On walking, and other things.

(note: this is mostly for my parents, but enough other people got worried too, that I thought I would post this)
I realize that I have said some things here that have been misinterpreted. I guess that is the very nature of working without an editor. Perhaps even scarier that working without that infamous net.
First. I am not stupid. And I have a perfectly reactive gut that tells me when things are iffy. Now due to the social engineering of our country that gut is frankly more reactive to black people than white. I'm a racist. So is everyone. And as evidenced by Crash’s win at the academy awards, other people are beginning to grasp this.
But that is totally a digression. What I am trying to say is that I don’t do anything stupid. I realize that I made it sound that way, more out of poetic license than anything else. Yes I am often the only white person on the street. But not-white does not mean dangerous. Yes this country has problems. But so does New York. So does Missoula, MT. And the longer I am here the more I realize that these problems have been blown completely out of proportion by western media.
And unlike the US which has been in the same state in regards to poverty and race problems for the past 20-30 years, South Africa is getting better. At a shocking rate.
But the media doesn’t pay attention to Africa. God, I realize that has been said so many times but its so SO true.
For example.
CNN.com doesn’t even have an Africa section like Europe and Asia get (yes they also do this to the Americas, and the Middle East but that doesn’t make it okay). When you finally get to the Africa subsection the headlines are thus:
U.N. troops kill Congo rebels
U.N.: Million more Kenyans need food
Zuma raped me, woman tells court
Militants threaten new attacks on oil industry
Okay, yes, these are important major issues, but two out of four are headlines based on something a NEW YORK based organization said. Africa is so much more vibrant than AIDS and starvation and war.
Compare to the headlines taken from the South African Broad Casting website’s Africa section.
Kenya must stop media terrorism: editors
DRC commandos withdrawn after mutiny
Six Nigerian hostages freed
Nigeria suspects illegal imports brought bird flu
Libya names new prime minister, head of oil sector
Yes, they are still depressing. Yes it’s a troubled continent. But there is so much more than what CNN has to say.
And yes I am saying this from the richest country at the very bottom of Africa. And probably 75% of what I say about this country is wrong. Because the longer I am here the more I realize that I know nothing.
But what I have been trying to say this whole time is that the only way I could be 100% safe is if I never left wits campus. No that’s a lie, the only way I could be 100% safe is if I never left my basement room in Missoula, but there I would probably die of carbon monoxide poisoning.
I refuse to accept that.
There are white South Africans here that never go into Newtown which is where we go to perform poetry (I don’t perform but that’s another story about me being a wimp). Newtown has the best theater in Jo’burg. Its an awesome neighborhood, comparable to the east village in Manhattan. I walked there today with Jennifer and we had a grand (and safe) time at a lovely little cafe. But there are people who don’t go. They have never gone into Soweto. 90% of their country remains a mystery to them and I don’t understand why they think that’s okay.
I guess the best way to say it is: walking down a street here is as dangerous as walking down a street in New York. Yes, there are risks, but there are always risks. But if you keep your head about you, you will be okay. And every time you walk, you get better at looking for the risks, and knowing what to be wary of.
I'm sorry for the people I made nervous. But please don’t worry. I have a good head on my shoulders. And I love you all too much to be stupid.