President Thabo Mbeki was recently quoted by British newspapers, as having lamented the stereotyping of blacks that he alleged was prevalent amongst the white citizens of South Africa. According to Pres. Mbeki, whites view blacks as lazy, dumb and of a criminal disposition. He objected strongly to these stereotypes as unfair and not a true reflection of reality. It is significant to note that no mention was made of the stereotypes held by blacks of whites or of stereotypes held by anyone of coloureds and Indians.

Stereotyping is a human phenomenon that is not unique to South Africa. In England one is entertained by the locals on anecdotes about the "dumb Irish". In Switzerland one will hear similar stories about the Italians while in Germany there is no end to the tales about Yugoslavs and Turks.

Stereotyping exists the world over. This fact does not, of course, justify the creation of stereotypes, nor does it make these acceptable. The victims of stereotypes are invariably embarrassed, through no fault of their own. Even though an individual may be smart, highly intelligent and of good standing, he or she may still be tarnished with the brush of a particular stereotype.

Stereotypes are inter alia derived from ethnocentrism, i.e. the use of one's own culture as a yardstick to measure, assess or judge others. The dangerous part of this is that we tend to do it subconsciously. People, quite naturally, have a preference for their own language, for the customs and traditions they inherited from their ancestors and for their religion. Add to these a particular way of life and ingrained aesthetic standards and you find a rigid pattern that is one of many determinants of our societal behaviour.

Stereotypes are nothing but prejudices that are based on perceptions created by factors such as own experiences, hearsay and the mass media. Film makers excel at creating stereotypes - just think of the cowboy heroes conquering the wild and ignorant Red Indians or the victorious, courageous American soldiers vis-à-vis the cruel, defeated German or Japanese soldiers.

In many instances the main culprits in peddling stereotypes are parents who transmit their experiences and perceptions and stereotypes to their children. The children, without having tested the prejudices, will carry these as baggage for the rest of their lives until, if, through personal exposure they challenge the stereotypes themselves.

Traditionally South Africa lent itself almost by design for stereotyping. During the twentieth century in particular, blacks, coloureds, Indians and whites were born, lived, laughed, cried and died in separate communities. Is it a wonder that some whites have stereotypes of blacks as dumb (illiterate), lazy (lack of skills) and criminal (augmenting the low income)? Or that some blacks view whites as oppressors (giving instructions, dishing out discipline)? The situation is in effect a humus for creating stereotypes. One could continue along these lines ad nauseam.

The question that now arises however, is not where the stereotypes originated, but much rather where we as South Africans should go from here. Metaphorically speaking, one group cannot point to the members of another group and ridicule them for having a hole in their side of the boat because all of us are in the same boat. If one group sinks, we all sink.

Perhaps the answer lies in everyone accepting that in South Africa there is a variety of peoples with different origins, diverse cultures and customs, and different languages who have experienced separate realities.

We are like separate threads of the same cable and our variety can be a strength and not an obstacle in our quest for survival in the global village where the economic competition is fierce. It is crucial that we realise we are all locked into a common destiny.

This article was previously published in Wings, Issue No. 9, May 2001