Laughter - Not Always the Best Medicine

So I got to thinking about diversity and how it really plays out in our perceptions of each one of the myriad race groups comprising the polyglot that is South Africa.

I went to an amateur comedy skit based on a satirical look at South African politics. Right there, however, one needs to remember that politics the world over lends itself to comedy in all forms – this is not a uniquely South African phenomenon!

I have to admit that I didn’t find this particular “ragging on South African politicians/personalities” very amusing, and tried to analyse what was just hackneyed and what I actually found fairly offensive.

I got stuck on one thing in particular – the performer relied on the comedic value of well-known people who seemed to overstep the bounds of their “cultural norms” and adopt those of a different “ethnicity”.

In fact as I’m writing this, I have finally put a label to what it was I found profoundly un-funny. And it was this: His satire revolved around emphasising the perceived hypocrisy of black people who did ‘white’ things and white people who were only learning about black culture in an endeavour to ingratiate themselves with their black brethren. The coloured race group was mocked for apparently trying (to no avail) to find somewhere they actually fitted.

Those of you who consider themselves more ‘sophisticatedly tolerant’ are going to metaphorically pat me on the head for my apparent inability to see past my extremely naive observations. And yes, you may. One thing I have come to realise is that we see things differently and most of the time, both our views are OK given the right context.

I know we are all supposed to tout the right of free speech and, quite frankly, I laugh like a drain at Nick Rabinowitz’s stabs at people from all walks of life. But I’m kind of realising that I was left feeling profoundly sad after Saturday evening’s show because it highlighted, in a not-so-clever way, just how defining cultural boundaries can be – in fact, not defining - confining.

Black people aren’t supposed to care for their animals or walk their dogs – that’s just too white and uppity. White people aren’t supposed to try their best to master the clicks in Xhosa – that’s just patronising. And coloured people should all be at UWC, because that was inaugurated for them after all – not UCT! Heaven forbid!

I could go on and on about how our behaviour is curtailed ruthlessly by those of our own cultural persuasion – let alone those of different cultures. What is a true black person – how are they allowed to behave and when do they cross the line and become sell outs? What is a true coloured person – are all his hopes and fears corralled between what’s not ‘white’ and that which patently isn’t ‘black’? And the true ‘whitey’ – is he just currying favour all around?

If we are allowing our appallingly unreliable - and often really bad - judgement to determine what’s okay for another person, based on our preconceived notions in which box they should remain, well – how can that be conducive to a Rainbow Nation?

Staff Training presents a number of workshops addressing Diversity, Etiquette and Equality, contact us at 0861 996 660 or drop us an email.