. I did not get to read that article in the Upfront magazine but I did get a peak at it. I think that you did really good on summing up the text and putting in facts of how the Hewitt family thrived in that different civilization. You even grabbed out quotes that helped you prove your point to the audience like Yazeed, Sam, and I. You did great on bringing out what the article actually meant to you. But I wonder what the lifestyle of a poor South African family is like. Did you find out in the article in the "Upfront" magazine? I never got to read it.
ReplyDelete