I hate sheep. Afrikaans sheep, to be exact, and more specifically, Christian Afrikaans sheep.
Some excellent thoughts have been shared on Thought Leader in the past week on Rapport editor Tim du Plessis’s firing of columnist Deon Maas for sharing his thoughts on satanism, resulting in a vehement SMS and email campaign by readers that eventually targeted the paper’s “commercial interests”.
This raised questions about editorial independence at Media24, freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Mail & Guardian editor Ferial Haffajee correctly compared Rapport’s position with the hot water in which the M&G found itself some time ago for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. The M&G didn’t fire anyone. Pierre de Vos had good points on the rights issues, such as the freedom to practise the religion of one’s choice.
But my personal alarm over this incident relates very much to my identity.
I’m a white, Afrikaans South African, born into a Christian family with whom I spent many hours in the oppressively conservative Nederduits Hervormde Kerk. One side of my family falls decidedly more to the right than the other: spending time with some relatives on that side, I can expect to be confronted with the k-word rather quickly.
If that’s not bad enough, these relatives all, somehow, believe that because I share a skin tone and some childhood values with them, I will nudge, wink, moan and chuckle along as they spew forth racism. To argue with them is to be drawn into an endless loop of pessimism and warped logic.
This brings us back to satanism. I read Deon Maas’s column and found it interesting. I would have published it on the Mail & Guardian Online, had he been my columnist. Maas provokes; this much I have gathered from seeing him as an Idols judge on TV and reading his contributions in Beeld. In his Rapport column, he shared some tongue-in-cheek thoughts and pertinent points about freedom of religion and expression.
I didn’t feel like painting my nails black, burning a Bible or slitting a sacrificial baby’s throat after reading it, funnily enough. Yet apparently thousands upon thousands of white, Afrikaans Christians now fear the end of the world is nigh because someone dared write a column in which satanism wasn’t derided as the sin to end all sins.
When I first received an email from someone telling me to boycott Rapport over Maas, I cringed as I do when those godawful ads come on SABC television for Afrikaans CDs titled Stamptreffers 3 or Ry Haar, Bokkie. What must other cultures think of us Afrikaans folk? As if apartheid didn’t leave us looking rather silly already, now comes these self-proclaimed saviours of our souls and with their sanctimonious, badly spelled SMSs pretend they know better than the rest of us.
These people (and perhaps Leon Schuster too) are to my cultural identity what suicide bombers are to Muslims. Many of those who blindly forwarded the SMSs and emails likely didn’t even read the column in Rapport — hence my sheep analogy above.
Like my right-wing relatives, they expect me, too, to rise up in indignation with them, but they only succeed in making me want to rise up against them. As Pierre de Vos said, if only they employed the same fervour in trying to feed the hungry, combat Aids or oppose child molestation. It’s so very sad.
20 Responses to “May these sheep all run off a cliff”
You hit the nail on the head. For a long time I have struggled to identify myself with my far-right brothers, but finally realised that any attempt to do that would be to comprimise on everything I love about being an individual.
I think it all boils down to tolerance.
If I could quote some words from the movie “The American President” with Michael Douglas: “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.”
Exactly ne! As an english speaking SWF I have the same experience. You don’t have to be afrikaans to have relatives/colleagues who expect you to agree with their blinkered view points and become offended when I become offended at their insistance on opening a meeting, luncheon or whatever with some barbaric christian ritual. They seem to think that only their middle class white christian attitude is correct. So I survive by moving to what my children’s semi literate teachers refer to as the formal homelands (!). Qwaqwa is a beautiful spot and I don’t have to live eat breathe that environment BUT I can assure you the Sotho people (my neighbours whom I love dearly) have just as many kerktannies as the Afrikaners only they are even more verkrampt here than in Blikkiesdorp. But they are easy to avoid/ignore as there are many others here too - but as one of a local extremely small minority group I have to keep fending off their invitations to attend their churches. I just tell them we are not christian and they don’t ask me what we are so its simpler here.
Having had similar feelings while at Tuks and growing up with the NG kerk in all its glory, it seems to me that a whole new generation of Afrikaner youth are embracing the same narrow minded views of there forefathers.
I have tried reasoning with them in bars, campus coffee shops, online forums and workplace canteens. Thus far nothing has penetrated the iron shell of ignorance, blind religious belief and warped racist logic.
Of course there are exceptions, but the perceived trend for young people my age, who watched our first elections as teenagers to reject ideals of tolerance and understanding fill me with shame and sadness.
