Are South Africans ignorant?

Question

Before you guys get angry and attack me, please listen to what I have to say! A co-worker recently said that South Africans MUST be ignorant or plain stupid to not rise above the problems the country is facing. In a way I agreed with this. But then I thought about the insult a bit more and remembered the lack of knowledge and uninformed comments from other nations and that got me thinking... I've worked with many foreigners, from Japanese to Americans and some are still good friends. But some (and I won't mention the nationalities) complain with every breath they take, others have nothing positive to say about anything whatsoever, some can't keep a conversation when it doesn't include some kind of technological agenda and some can't even open their mouths. I'm talking about only four different nationalities here. Last month in South Africa, I talked politics with the bum on the street! Is it okay for foreigners to call us ignorant when they themselves can't keep a decent conversation?

To Alf: I mentioned four nationalities, but not how many. I've met TONS of Americans, Canadians, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, English, Russians, Aussies and Kiwis and all of them can't talk about current events like that bum I talked about. And I'm not in the least trying to be prejudice, but I've come to realize that most ignorant people are in fact ignorant themselves! And the nationalities I talk about...they display the same ignorant behavior as their countrymen!

Mistake: I wanted to say "most people that call others ignorant are in fact ignorant themselves". Sorry!

Answer 1

South Africans are far from ignorant and if anything they range from those who are heartbroken at the current state of South Africa to those in denial. In between there are the racists on both sides of the coin who will never be anything else. I wouldnt accept that kind of comment and you should have challenged him into providing solutions to a very complex problem. Who knows - he might be Presidential material. Also Porgie not all Americans,British,Japanese etc are exemplary adverts for their Nationality so the ones you allude to understand the term fcuk off very clearly. Use it and you will be amazed at the affect.

Answer 2

Hi Porgies,

Ignorant implies they have no knowledge of the subject in question.

So the straight forward answer is NO they are not. As a nation they are far more aware of their own country and the countries around them than any other group than I have met along the way apart maybe from the Israelis. They are also very clued up on what is happening in their country.

But the way you have put your question is not actually questioning whether the citizens of SA know what is going on or not, your colleague is implying that actually they should do something - rise above it.

The last time a large collective undertook to present there side, they were all shot - so why should anyone try to undertake that again?

Answer 3

I dont think so. The average South African is far more clued up on Local,NAtional and international goings on than most other countries. The brits are quite bad at their levels but the americans are absolutely pathetic. I think very few americans can point out the location of washington DC on an unmarked map let alone Iraq or any other country in the world

Answer 4

This is not a good poem, but it is from the heart and somewhat truthful. The poet isn't very sincere in her words. The words don't really show how she feels. It is a mere essay on circumstances that affected her. It didn't shape her or make her anymore different. And it wont affect anyone else in that way. The poem lacks passion and power. One should always keep this in mind when writing a poem. It is vague for the international audience. If you didn't mention South Africa, I would not have known what this was all about. I hope you see this as positive criticism.

Answer 5

Your co-worker is wrong. South Africans aren't ignorant, just powerless and at the mercy of greedy criminals pretending to be a government.
Generally speaking, South Africans are more clued up than other nationalities I've met, especially Americans. Gunner is quite correct when he disdainfully says that most Americans couldn't even find Iraq on a map, yet they have opinions about everything.

Answer 6

I agree with gunner and Brad.

ig·no·rant /ˈɪgnərənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ig-ner-uhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man.
2. lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics.
3. uninformed; unaware.
4. due to or showing lack of knowledge or training: an ignorant statement.

This is the definition of ignorant. So before people start spewing the whole crime thing, they might want to have a look at the definition and answer the question.

Answer 7

porgie, earlier there was a question postd about the perception of violence, and whether it was merely a figment of imagination of the man on the street. that bum you spoke to speaks from his own experiences, and no one knows what he has dealt with at grassroots level better than him. i have been in soweto as a guest, not a tourist, and i have stayed overnight in hovels in cape town, listening to gunshots, seeing parents lock their doors and move their families away from windows, and hearing kids cry in terror. i have driven over machine gun bullets on the road left between 2 taxi factions as they shot it out with each other. are the "common folk victims" the ignorant ones? are the ignorant those who choose to ignore these issues? are the ignorant the powers in govt? or are they the overseas critics that supported this downswing in the first place? or are WE the ignorant for not doing something active to put an end to this once and for all?

Answer 8

Is it possible to make a blanket statement about any one group? I wonder.

Answer 9

people who call other people ignorant are ignorant themselves that is true,we are not ignorant.look at yourself before you judge someone else.