5/8/2020 0 Comments Separate is Not EqualSeparate is Not EqualApartheid essay topics have been a topic of controversy in recent times. Why is the debate continuing so long after South Africa legalized full democracy? The primary reason for the continued discussion is the pressure the international community is applying on the South African government, and on businesses that do business in South Africa.
With the benefit of the internet as a resource, the global media is attempting to bring the world's attention to the plight of the white minority in South Africa. I would suggest that the dilemma is only in South Africa, not in the world at large. My argument is this; that if one was to measure the number of corporations which do business in the U.S.A., or the number of Americans who are citizens of the South African State, it is evident that there is a big disparity in numbers, and that there are many more Americans who are citizens of South Africa than are citizens of South Africa. Whether the political reality is apartheid or not, is really a question only worth answering by the citizenry. If the existence of the segregation in South Africa is an illegal segregation, then there is still a clear conflict. If one makes a conscious effort to look past the debate to the political reality and find the hypocrisy therein, there is still a clear conflict. I have personally had the privilege of participating in one of the first major seminars on this topic in the last few years, and opinions vary widely as to whether or not this particular discussion should be included in the curriculum. Some feel strongly that the purpose of the class is to raise awareness of the issue, while others feel strongly that the focus should be solely on the related questions of whether or not segregation was legal. The students in the class were all North American residents, and none were South African residents. In other words, each group of students felt they had their own sense of what segregation was, while the students from South Africa didn't have a Sable Debate with eachother. If one was to make the assumption that apartheid essay topics should be developed only to introduce students to this legal concept, and nothing more, then the conclusion is clear. This would certainly aid in the long-term memory of the students, as well as in teaching the moral aspect of the issue. However, if one focuses on the history of the reality as well as the ensuing legal debate, and whether or not segregation was legal, and the underlying issues which were raised about race, then the student body would definitely be missing out on a great deal. If one reads accounts which take an objective view of the racism in South Africa and attempts to recreate those experiences as if they were real life, rather than events within a fictional story, then the reality is actually much closer to reality than that. And if one doesn't believe in making interpretations based on myth or fiction, then one should be open to learning about the reality based on the facts, rather than trying to substitute real-life experiences with fictional interpretations. Is this possible? It is certainly not an easy task, but if one examines the literature on the subject and lets the text speak for itself, rather than referring to opinions regarding the outcome of the class, then one can find a great deal of factual material pertaining to how black people have lived in South Africa. The history books and the internet offer many viewpoints on the conflict, and the current debate over whether or not apartheid was legal. Is the challenge really that difficult? It is important to remember that the public debates on the subject matter of the apartheid structure is not being conducted by people who are experts on the subject, and therefore it is better to choose the sides based on common sense. Let's remember that the content and the source of the argument has been found by many to be emotionally charged, and that ultimately, the choice may depend on whether one feels the argument is providing the emotional truth.
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