Here’s a quote from a blog entry I spotted today:
“Why dont you hear about history before 4000bc, no famous people, no historical events. If there is they cant prove it, no the earth is +- 6000 years old and there is no way any scientist can prove it wrong, all evidence leads to the existence of God. Evolution started in the 1800’s when a guy with the name Charles darwin rebelled against God and came up with his own theory. That is where racism started, where race started, where hitler got his theory from. Evolution says some people come from animals and some people dont, evolution believes everything comes from a rock, evolution is the starting point for wars and murders. No evolution can not be proven and there is no such thing as millions of years ago except for the existence of God.”
I find it quite frightening that somebody this dof has access to a PC.
Well done, for firstly jumping on the bandwagon…..and attracting anti-christian anti-afrikaans sheep as well. Same rhetoric, different names.
I do not read the Rapport, I deleted the e-mail and the sms. I do not listen to “Bokkie gaan sokkie” music. But I am an afrikaans reborn christian, the worst kind according to you and the posters of this and other likewise forums (refer to bandwagon). I am not about to apologize for that though, as it seems you would require if any mercy whatsoever is to be shown. I am also not going to defend my faith. The issue is the broad sweep that is destroying the image of good people who are being included by definition.
In your broad sweep you have included people who are actively involved in the care of aids orphans, having opened up a hospice where the young orphans can be dropped of by their older siblings before they go to school…..very verkrampt (sarcasm intended).
The verkrampte churches are also taking a day each to make sure the homeless in the cbd area have a meal each day. They are such terrible people…
Let me not forget about the afrikaners who are presently banding together to subsidize some of the poorest of the poor children to have a private school education…shame on them. How dare they be afrikaans speaking or christian?
All we hear from the “enlightened” is plans to make changes, or window dressing made to let people thinking that social issues are a priority. Too many people talk the talk, but the walk is not known. Maybe it compares to the gentleman who winds up the window of his snazzy sports car so he can lock out the street vendors.
Until you actually have an original idea instead of this mindless drivel based on assumtion, please find a hospice or charity and see where the real people are. I actually do not expect a rush…..the ivory throne of intellect might get stained and you cannot claim to be enlightened anymore.
BTW, for the clever one who is going to say,” I grew up in church, so I know.” Growing up in a garage does not make you a car…..And also for the other intellect thinking “If the shoe fits”. It does fit, I am afrikaans and christian.
I am sorry Riaan, you regurgitate tired ideas, but are you in any way, other than the useless input of this forum, doing any of the things you accuse the afrikaner christians of not doing?
Since this furore came to the fore I have found myself thinking, ‘Ohmygod! I have been espousing satanistic views all this time.’
We clearly cannot have people like Deon Maas spewing dangerous views such as he did. What would the world be like without stupidity, herd mentality, self-delusion, pretentiousness and all the other non-nos as is proposed by Satanists?
We’re Christians damnit and we reserve the right to have our kids grow up in a world that doesn’t encourage silly notions like independence of thought.
P.S. Riaan - allowing Daniel’s half-baked harangue go through the editorial filter must have taken every ounce of commitment to free speech. Dr. Britten makes a fair point - perhaps the criteria for handing a PC to people must be reviewed.
I personally don’t believe that all afrikaners or christians behave in the same manner, or can be tarred with the same brush. However in this case enough did to have a collumnist fired for suggesting tolerance and broad freedom of religious expression. Which makes it comment worthy and hence many people commenting on it.
If good people are unhappy about the actions of their fellow afrikaners or christians they can and should maybe speak up, instead of attacking anyone who expresses their displeasure with the saga.
Riaan, I sympathise with you. As an outspoken critic of the ANC government who happens to be black I know the challenge of dealing with sheep, black sheep in my case. There is a feeling that one’s colour or tribal affiliation should influence one’s thinking. It’s sad, very sad.
I think the reaction of those who found Deon Maas’s views unspeakable is quite similar to the reaction of the Quntas and the Robertses of this world who call black people who criticise government askaris and the Dershowitzes of this planet who call Jews critical of Israel self-hating. Group-think is the root cause of most of the problems facing our world.
I’m confused. What is the reason behind anger that Maas’s article has incited?
If he had been promoting Satanism, I would understand. I’d still not condone it, but I’d understand. I’ve read the article several times, and I have failed to find the damaging evidence.
The man was simply pointing out that it is a religion like any other. Are there nutters who belong to that religion? Yes. Are there nutters who’re Christians? Yes.
After reading the article, I went onto Google and looked up Satanism. They expressly forbid the killing of animals except for food. So where does this ritualistic sacrifice thing come from? They expressly forbid rape. Do some of their members still rape? Yes, so do some Catholic priests.
