POLITICS
STEVEN FRIEDMAN: Unvoiced prejudices are the deepest and most harmful
Do we debate symptoms so loudly because we want to avoid dealing with the actual causes? The jail sentence handed down to a woman who hurled racist abuse at a traffic officer has triggered reactions we have come to expect. People whose race ensures they will not be insulted by the words she used are more likely to claim that the punishment was harsh. Those who have been called these names and fear they may be called them again are more likely to welcome the sentence. As always, people’s tolerance for particular types of racism depends on whether they are likely to bear its brunt – it is always easy to defend "freedom of speech" that does not hurt you. However, while the debate’s heat shows yet again that race remains the issue that divides South Africans most, it is still about symptoms, not causes. The racism that is open in its contempt for black people — the sort that prompted the jail sentence — is deeply hurtful to many. It should be stamped out. It is not, however, the most im...
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