As a student at UCT, I found it has been near impossible to escape the dialogue around whether the intricate jade statue of a pensive Cecil John Rhodes should be removed from its prominent position on the university's Upper Campus.
Even the most passive media consumers and disinterested members of our citizenry would have been hard-pressed to not hear something about the protests or discussions about representation and the need for transformation at South African tertiary institutions.
For or against the fall of Rhodes, the debate has taken an interesting shape on the Web. It was not long after the infamous waste-flinging protest that a Rhodes Must Fall Facebook page was created, quickly garnering close to 9 000 likes.
The page - described as "a collective student, staff and worker movement mobilising for direct action against the institutional racism of UCT" - has been used to organise meetings, rally support and provide a platform for (mostly heated) conversations around the potential removal of the statue.
Even the controversial UCT Confessions platform, which allows students to anonymously share their feelings and stories about anything and everything, has become inundated with Rhodes-related content.
On Twitter, the RhodesMustFall hashtag, which has become the slogan of the movement to oust this custodian of colonialism, was soon trending on the social media platform. And the physical and online backlash appears to have worked. Quickly. Last night, the University of Cape Town Council voted unanimously in favour of taking down the statue. For now, Rhodes will be stored for safekeeping while his future milieu is decided.
Fully acknowledging why this artefact elicits such an emotive response in so many people, I do have to wonder if the issue has become so contentious because it requires a lot of us to change our perceptions. To reframe our understanding of the man we learned about in history classes as children and come to terms with some of the harsh realities of our past that are rarely spoken about.
I can't help feeling that change is the issue here.
When Brad left Jen, when Pluto lost its planetary status, or when WhatsApp added a feature to inform users their messages had been read, it made people feel uncomfortable and they reacted with outrage.
The entire thing has got me thinking about the fact that in a world of viral sensations, fleeting online fame and high-paced media consumption, you'd think we'd all be quite comfortable with things coming and going. But for the most part, we remain a terribly sentimental species. We're not particularly amused when events or new discoveries change our understanding or engagement with something.
In a world of viral sensations, fleeting online fame and high-paced media consumption, you'd think we'd all be quite comfortable with things coming and going.
And while a group of impassioned UCT students were protesting against white privilege, one of the members of a British boyband announced he would leave the popular quintet. As Cecil's legacy was prompting hearty debate on local online forums, distraught One Direction fans took to the Internet tweeting #ByeZayn and #AlwaysInOurHeartsZaynMalik, and sharing worrying self-harm images on the Web as a way to channel their emotions around Malik's departure.
#ClarksonMustFall
Moving on to a modern-day figure who experienced a recent fall from grace: in mid-March, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson made headlines after a "fracas" with BBC producer, Oisin Tymon, allegedly over the availability of a steak dinner. Clarkson is no stranger to controversy, so we probably shouldn't be surprised by the automotive journalist's latest antics; lest we forget his regular bouts of racism, a string of insensitive jokes, or the 2004 fisticuffs with Piers Morgan. What did shock me though was the general public's response to the entire incident.
A Change.org petition calling for Clarkson's suspension to be overturned has received over one million signatures. What is even more disturbing is that Top Gear fans have taken it upon themselves to attack the man on the receiving end of Clarkson's temper. Twitter users have described Tymon as an "asshole" and a "murderer of the world's greatest motor show".
So Clarkson should be allowed to punch a man in the face because his tummy is empty? If people who are sad about the change to their Sunday night TV schedule are to be believed, the answer is yes. What?
So while you may feel unhappy about the Rhodes statue being relegated to a less prominent spot, a quintet becoming a quartet, or the demise of a hit TV show, the reality is that change is inevitable. The trick is how you respond to it.
* A former ITWeb journalist, Joanne Carew now resides in the Mother City, where she is admiring the mountain and completing her Masters studies at UCT.
Share