This has left me understandably confused. What is fuss? Is it that he promotes Satanism? Having read the article, clearly he does not. Is it the fact that he compares it to other religions? Maybe they have a point there, Christianity should be the only religion allowed to believe in something that cannot be proven. We (Christians) are after all the majority in SA and we have the right of might to tell people what to do, believe or write! Is it the fact that he preaches tolerance, and consistency in how we treat all religions as well as all the other important rights protected by our constitution? How dare he!? Only those rights we agree with should be protected, besides; freedom of speech does not give one the right to preach sinful nonsense that we do not agree with! Is it because writing about Satanism will promote people to find out more about it? Clearly they have a point here, until the article I was not really interested in knowing ANYTHING about Satanism (me being Catholic and all) besides that it involved rape, ritualistic sacrifice, the worship of the devil and was generally evil. Reading the article made me curious, look at me now…
Mphehliwayo the 1st on November 21st, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Riaan - it is not an Afrikaner only issue.
Native - that is how groups are discredited. Under the white nationalists any criticism was met with accusations of communist (which had the same implications that Satanist seems to have now). Now askari if you’re black and illiberal if you’re white is used in the same manor - to shutdown critics.
Although in fairness I do refer to RSR’s, Quntas and ilk as Mbeki apologists or government propagandists.
What is not considered is that it is a very small percentage of christians, or afrikaners who protested, but they did have a potential effect on the Rapport financially. The problem is that by the broad phrasing used in this column and others all christians who speak afrikaans are included, regarded of race and background. This issue should never have been allowed to become a religious debate. The decision was made on a financial basis. The fact that the topic was religious in nature is merely convenient for all who wants a forum to trash christians.
Had he been a columnist writing racially charged material the dismissal would have received loud applause from this forum. Nothing stops another paper from hiring him, or even that he be invited to share his views on Thought Leader. But even here there is a rating system that shows the most popular contributors. What happens to the contributor whose work is rarely viewed? Maas was just not popular with the majority of readers.
BTW. Ndumiso, Riaan is giving me a fair platform, for that I respect him. Your intolerance is showing though. (refer to first post)
I have also shown intolerance per se for Riaan’s approach, but was hoping that the tone of this discussion be moved away from trashing the image of good people who do not deserve the label attached to them. I was clearly mistaken, tolerance is a dying art. Sarah Britten’s attack is case in point. Sorry Sarah, but he has access to a pc, and has an opinion, albeit slightly off target. Your post should have been disallowed, as it contributed nothing, it just anonymously attacked another whom you clearly believe to be of lower station……enlightenment I suppose.
Daniel, I was expressing an opinion - last time I checked, that was allowed. I didn’t call for that blog to be shut down. The writer of course has a right to express himself, just as I have a right to declare that he comes across as a complete and utter moron whilst doing so.
As for relevance, I think that the irgnorance and self-righteousness demonstrated in that blog entry (by a South African) speaks to our assumption in these rarified circles that everyone has the same levels of education and associated understanding. But they don’t, so we should not be surprised when issues such as an inability to engage appropriately with Maas’s column arise.
The fact that evolution is still controversial in South African education is only an added reminder of how backward we are when it comes to anything remotely controversial from a religious standpoint. And we have the cheek to chuckle at the Americans when they erect creationist museums featuring models of children in dioramas with dinosaurs.
On second thoughts, I think group-think can be to the advantage of the individual. If you read “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” by Perkins you begin to see the manner in which groups can work in concert in pursuance of their goals and to the disadvantage of other groups. I guess the same applied in mediaeval times. As a member of a tribe you had to follow tribal rules in order to benefit from the protection of the tribe. I’m sure when it was time to raid the next village you wouldn’t dare to challenge your group about the morality of doing so. You did what a man had to do in pursuance of the group’s prosperity and/or survival.
My sense is that the Quntas and their ilk are lashing out simply because they see a concerted effort by other groups to undermine and/or exploit the development of their continent. Their responses are not necessarily based on principles. They would like to see themselves as realists as opposed to those of us who come across as naïve by stressing the importance of principles. Therefore, the Mangcus of my tribe can pontificate as much as they want, they may not change anything. After all, the subjects of their criticism know where these guys come from. They are aware of the basic principles they are trying to uphold. But they regard a man sticking to principles as a weak man. Quite possibly, some of Riaan’s folk think the same. It’s a conundrum…
If we always judge what is said by who is saying it, then debate becomes pointless. Depending the camp you’re in, you either endorse or discredit the arguments of the usual suspects in a given debate. So neither Mangcu or Qunta will ever have anything new to say; in essence when know what they will argue before we’ve read the first sentence.
I think Qunta and co would argue that they are also driven by principles. For me it’s an intense loathing of hypocrisy – and the inability to identify that behavior in our actions. Your point on the evolutionary role groups played in small communal living is valid.
A simple example of this hypocrisy is why do the religious overwhelmingly want the death penalty and oppose abortion while liberals oppose the death penalty but support abortion?
