After viewing 21 UP South Africa describe how either class or race could be a factor in determining upward economic and social mobility in the country today.
Describe South Africa's policy of black economic empowerment (BEE) and provide opinion on its necessity in South Africa in 2010.
Please post this response by Tuesday November 23 before our class meeting.
Race and class seemed to go along with each other very much in this film, as the whites generally began more wealthy than their black, coloured, and Indian counterparts. In general, a higher class means more money which, in turn, buys a better education and more opportunities later in life. The BEE policy will almost certainly make race a larger factor but as of the end of Apartheid when 21up began, I believe race was primarily a factor only through the economic means each group generally had.
ReplyDeleteThe policy of BEE, or black economic empowerment, seeks to balance the economic power of the country following the fall of Apartheid during which whites (who made up under 10% of the populous) controlled nearly all of the political power and business interests. The term “black” in the name includes black, coloured, Chinese, and Indian people as opposed to just blacks. My opinion about BEE is that is neither necessary or right. Because South Africa is a capitalist country, blacks better suited than whites to high-level jobs will inevitably replace the whites who previously held those positions. Conversely, whites cannot hold the reigns to business forever in a country where they are the minority, and while they have advantages in schooling and life in general stemming from their current status, skill or innovation always trumps money eventually. Also, the aggressiveness with which the BEE supports blacks creates an unnecessary sway in their favor, and will cause some business to hire blacks simply as figureheads and ignore applicants’ actual qualifications, as we arguably saw with the case of Katlego in 21UP.
In essence, Black Economic Empowerment will result in unqualified blacks receiving unwarranted positions, while whites who may have deserved it will be passed up. Blacks who are intelligent or innovative will be able to advance in society regardless of economic empowerment, while the movement attempts to benefit all blacks, regardless of actual skills or qualifications.
Ideally, race is not an issue in South Africa today when dealing with social and economic mobility. Nowadays, it is not necessarily racism that hold blacks and coloureds behind whites, it is the class issue caused by years of oppression. Because of the extreme class differences and economic groups, the non-whites now have a hard time moving up. Most of the blacks in the townships in 21UP, like Frans, have potential they just do not have the economic means to pull themselves out of poverty. Overall, socially they have gained more respect in South Africa and it is becoming easier to get jobs, there are just too many people unemployed. If the non-whites can just gain the footholds needed to move forward, they will be able to join the middle class. The best way for this to happen is through the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) initiative. The BEE program encourages companies to hire black people into management positions in South Africa and are given special benefits, like more business for example, if they do so. Although it gives blacks an arguably unequal advantage, in that some whites are losing jobs, it is the only way to have progress in the country. While I realize everyone should equal, the blacks deserve this small advantage after the years of oppression and poverty they survived through. For that reason, BEE is completely necessary and is a form of justice in the country. Even though, in some cases, the blacks that are hired under this program are not necessarily thought of well, like the man in the construction company, these setbacks are still worth the pursuit.
ReplyDeleteThe end of apartheid was supposed to symbolize the end of racial discrimination in South Africa. People of all races were supposed to have the opportunity to explore all sorts of economic and social options now that blacks and colored people weren’t especially bound to the lower echelons of social standards. However, we saw that for all of the black people in the movie that had grown up in townships were still living in those townships and working in jobs that pay poorly or sometimes not at all. The only black person in the movie that we saw had experienced any sort of upward mobility was the son of the soccer player who had a privileged childhood going to school with white children. Thus, I believe that in that transition period, from apartheid to a free era, blacks were stuck in terms of wanting to move up. They hadn’t received an education and thus weren’t qualified to pursue work, as was the case with many of the people in the movie. However, I believe that nowadays, as more and more blacks are able to go to school and pursue education and work, the race will contribute less and less to class, although the whites have the benefit of already being established and generally better off and educated than the blacks. BEE is intended to promote the welfare of businesses that have blacks in middle managerial roles. In essence, this is to inspire more businesses to put blacks in these roles as a way to give them a better life and more opportunities. It goes without saying that this is a little bit ridiculous, unless these blacks are qualified to be in these positions. It would be ridiculous to expect a company to hire a random black man off of the streets of Soweto to manage a portion of a company in a trade he knows nothing about. Blacks should be rewarded for working hard and pursuing economic opportunity through completion of education, not simply for being black. In the same way that white people became successful many years back through being educated, so can blacks do the same now. Making that jump without the proper development is always deleterious. I feel that BEE will be successful if the blacks in question for these managerial roles are actually qualified for the job and have some degree of education, otherwise they are merely puppets for the increased profit of an otherwise white-owned business.
