Morgen asks that we blog about the word 'drink'. I would love to celebrate the positive aspects of the word. My favorite drink is sweet iced tea ... especially that which can only be found in the deep South.
However, my mind keeps going back to the horrific action of four white students at the University of the Free State in South Africa who forced five Black domestic workers to participate in beer-downing competitions, races and mock rugby games. However, the worst aspect of this public humiliation came when these four privileged white boys forced the domestic workers to eat dirty food and drink soup in which they had urinated while videotaping the whole thing. For those of us who do not speak Afrikaaner ... click here to see the video with English subtitles.
Many villagers joined us in celebrating the liberation of Black people in South Africa when apartheid was eliminated and Nelson Mandela was released from prison and lifted to the presidency of his country. Now we see that some people are still willing to denigrate other human beings simply because of the melanin in their body. I was glad to see the protest movement against these sick white South African students that took place a few days later in Johannesburg.
When will we overcome the madness of racism? When can we live in a world in which other humans are treated with respect and dignity for no other reason than their humanity? When can the act of sharing a drink with someone be a sign of comraderie and not something hateful?
