The term coloured to mean people of mixed race is widely used and (i believe) not considered offensive.
Correct - commonly and widely used. You wouldnt hear the term 'mixed race'. Generally, in SA, there are Black areas to live as well as Coloured areas and White areas - obviously a remnant from Apartheid that is (very slowly) being eroded.
- after all, you wouldnt go out in Brixton after dark without thinking about it twice , would you.? .
What is it about Brixton, as opposed to any other local community in the UK, that makes you feel unsafe after dark?
Dunno, just the first place that came into my head . I havnt been there for years, so maybe i am (wrongly) using the same pre-conceived ideas that others have of SA that have never been there ??
Most people who have never been there seem to have this preconceived idea of what SA is without really understanding the dynamics and problems that SA has - but take it from me, its a beautiful country, where you can have a beautiful lifestyle - with people who are amongst the friendliest in the world - both black,coloured,Asian or white.
I did not experience first hand the Nazi concentration camps but I think I fully understand the 'dynamics' and 'problems' that they caused. I have never been to SA (but I remember a feeling similar to the one I felt when I first visited a concentration camp everytime I walked past the South African embassy on my way to work every morning during the late seventies and eighties) but I think I fully understand the 'dynamics' and 'problems' that have been caused by apartheid and by the continued disgusting injustice that the non white population still endure.
Type Brixton into the search. Certainly not the worst place in London, but not an unreasonable example. Westiminster is far worse for total crimes, but the types of crimes will be slightly different (more thieves targeting tourists and less drug-related/violent crime as an overly broad generalisation).
Hmmm, been reading some of the 'real-life stories' of peoples 'experiences' with South Africa and their perceived understanding of what they believe SA to be like- and it seems that everyone thinks its like the Wild West.
I lived in SA for 5 years in the 2000's, my three youngest children and ex-wife all still live in Cape Town. I have no poblems whatsoever with my children living in CT. I ,nor my children have ever experienced any problems or violence in SA - nor any of the immediate family.
TBH, i feel safer in Cape Town than i do in London - there are places you dont go after dark, but this applies to any big city in the World - after all, you wouldnt go out in Brixton after dark without thinking about it twice , would you.? The only reason i came back to blighty was lack of work, else I would still be there now, and i intend to go back there to live out the rest of my days.
Yes, the statistics dont look good, however, virtually all of the violence /deaths happens in the Black Ghettos - Soweto in Joburg, Khayalitcha and Guguletu in Cape Town. yes, most of the white areas have barbed wire and alarms and big dogs, and yes, a lot have Guns.
Most people who have never been there seem to have this preconceived idea of what SA is without really understanding the dynamics and problems that SA has - but take it from me, its a beautiful country, where you can have a beautiful lifestyle - with people who are amongst the friendliest in the world - both black,coloured,Asian or white.
A bit of a sweeping statement about Brixton. Lived there for a few years, great place and no gun crime that I knew of, Cape Town is a different matter where guns are concerned. I'd rather be in Brixton after dark.
Most people who have never been there seem to have this preconceived idea of what SA is without really understanding the dynamics and problems that SA has - but take it from me, its a beautiful country, where you can have a beautiful lifestyle - with people who are amongst the friendliest in the world - both black,coloured,Asian or white.
I did not experience first hand the Nazi concentration camps but I think fully understand the 'dynamics' and 'problems' that they caused. I have never been to SA but I think I fully understand the 'dynamics' and 'problems' that have been caused by apartheid and by the continued disgusting injustice that the non white population still endure.
Think you've answered your own bigoted statement by saying you've never been to SA.
Hmmm, been reading some of the 'real-life stories' of peoples 'experiences' with South Africa and their perceived understanding of what they believe SA to be like- and it seems that everyone thinks its like the Wild West.
I lived in SA for 5 years in the 2000's, my three youngest children and ex-wife all still live in Cape Town. I have no poblems whatsoever with my children living in CT. I ,nor my children have ever experienced any problems or violence in SA - nor any of the immediate family.
TBH, i feel safer in Cape Town than i do in London - there are places you dont go after dark, but this applies to any big city in the World - after all, you wouldnt go out in Brixton after dark without thinking about it twice , would you.? The only reason i came back to blighty was lack of work, else I would still be there now, and i intend to go back there to live out the rest of my days.
Yes, the statistics dont look good, however, virtually all of the violence /deaths happens in the Black Ghettos - Soweto in Joburg, Khayalitcha and Guguletu in Cape Town. yes, most of the white areas have barbed wire and alarms and big dogs, and yes, a lot have Guns.
Most people who have never been there seem to have this preconceived idea of what SA is without really understanding the dynamics and problems that SA has - but take it from me, its a beautiful country, where you can have a beautiful lifestyle - with people who are amongst the friendliest in the world - both black,coloured,Asian or white.
A bit of a sweeping statement about Brixton. Lived there for a few years, great place and no gun crime that I knew of, Cape Town is a different matter where guns are concerned. I'd rather be in Brixton after dark.
