I’ve been meaning to write up on quite a number of things but I jst never got the time.. Varsity’s taking it’s toll.
Anyhow, thingie #1: I found this spam from my university one day:
Dear respondent,
We ask that you spend a few minutes assisting us with a piece of research. All you will need to do is to take an online survey, which you can do by clicking on the button below. The research investigates experiences of, and attitudes towards intergroup contact. You will be asked questions that require you to write the contact and quality of your own experiences, as well as rating your feelings towards one or more ethnic groups. Please note that your responses will be made anonymously and treated confidentially.
… We know that this is not an insignificant request on our part, and what we are able to offer you is the opportunity to WIN ONE THOUSAND RAND …
One thousand big ones huh? I shrugged, clicked on the survey link and off I went.
Now, as with any form that asks me to tick a box so I can be categorized, have things assumed about me such as ‘previously disadvantaged background’ and whatever other ‘statistical reasons’ they use these little boxes for.. When asked to choose between Black, White, Indian, Coloured or ‘Other’, I chose the latter and specified ‘Human’.. What happened next was quite hillarious.. check out some of the questions asked:
7a. I am a person who sees myself belonging to the Human population group.
1 Never 2 Seldom 3 Sometimes 4 Often 5 Very often
7g. I am a person who is annoyed when people refer to me as being a Human
7j. It upsets me when other people speak negatively about Human people.
Which I found amusing.. Then came some annoying ones:
Question 9
How often do you have contact with Coloured people in the following situations? Please select the appropriate number by clicking on the circle next to it.
9a. With Coloured people in your residential area?
1 Never 2 Seldom 3 Sometimes 4 Often 5 Very often
9b.With Coloured people at your own home?
9c.With Coloured people at the homes of other people?
9d.With Coloured people at their homes?
9e.With Coloured people at religious events?
9f.With Coloured people at social events?
9g.Do you sit next to Coloured students during lectures?
9h. Do you have friendly conversations with Coloured people?
Like… wtf ?! But wait.. there’s more!
Question 10
Please indicate the percentage of your friends who belong to th Black, White, Indian and Coloured population groups (The percentage should add up to 100%).
Example: Black: 20% White: 50% Indian: 15% Coloured: 15%
Like honestly… who in their right mind is keeping tabs on their friends like this?
Then it got down to hilarious ones again:
Question 14
The following questions ask your opinion of why (some) students are reluctant to mix socially with other groups.
14b. Human students do not mix socially with Coloured students because they have different interests in sport, music, etc. [ i take it all people of a certain shade like the same sport? tssk tssk.. ]
1 Strongly Agree 2 Agree 3 Agree Slightly 4 Disagree Slightly 5 Disagree 6 Strongly Disagree
14c. Human students who mix socially with Coloured students are seen as dissociating themselves from the Human group. [ huh? ]
14d. Human and Coloured students have different ways of behaving, which makes it difficult for them to mix socially [lmao]
Good Lord.. it didnt stop there..
14f. It is difficult to mix with Coloured students because they have no understanding of the culture of Human students.
14g. There is very little social mixing because Coloured students do not want to have Human friends. [ rright.. ]
… alas. This obsession with a single mutation in one amino acid never ceases to amaze me.. Or perhaps this discovery puts it more clearly:
In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome — the complete instructions for making a human being.
one letter people.. one letter of 3.1 billion.. this mutation doesn’t _make_ u like certain sport or _make_ u like certain music or _make_ you act this way and that.. leave that to where you grow up.
I guess i remembered all this coz yesterday I had one of those random unplanned-going-out nights [came back at 5am]. Had a good time.. but to cut the long story short, we were in this club called Sankayi [ my first time there and didn't even know there was a club in that part of Rivonia ]. Anyway, this club (rather posh with a steep R100 entry fee) was mainly playing Congolese music and Kwaito which aren’t really my faves.. And so while I was chillin, beer in hand, one of the guys we were with came up to me and the convo went sort of like this:
Him: Hey man, why aren’t you dancing?
Me: I don’t really like this type of music..
Him: Why not?
Me: Don’t know.. jst doesn’t appeal to me ..
Him: But you’re African..
Me: Yea.. so?
Him: So you should enjoy it then..
Me: Well I don’t.. *shrug*
Him: *Blank look*
Poor guy…I wonder if he thinks that all people with green eyes like the same type of music.. Or that people with albinism enjoy the same food.. *Rolls eyes*
Anyway, it’s gettin late. Gotta crash so there ends my lecture.. Comments welcome 
