Lucky 5: Racialism, Rugby and Lucky

RACIALISM AND LUCKY

Whilst the foregoing story about the church and the ‘attitude’ of some people toward Lucky does knock the white structures, there are other ways that Lucky has taught us what Racialism means.

People take an immediate liking to Charl. He has a very open and honest bearing treating grown-ups with deference but as equals. Most people find this refreshing in a child. Then he is also a lot bigger than other children his age.

Black people especially like him. They respect size, and they like the way he treats them as equals without being condescending.

When we had painters doing our house they tried to talk to Lucky in one of the vernacular languages, their assumption being that he is black and therefore that he would understand them. They could not understand why he only understood Afrikaans – as I explained, we also don’t have a great understanding of this. The point of the story being that they had preconceptions of blacks, preconceptions is really the basis of ‘racism’ – as it is the basis of most words that ends in “-ism”..

Occasionally we would spend a weekend at Sun City, staying in the Cabanas because they are cheapest.

A white family with a black child is unusual, and memorable. (Back in the mid. 1990’s).

At Sun City Cabanas there was a restaurant ‘Mabula’. When we went there for dinner on one of our stays the lady (black) that served us remembered Charl and Lucky

Having taken our table order, as she was leaving, she stroked Lucky’s head. He said ‘Sies’.

This response of disgust at being touched by a black’s hand from any of our children would have lead to a massive reprimand. Most white South Africans, and especially Afrikaners, would not tolerate such a show of racism from their children.

Our situation suddenly was very different: none of our white children would have had such a reaction, but Lucky had become a racist. He had become a bigger racist than the whites.

Remember he was about 7 years old.

Interestingly, he is now 22 and still does not like to be touched – by anyone. He is the least touchy-feely of all my children. So maybe it was not a racial thing and I am seeing this out of proportion. Anyway, this is the story.

Racism is obviously mostly a skin-colour thing.

But real-life in South Africa teaches one daily that it is not just as simple as that. Anti-Semitism is not skin-colour based; anti-Afrikanerism is not skin colour based. And in many respects there is as much racism practiced by Blacks on Blacks in the new- South Africa.

Lucky just felt that he is now in a new and different class to the black lady that was serving him? But then, we are talking about class-ism, which is just as wrong.

There is, off course the beautiful reverse-racist story of Rufus. I mentioned Rufus and his gardener dad earlier. I omitted to mention that Rufus entered the wrestling team, and became a provincial wrestler for his age group (under 9). Being a strong and tough little bugger Rufus also became the tight head prop for the Florida Afrikaans Primary School’s rugby team.

(Since Charl was the lock for the team this might have been the first instance in South Africa where a white was trying to shove his head up a black’s behind.)

Whilst Florida Afrikaans Primary School is not situated in one of the wealthier suburbs, it was also not situated in the poorest, but one of the neighbouring schools is in a very poor area and it is a well-known fact that the heart of anti-black-racism is in the poorer white areas.

So it came to pass that these two schools played a rugby match, and it was the first year that black children were in white schools. To make this rugby game more interesting was not only the fact that our schools team included two black children, but one was in the front row – i.e. in direct physical contact with the front row of our poorer, more conservative, neighbouring school.

Anybody with half a wit would have known that there would be some drama.

Whites believe that Blacks smell. This is one of the underlying preconceptions of racism.

Off course Blacks don’t smell bad, not naturally. Many Blacks mainly lived in non-electrified areas without running water and bathing facilities. Anyone that has to spend a lot of time around a campfire, without access to a bath, starts to smell of smoke.

We (the fathers of Florida Primary) all knew that something would happen at the rugby. We had all worked out our private strategies of what to do when it happens. Some were preparing themselves to make a statement and argue (with fists) that Rufus deserved his spot, and they will make sure he retains it. (My strategy was to silently disappear into a corner until the problem was sorted out.)

When the third scrum was called Rufus was blown up for popping out of the scrum. The referee called him aside to explain that when a prop pops up in a scrum a penalty has to be awarded to the other team.

This happened on scrum four and five.

When the referee again explained the problem to him, Rufus replied: “I can’t stay there – he stinks too much!”

One up for black props, and reverse racism!