CSotD: Distinctions, not differences
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Madam & Eve touches on a cultural footnote that came up in South Africa's recent World Cup tournament: For all the changes that have gone on in that country over the past quarter century, you can't simply legislate some things.
Rugby is largely a white sport, with its fanbase in the Afrikaner community. Football (soccer) is much stronger in the black community. Both sports have been working hard to gain footholds among the opposite groups, but there you have it.
And, for all of Bono's good intentions on the continent, apparently U2's fan base has a distinctly European tone.
Isn't it nice that, these days, that sort of thing is simply a source of gentle humor? South Africa follows the "cultural mosaic" pattern, in which differences are noted but in which they simply add to the picture, as opposed to the "melting pot" in which everyone is expected to dissolve their differences and become one indistinguishable group. Which looks good in a social studies text but seems a bit unrealistic in real life.
There was a time in South Africa when the differences were not supposed to be joked about, and songwriter Jeremy Taylor eventually had to leave because he kept poking his finger into sensitive eyes with songs that threatened apartheid, including this light-hearted ditty, the last verse of which was reportedly illegal to perform. Please click on the bar — these days, there's no punishment for laughing.
(I snagged this shot of college students from the Madam & Eve blog ever so long ago!)
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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