Those were the words that most black kids would hear from their determined parents. This did not matter how illiterate the parents were, the common goal within the black culture was to send children to school so that they can get good jobs. This worked significantly well as black people hold a large portion of qualified South Africans to date.
In my opinion this approach created a narrow airfield for the black and left the group with a huge challenge; a challenge of lack of responsibility and fear of ownership. With the young democracy of our country; things are gradually moving towards equality amongst all races. However; many qualified blacks are still found in ‘good’ jobs as ‘good’ employees. Some of those who make it to start their own businesses; for obvious reasons – they fall-short. This shall continue for as long as we can wake up & identify the core problem.
White kids are taught the importance of ownership from a very young age; and therefore they grow up mindful of the fact that in whatever they do in the end it should be their own. Yes, our parents had no basis to instil ownership on us back then but now we have the opportunity to grow our kids in this fashion. Our past circumstances required us to go work and get a salary. Somehow we got so comfortable in this to a point where we allowed ourselves to be ruled by fear. A black person would fear the simplest of responsibilities - A lady I used to work with had to lock-up the office the other day, the boss had to leave early on the day & she was asked to lock-up & open the office the next morning. “Yho” was the first word out of her mouth; “why doesn’t he give the keys to Susan” she asked. The thought that the entire office was dependant on her to open-up the office was a huge responsibility to her and fear took over.
Another factor that goes hand-in-hand with responsibility and ownership is our consciousness on money. The fact that we were poor has affected how we value ourselves. It might be challenging to completely change things around for the current generation but we need to familiarize our kids with cash; so that they understand that a mere 10 000 rand can never sustain a family of four! A Cape Town business man said to me the other day; white kids accompany their fathers to business meetings. When they get to hold their own business meetings, they clearly understand the tactics & language used at the boardroom just by sitting there & listening. Your father, for obvious reasons could not do that; but you can.
In my understanding; an interview is a meeting where both parties get the opportunity to meet each other in person and discuss how they can help each other out. Usually; the employer will explain to the candidate the type of employee he’s looking for, the duties, requirements & how much he’s willing to spend on the position. A black child immediately thinks and states all facts equivalent to the job spec. The mind-set is obviously on getting the ‘good’ job. On the other hand; a white kid gets interviewed for the same job & he says – “I like the job but the salary is too little; you see I will need to pay my car, apartment, be able to take my girlfriend out at least once a week & also save”. Taking care of your family might be an unfair thing for you as a child but it is one of your responsibilities! Tell the employer during the interview that you have to send money home to your family every month – don’t be ashamed of that. If you feel like this is rather too late for you to do; make sure that your kids are not affected with your inability to value yourself.
Sense of ownership does not depend entirely on our history; a huge factor comes from the way you were raised and your family environment where ownership is concerned. Instilling ownership & responsibility on your children does not end with owning your own business only. It goes further to having responsibility for your own belongings; ownership for your own life and your own destiny.
How about we revise the title of this article and say: “Go to school and enhance your competence”
Tamara Booi
I like the last paragraph w.r.t instilling ownership & responsibility on to your children.You quite right with this point,though I think this goes back to the point you made about black folks being ruled by fear to do things.Socialisation and having not been advantaged enough before comes into play here, but TODAY & NOW we can change all that.
ReplyDeleteYes,white folks have been taking their children at an early age to boardrooms thus making them more aware of a whole lot of things.This did not make them more smarter or clever than their counterparts No!bcoz as black people we know what perservannce means to get what you want, and are very intelligent.
You know the extract about an interview where white folks say exactly what their needs are as compared to black folks, reminds me of what we always hear what to say when we pray. We need to realise that praying is one of the significant factor in our lives--if we call onto the Lord with naming out each thing by the name ,then that would be the result we receive.Therfore with an interview as well we ought to say what our responsibilities & wants are.