ReplyDeleteThe end of Apartheid was the end of social injustice in South Africa and the means to equality amongst all the races in South Africa. Blacks and coloureds have gained a social equality alongside the whites who have been in charge for a long time. Socially, I believe that Blacks and coloureds in South Africa have become equals. I do not believe racism is the factor holding many blacks and colourdes from climbing the economic ladder. However, I believe it is the low economic level these races have been left at after the many years of oppression. They lack the economic means to be able to move up in society. Many whites have remained wealthy after Apartheid and can afford for their children to go to school. However, other races cannot afford to send their children to school and therefore this future generation lacks the education to move upward. Some manage to get into school with special gifts, such as the young black man who got into school for having a gift with language. Another got into a good school because his father was a pro footballer. Either way success stories happening without guidance are rare. A helping hand needs to be given to blacks who need help moving up. I believe BEE is a good program to help accomplish this, maybe not the best, but nonetheless good. BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) is a program that benefits companies who hire black people into managerial positions in the South African company. BEE provides a quick manner for blacks to be raised upward economically in class. However, the downside is that companies may hire inexperienced blacks to the positions held previously by educated and experienced whites. I believe as long as companies hire blacks appropriate for the job than it is a good program. I believe that in all of South Africa there are enough educated blacks to take these jobs.
ReplyDeleteSymbolically, the end of Apartheid was an end to black economic discrimination. With initiatives like the BEE, great strides have been taken in evening the financial playing field. However, stratification still remains. Throughout 21UP, we saw for ourselves the extent to which economic inequality still exists in South Africa. Socially, South Africa’s endeavors to equalize society have been very successful, but the economic disparity still greatly affects people in townships, as we saw in the movie. A lot of the people in the movie who lived in townships exhibited a genuine desire to work and rise up, however, despite their potential and drive, economic opportunities are slim. However, this may not be because of racial causes; South Africa as a whole has been struggling financially recently, and those at the lowest economic stratum suffer the worst.
ReplyDeleteThough the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) program does give an unequal advantage to blacks in the job market, that inequality only serves to balance the scale, which for so long has been tipped in the white man’s favor. The conflict arises around the fact that, in order to achieve racial economic equality, potentially more qualified workers are being denied jobs in the stead of under-qualified blacks. However, the initiative is entirely necessary; it actively promotes and expedites the elevation of black welfare, the results of which can be seen in the rising “buppie” black middle class. However, it remains to be seen if giving all of the post-Apartheid benefits to the black community yields any negative effect on the coloured population.
Even though apartheid ended years ago, the ‘morning after’ the entire incident has lasted long after the policy’s demise. Blacks still struggle more than other races to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and progress into more economically sustaining lifestyles. So, even though the end of apartheid brought hopes of a more racially equal society, the results of such hopes that exist today are virtually invisible. Based on the movie, your status from birth remains your status for life in South Africa. Virtually, if you are of white or colored race you are more likely to be on the greener side of the economic fence. Any child in the film that was born under more privileged conditions were able to possess those same conditions throughout the rest of their life, even though they may have altered their lifestyles. Therefore class AND race play an enormous role in determining upward social and economic mobility in the country today for three reasons: 1. Children of couples who possess more money can afford for their children to get an education. This means they can go to school and earn a career in the long run and thus be successful and make money. 2. The effects of apartheid are still staring everyone in the face and perhaps blacks have not been granted (with the exception of the middle class) as equal of opportunities as other races. However, the blacks are indeed beginning their climb upward and in time economic and social status shall not in any way, shape, or form be influenced by any post-apartheid remnants and indeed by based upon hard work. The whites are merely at an advantage because they were proficiently established in the first place. 3. There’s a pattern with respect to resources that is determined by race and class but it is gradually diminishing.
ReplyDeleteBEE is a practiced program in South Africa that provides companies with benefits when they hire blacks into managing positions. This is an easy and promising way for blacks to rise in their economic status and therefore rise in financial class. However, this practice could pose a problem with companies hiring inexperienced and uneducated blacks into positions previously inhabited by experienced and educated whites. Giving these positions to educated (etc.) blacks would promote hard work within the black community and allow for the climb upward to occur more easily to blacks seeking to make it financially in South Africa. The practice overall is fantastic as long as hard work is required and promoted.