Choose any conflict situation anywhere in the world and look at the hypocrisy between the local antagonists, their international supporters and detractors through the AU, EU, UN etc.
What I find alarming about the whole debate is the fact that the fundamentalist christian group (especially amongst the Afrikaner) is growing. I could not believe Rapport’s sacking of Maas, but then I questioned a number of people in my immediately vicinity (all of the Afrikaans like me) and found that not only did they support Tim du Plessis decision, but never read the article in question. I have to agree with you Riaan, the problem (and I’m sure you find it in all cultures) is the sheep mentality. One can only hope the Afrikaner and backward thinking Christians can develop some sensible critical and individual thinking.
Halo,hier gaan ons weer,maar hierdie keer stadig
en versigtig sodat almal dit kan volg.Deon Maas
het op uitnodiging geskryf,laat ons se om so’n
bietjie lewe te blaas in die lewens van Rapport se
lesers.Skryf s’n tong in die kies ‘n artikel en se
onder die dekmantel van vryheid van spraak”Satanisme is ‘n godsdiens en behoort toegelaat te word”.So wat die man kan se wat hy wil
dit is ‘n vry en demokratiese land.
So wat is dan verkeerd.Dit is wat in my verkrampte
opinie verkeerd is.Rapport het ‘n uitgebreide leserskring van hoogs verlig ot uiters verkramp en
dan ‘n middelgroep van gematigde lesers.Deon Maas
moes sy huiswek gedoen het en vasgestel het wat die samestelling van die “familie van lesers” was
en sy artikel versigtig bewoord het.Dit is ook die
standpunt wat ek deurgaans ingeneem het,maar wat tot my spyt baie min gesnap het.Ek kan nie as ‘n
gasskrywer of spreker al is dit misskien tong in
die kies dinge kwytraak wat vir ander aanstoot mag gee nie en dan kla dat ek ‘n skop onder my agterent kry nie.
Ek kon nog nooit die sin insien dat Moslem vroue
hulself van kop tot tone moet bedek en dikwels
gewonder of hul nie versmoor van die hitte nie.Sou
ek die standpunt oop en bloot onder vryheid van spraak in ‘n Moslemland verkondig moet ek nie huil
as hulle my kop wil afkap of met ‘n sweep wil bykom
nie.Nee meneer Maas en al jou getroue ondersteuners
as jy jou huiswerk gedoen het sou die debat nie
plaasgevind het nie.
Dit is ‘n feit dat as ‘n groot gros lesers besluit
om Rapport te boikot die koerant nie langer lewensvatbaar is nie,of sou julle “verligtes” hul
plek geneem het.Julle en Maas het aantal “verkrampte” lesers onderskat en moet nou nie weer op die soapbox klim en se Deon Maas was die slagoffer van ‘n klein verkrampte minderheid!!
Riaan T wrote: What I find alarming about the whole debate is the fact that the fundamentalist christian group (especially amongst the Afrikaner) is growing.
I would think that being an Afrikaans Christian in South Africa at this time (and in the last 12 years) is incredibly hard. Imagine being a part of a group of people who supported an ideology from a theological basis - and it’s been shown that you were wrong? This doesn’t just merit an apology (done) or reconstructive work (doing), but it shakes the very foundations of this kind of Christianity, of what it means to belong to this group.
Afrikaans Christians have had to rethink so many things in the last decade: how they read and interpret their Bibles, what their identity is (it’s good to see a healthy post-apartheid Afrikaans identity beginning to emerge), how they can act in the public sphere given their history, and also how they can still carry on doing church when so much of their approach has to have been questioned and deconstructed and reconstructed amidst much chaos. At one level it’s amazing Afrikaans Christianity is still around!
So it’s no surprise to me that there are growing fundamentalist sections within Afrikaans Christian society. It’s got to be hard to continually look at yourself, your beliefs and your culture…at some point it becomes easier to draw the lines and paint in the black-and-white picture, and put down some absolutes.
The interesting question then becomes, “How do we all live together with this diversity?” Ah yes, what a great place to live!
As a Muslim Indian,(young practising Muslim woman in hijab) it’s how I feel about my community too. I refuse to be a sheep. But as much as I disagree with many of my community’s ideologies, I only lambast that which I truly think holds no value. We have to understand the reasoning behind beliefs, and even f we don’t agree, we should agree to disagree. Respect of opinions is vital
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You hit the nail on the head. For a long time I have struggled to identify myself with my far-right brothers, but finally realised that any attempt to do that would be to comprimise on everything I love about being an individual.
I think it all boils down to tolerance.
If I could quote some words from the movie “The American President” with Michael Douglas: “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.”
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