Apologies to all Brixtonites. (sort of) explained in my post of 1.40.
No problem. Moss Side, Manchester would have been a better example. I have been SA watched some cricket and had no problems, but I still feel safer in London after dark probably due to the press on SA.
Yep coloured mixed race person in sa Africa not of pure African descent
so mixed raced then, not coloured
aren't they called 'cape coloured'? I'm basing that on an old Ross Kemp documentary so not 100%
If you are in Western (Cape Town) or Eastern Cape(Port Elizabeth) then yes. Thats where most of the Coloured people are. There are smaller concentrations of Coloureds elsewhere.
In my case, my perception of what South Africa is like is based on discussions with South Africans. One of the oddest aspects of these discussions is how different the portrayals are of life there, and that the differences don't seem to relate to the person's standard of living. Inevitably given where I met them, they were all broadly comfortable middle class people, yet they appeared to be speaking about two totally different lifestyles.Coming up to the World Cup, I spoke to three people from the world of marketing about how it would go. Two expressed serious misgivings while one was, like you, a cheerleader who wouldn't hear a word against the place. Seems that the actual balance of the World Cup experience was somewhere between the two extreme portrayals.
Britain has its problems but I think that in your defence of SA you are doing Britain down. Nobody I know in the UK has ever been threatened with a gun or spoken of such a thing, whereas 60-70% of the SA people I met volunteered such stories.
The Pistorius story whatever it is, is an exceptional tragedy, of course
In my case, my perception of what South Africa is like is based on discussions with South Africans. One of the oddest aspects of these discussions is how different the portrayals are of life there, and that the differences don't seem to relate to the person's standard of living. Inevitably given where I met them, they were all broadly comfortable middle class people, yet they appeared to be speaking about two totally different lifestyles.Coming up to the World Cup, I spoke to three people from the world of marketing about how it would go. Two expressed serious misgivings while one was, like you, a cheerleader who wouldn't hear a word against the place. Seems that the actual balance of the World Cup experience was somewhere between the two extreme portrayals.
Britain has its problems but I think that in your defence of SA you are doing Britain down. Nobody I know in the UK has ever been threatened with a gun or spoken of such a thing, whereas 60-70% of the SA people I met volunteered such stories.
The Pistorius story whatever it is, is an exceptional tragedy, of course
You've get the wrong end of the stick - i am neither 'a cheerleader' nor 'doing Britain down' - just purely relaying my real experiences of having living in the country for 5 years, thus attempting to portray a balanced view.
One thing that hasnt been mentioned is that before Apartheid came down, there was very little crime (mainly because the consequences were extreme, and the fear-factor involved) therefore, any white South African over the age of 40 would have been brought up in a very privileged way with private schools, houses with swimming pools, little crime, therefore post Apartheid was quite a sea-change in this respect. I've seen it many times amongst 40+ white South Africans where they seem to want to portray a much more violent SA than it actually is (which is probably a bit more obvious to a poor white boy from Woolwich like me ) - because, in their eyes, it is a huge change.
Comments
I havnt been there for years, so maybe i am (wrongly) using the same pre-conceived ideas that others have of SA that have never been there ??
Type Brixton into the search. Certainly not the worst place in London, but not an unreasonable example. Westiminster is far worse for total crimes, but the types of crimes will be slightly different (more thieves targeting tourists and less drug-related/violent crime as an overly broad generalisation).
Thanks for the thought though .
And grow in the sun
If only she'd known
He slept with a gun
I'm he's guilty I hope he's found guilty....
In my case, my perception of what South Africa is like is based on discussions with South Africans. One of the oddest aspects of these discussions is how different the portrayals are of life there, and that the differences don't seem to relate to the person's standard of living. Inevitably given where I met them, they were all broadly comfortable middle class people, yet they appeared to be speaking about two totally different lifestyles.Coming up to the World Cup, I spoke to three people from the world of marketing about how it would go. Two expressed serious misgivings while one was, like you, a cheerleader who wouldn't hear a word against the place. Seems that the actual balance of the World Cup experience was somewhere between the two extreme portrayals.
Britain has its problems but I think that in your defence of SA you are doing Britain down. Nobody I know in the UK has ever been threatened with a gun or spoken of such a thing, whereas 60-70% of the SA people I met volunteered such stories.
The Pistorius story whatever it is, is an exceptional tragedy, of course
One thing that hasnt been mentioned is that before Apartheid came down, there was very little crime (mainly because the consequences were extreme, and the fear-factor involved) therefore, any white South African over the age of 40 would have been brought up in a very privileged way with private schools, houses with swimming pools, little crime, therefore post Apartheid was quite a sea-change in this respect. I've seen it many times amongst 40+ white South Africans where they seem to want to portray a much more violent SA than it actually is (which is probably a bit more obvious to a poor white boy from Woolwich like me ) - because, in their eyes, it is a huge change.