Chops and change are still at odds in a nonracial SA

But feel me on this: there is a difference between racism and just plain stupidity

I was thinking about joining a gymnasium. Upon sober reflection I realised being spat on and called names may not be the best form of stress release. (Besides, I get enough of that as deputy editor of this newspaper.)

If you've been under a rock, the Virgin Active chain has been in the headlines recently for the unsavoury conduct of some of its members towards other members with no melanin deficiency. And race relations is again a hot-button topic.

Journalist Annika Larsen's fantastic feature on race relations in South Africa, flighted on the eNews channel this week, illustrated in a simple and clear way how badly we treat each other. There, on the screen, was an example of everyday, casual racism. A black woman tries to rent a flat. The white landlord is not keen. He demands from her a much higher rental than he does from the white reporter minutes later. Racist? Yes.

But feel me on this: there is a difference between racism and just plain stupidity. And I'm not talking about Darren Scott.

Racism is an entirely human condition - much like jealousy and envy. And so is stupidity.

Accepting that as a fact will help you remain sane. As I wrote in a previous column, God in his infinite wisdom blessed every population group with its fair share of mamparas. To sum up my argument: sometimes the guy or girl behaving like a chop* is doing so not because he or she is racist. No. It's because they are chops.

It would be great if our public discourse wasn't regularly derailed by accusations of racism.

But then, this is South Africa. And that brings me neatly to Helen Zille.

Much has been made of Zille stupidly calling migrants from the Eastern Cape "refugees".

She had a point about the collapsing standards of health care and education in the Eastern Cape. But instead of using a sniper's rifle, she used an elephant gun, missed her intended target (the ANC) and gunned down innocent bystanders.

She's been called a racist. I don't believe she is. I think Zille was just acting like a chop. We all have our moments. Trite but true: The more success you have, the bigger the target on your back.

Zille's starting to understand this. Of course, her ill-considered language on Twitter lands her in more trouble than she needs.

But the Western Cape, and the Democratic Alliance, have become victims of their own success. It is the best-run province in South Africa. Fact. Its finances are in order and service delivery largely happens. The open-toilets saga and the gemors in Grabouw, however, show that not all is well.

But the province is trying to do more for more people. There is a perception, rightly, that the province, and Cape Town particularly, are not welcoming to black folk.

But in my experience it is no worse than the casual colonial-era racism (thanks to my lovely doctor for that description) that colours everyday life in Durban. And it is racism. Otherwise Durbanites (and I am a transplanted Durbanite) are mostly chops when they interact with someone from another population group. And that is mathematically impossible.

Back to Zille. As we stated in our editorial on the matter, South Africans cannot be refugees in their own country. Even if they move to Zillestan. But I don't believe she was being racist. Stupid, but not racist.

See the picture to the left. I shot it on my cellphone in our basement parking earlier this week.

It illustrates what I mean by choplike behaviour. I have no idea who the driver is, what he or she looks like. Where they are from. Nor what god, if any, they pray to.

But I do know that some of you are looking at the picture and have created an image of this anonymous person in your heads. What race group did you put them in?

I'm betting many of you assigned features to this anonymous person that are the opposite of your own.

That's OK, it's an entirely human reaction.

But a chop is just a chop, no matter the colour.

*Chop is not the word I really wanted to use, but this is a family newspaper.