Racism rings rife on social media

Social media sites are created with a sense of community in mind. They are supposed to encourage social cohesion and unity. They also allow us to share some of our most intimate thoughts under a shallow guise of protection. They allow discourse on various global and local social issues. Unfortunately, social media sites are also often used as platforms where people air out their dirtiest laundry. Over the last few years, there has been an increase in racist rants on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Everyone should remember the infamous Penny Sparrow fiasco and the multiple other offenders who followed her ‘lead’. Most of these terrifyingly racist posts have targeted specific groups of people on a somewhat general level. However, a recent post made by Wayne Vorster which specifically targeted individuals seems to not only cross the line but erase it completely.

The issue of racist posts circulating on social media is not only a problem in society at large but also seems to be a problem at universities. On May 11, racists posts were targeted at students from the University of Pretoria. Wayne Vorster made a Facebook post in which he tagged his victims, Sharni Ngakane, Siview Mhlana, Shen Scott, Nomonde Sadiki-Jele and Raimund Nel. The post was loaded with a number of racist and sexist remarks. Vorster referred to Ngakane and Mhlana as “baboon[s]” and “whores”. Vorster continued saying “you bunch of black whores deserve every rape, murder etc. that comes your way…”

Any sane person living in contemporary South Africa can problematize this post. It’s clear that this individual has no respect for other cultures, different ethnicities or women. The question here becomes, what do we do about something like this? We need to question where this type of hatred and blatant disrespect for human dignity originates. In a world dominated by the internet, it’s simply not enough to use ignorance as a fall back.

The seriousness of this post cannot be ignored. When I read it, the hatred was tangible and the stench of patriarchy permeated from every reference to women as “whores”. We must ask ourselves as a society, if someone can publicly wish rape and murder upon other individuals, what is stopping them from acting out these statements?

Thousands of people marched against our president because they were tired of the way he’s been running the country. But when will we be tired of racism, sexism, patriarchy and the many other prejudices that so many South African’s face each day? This post should anger us but also remind us that social media can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on what we choose to post.

Written by: Chad Johnston