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ReplyDeleteRace and class are extremely influential in determining upward economic and social mobility in South Africa today. Unfortunately, the video showed us that many of the profiled individuals were still living in a manner similar to how they did during apartheid. Though more opportunities were offered to those who were oppressed under apartheid rule, not all of the documentary participants had been able to take full advantage of them. For example, some of the black participants did not go to college and still lived in the townships, struggling to find work. On the other hand, one was able to attend a white school and another lived for an extended period of time in Germany and attended college. While many more opportunities are available, not all people are fully taking advantage of these chances. Though apartheid has technically ended, people are still stuck in its ways.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa’s policy of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) aims to mollify the inequalities that were a result of Apartheid. It does so by encouraging that jobs be given to blacks and other non-whites, particularly in management positions. In my opinion, this is necessary in South Africa in 2010. The effects of apartheid are still clearly visible in South Africa, and so actions must be taken to counteract the negative repercussions. Though this policy may give some unqualified people jobs, these people were put at a disadvantage, especially in an educational aspect, by their government. Therefore, the government has the obligation to help them. Also, the BEE initiative is necessary to perpetuate economic growth for all sectors of South African society. Many of the people seeking jobs now were affected by Apartheid’s educational inequalities and are therefore at a disadvantage when seeking employment. This creates and extremely unequal distribution of wealth. Poverty is commonly seen next to wealth. In order to fix the economic disparities between different groups in South African society, this program is necessary. While this policy is not necessarily fair to more qualified job applicants, it compensates for the inequalities of Apartheid.
Race and socio-economic class both add to difficulties associated with improving one's lot in life. Problems of race would be mainly an issue if a possible employer was prejudiced against you or gave preference to another group. In this was prejudice might not simply arise out of the interactions between blacks or coloreds and whites but it could also be that Zulus would give employment preference to other Zulus. The main obstacle to upward economic mobility would be being in a poorer class to begin with. Being in a low class, black or white, limits access to education, especially if one lives in a rural community or township. This lack of education would prevent one from being abler to seek any kind of professional employment, middle class employment. As well the kind of sickness that is much more likely in the poor makes work more difficult. Also if one is in a rural community and is forced to go to the city to find employment one would be forced to take what ever employment was offered regardless of future prospects. As well with such a high unemployment rate, the ensuing desperation to find a job would also force one to be much more qualified to find even a barely middle class occupation. One would need to take whatever menial job that was offered.
ReplyDeleteThough possibly necessary the BEE, which gives job preference to Blacks and Coloreds in South Africa, is not justified. Making equality is making equality. One doesn't make inequality to make equality. Yes blacks and coloreds had a terrible time of it under Apartheid and yes they did not receive an on par education or have the opportunities that whites had but this does not mean that one should lower whites in order to make equality. Instead raise black, give them all the same opportunity by providing them with a good education and a prejudice free working environment and equality will come soon enough.
The situation into which one is born in South Africa is still very influential on their upward economic and social mobility. If one is born rich it is still much easier for them to go to good schools and get good jobs and have a good lifestyle filled with luxuries that are otherwise unavailable to the masses. Conversely, if one is born in the townships opportunities do not come easily at all. Most people do not get educated passed a certain degree. People live within feet of their extended family and are often dependent on only one or two people to support the whole family grouping if anyone at all. There just aren't enough jobs to be spread around throughout all the townships; to be spread around throughout all the millions of people living there. It's not out of the question to catch a lucky break every now and again which can lead to a sustainable job or a better education. To be gifted in sports can get you an in at a private school in the city. To be talented in language skills can likewise get you recruited to a school. Upward mobility in South Africa is not as easily attainable to the masses as the government might like to profess it to be.
ReplyDeleteThe policy of Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa basically requires that all companies must have at least one black person in a powerful and influential position. My opinion on the necessity of the BEE is that it is necessary but not quite in the way that it is being implemented. A job should be given to somebody based on their qualifications, not on the colour of their skin. If there is a white person, a coloured person, or an asian person who is better qualified for the job then it should go to them but skin colour shouldn't factor in at all. If they want to augment the statistics of powerful black people in society, then the best way to do that is to make educational opportunities more easily accessible to the masses. Accessibility and practicality need to be addressed for the township dwellers. They might have access but it might not be practical for them to go to school. Maybe they are more needed at home to help out. It could be helpful to implement trade schools as well. Maybe a kid doesn't necessarily need to attend school to make a better future for him or herself. If he or shoe can develop skills to be more qualified for jobs that are just out of reach, then just in that they are bettering their social and economic situations.
Class and race are directly related to higher economic and social mobility in most cases even though blacks and coloreds are supposed to be equal to whites. As illustrated in 21UP, the blacks and colored South Africans had a more difficult time moving up economically and socially because they start off in worse conditions. The main reason that coloreds and blacks are at a disadvantage is that they have never been given the chance to succeed. Until the initiation of the BEE program, there had been little economic relief for blacks and coloreds since the end of apartheid. As a result, whites and foreigners have continued to excel economically and socially.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy has begun to alleviate the social and economic tension of blacks and colored in South Africa giving them a better chance of moving up in both regards. Katlego, from 21UP, was a BEE representative for a construction company. By having a BEE rep as a figurehead of the company, this construction company was able to attract more business and excel. It is wrong that companies are incentivized to hire blacks and coloreds that are not necessarily the most qualified for a job. It is understandable that South Africa is trying to tear down the barrier between blacks and whites economically and socially but, at the end of the day, the people that are the most qualified for a job should be the person getting the position and helping the company achieve its greatest success. It won’t be long until the true effects of the BEE program are revealed and South Africa can assess whether the program was benefial or not.
