Discrimination
DemonSpawn
Date:
02/09/2005
There is this monster called Discrimination which many people in South Africa, and indeed all over the world, have been fighting since the time when the Christians decided it wasn't cool to be thrown into pits with lions. And although they went ahead and did pretty much the same thing to other people through the centuries, it is still widely acknowledged that discrimination is, in actual fact, a bad thing.
There is this area on the Southern end of the city I live in, called Austerville. Now, this is a predominantly coloured community. 'Coloured' being the term used to describe people of mixed parentage. It's a poor area. The people, many of whom I spoke to in person, taking the time to hear out their problems with the community and faithfully noting them down, live right next door to a petrol refinery, and right in the centre of my city's industrial zone.
The crap that these businesses pump into the atmosphere has been a point of contention for many years. The environmental societies have done their best to make the area safe for the residents of places like Austerville, who have to deal with the pollution being constantly blown their way. But, in the end, as with all ethical concerns, money has won out, and the poorer folks – those with no cash on hand to do anything about it, are forgotten, swept aside, ignored. I mean, let's face it – if they don't make shitloads of money, how much say do they have, since money has the loudest voice. This is an interesting form of passive discrimination which our local metropolitan council has developed into a skill.
And then, today, I read that smoking of cigarettes will be even more strictly-regulated than ever before. Now, I find it interesting that smokers are quite actively discriminated against, and by our own government, when this is something they were supposedly working to abolish. Don't give me the second-hand smoke story. If second-hand smoke causes cancer, then what does the constant pollution that the refinery exudes into Austerville do? Surely someone should sit up and take note.
I am putting out an official call for interested parties to make a stand with me, and sort this shit out, once and for all. People with money are welcome – your wallets can shout louder than I can. But I'm not particularly interested in your bank balance. If you feel that it is wrong for a government to casually ignore the cancer rate amongst the residents of places like Austerville, yet feel no pain in treating smokers like unclean, outcast, second-class citizens, then contact me.
I want valid scientific research to back up my claim that the pollution coming from the industrial sector south of Durban is more dangerous than second-hand smoke. Because I believe that the government, this supposed “Director of Health Promotions”, Zanele Mthembu, in particular, is directing attention away from Industry's failure to do something about their toxic emissions, by harping on about the smoking issue, which is insignificant in comparison.
I think it is time for someone, or some people to stand up and do the right thing. Because the people in Austerville will still be dying of cancer and other related illnesses after all the smokers have been kicked out of public places for good. I think it is betraying everything that the Consitution stands for to let this discrimination continue!
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