In any country with a racially divided past, race is always an issue that needs to be considered. This is especially so in South Africa, where Apartheid still looms large in the national consciousness. An examination of upward mobility in South Africa has to look at race as a large factor. In the past, upward mobility did not exist for most blacks or even most coloureds. In the white community, upward mobility was mostly unlimited by Apartheid, but there was little room to move upward for some whites that were already at the top of the pyramid. However, not all whites where anywhere near rich; many were poor or middle-class.
ReplyDeleteToday, even with Apartheid abolished, race is still a huge factor for mobility. Blacks now have BEE pushing on their side to fling them into a higher economic class. Nonetheless, many blacks are still very poor and have little chance of getting a job or a decent education. Coloureds are in the awkward position of not having the same historical privileges granted to whites and also not having many of the new benefits awarded to blacks. For them, upward mobility is not limited like it was under Apartheid, but they are also not being actively pushed upward class-wise like blacks. For whites, upward mobility is mostly unlimited as before, but new problems are arising, like the possibility of a black person taking a job that might have before gone to a white. Social class is a huge problem for upward mobility. For poorer people, their economic class limits their upward mobility (as it has historically, as well). The economy of South Africa is not robust and well-structured enough to allow even many poor or middle-class whites, coloureds, or blacks to push upward into wealth. Also education is not available to all, and not all education is of the same quality. Education for the poor so they can move upward economically is a problem all over the globe, and none the less so in South Africa than anywhere else. If one can pay for a better school, one is more likely to get a better education and a better job, and eventually be more upwardly mobile. Through these various avenues, upward mobility is limited almost across the spectrum by a combination of racial and class factors.
BEE is a policy in South Africa that makes it so companies are mandated by law to hire blacks into positions of management or generally higher positions in the company. It is an attempt to “balance out” the inequalities that blacks faced under Apartheid. I believe that this policy, while worthy in its intentions to level the playing field, is unfair and hurtful to South Africa. More legislated inequality is not the way to remove all the hurts and injustices of Apartheid. It can only harm the people’s trust in a fair, equal, and just government. However, the question “is it necessary?” is entirely different from the question “is it fair or just?” To answer the former, then, I say that I believe that for the now, for the intermediary period of forming a new country, a new era, it just might be necessary. But for how long do you weight the other side of the scale of racial justice before you can call it truly balanced? I do not have an answer for that.
Class and race are big factors in determining upward economic and social mobility in the country of South Africa today. Apartheid was supposed to be leveling, interestingly, we see the opposite. We see that because of this, the people of the country are stuck following the footsteps of their parents. Instead of creating equal opportunity for all, the people are now forced to live in the lifestyle their parents lived in. Unfortunately, for some people, this means they must live in poverty, townships, will not receive an education, and will thus most likely be stuck in poverty. While for more fortunate people, it means they are destined to receive a good education, live in a safe and high class community, get a good paying job, and have an overall successful life. It is a shame to see the success of people be dependent upon the race and class that they have been born into. Nevertheless, policies such as the black economic empowerment will hopefully change this vicious cycle for the better.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa’s BEE policy, black economic empowerment, has a goal to reach South Africa’s full economic potential. Before 1994, the apartheid government ruled the country. The government excluded African, Indian, and Coloured people from meaningful participation in the country’s economy. As a result of this, the economy was destroyed, and eventually the GDP growth rate fell to zero, which lead the people to live in poverty and suffering. The BEE process gives power and opportunities to those blacks that previously did not have the ability to do so. It does so by giving those people jobs of ownership, management, and more control. This brings South Africans into the mainstream economy, and hopefully will help to create a prosperous economy. There are some flaws with this policy including the fact that some people are only being hired because they are black, and are not educated or qualified. Nevertheless, the BEE is a good plan as far as making up for the damage caused by apartheid. If the policy is managed and supervised, they will be able to make this policy work and find educated blacks that can work in these higher positions.
Considering the fact that Blacks and Coloureds make up about 90% of the population in South African society, empowering them in government, ownership of businesses, management, and other high paying jobs will allow for Blacks and Coloureds alike to advance, from a socioeconomic point of view. This will allow for 90% of the population to become wealthier and contribute a greater amount to the countries economy therefore, growing the middle class. Nations with large middle classes allow for opportunity in the lower and middle class creating an economic boom and wealthier government. The Black Economic Empowerment is a program run by the South African government to end the inequalities of Apartheid by giving Blacks and Coloureds economic opportunities previously not available to them. This is essential in advancing the countries economic conditions because giving the lower class opportunity will allow for a larger middle class and an upward economic mobility.
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