Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudice and Discrimination. This week, we’re looking at Nadine Gordimer’s “The Moment Before the Gun Went Off.” If you read the story carefully, you will notice that each group makes assumptions about the other that result in prejudice and discrimination. In your blog post, describe this two-way flow of prejudice and discrimination. Make sure to include irony in your discussion. In addition, address how this two-way flow of prejudice and discrimination plays out in our society. You may describe an instance in your own life, or you may discuss a news story from the media. Be sure to provide a link to any resources you use and cite them appropriately.
Prejudice and Discrimination
ANSWER
Prejudice and Discrimination
The Moment before the Gun Went Off is a story about how people make prejudiced judgments based on race. Marais Van der Vyver shot Lucas, one of his farm laborers, accidentally while he drove on his farm. His truck hit a pothole and the rifle fired by the farm laborer’s throat. This version of the story will be taken differently by the two races, blacks, and whites. The story is set in South Africa, a country infamous for its negative race relations, especially during the apartheid era. The white people know that Marais Van der Vyver will look after the family of the deceased. They are most likely to believe his version of the story. Those they see as keen to destroy white power, the blacks, would not believe a word Marais utters. The truth is, therefore, determined by your color of skin.
The white people want to maintain white power and the blacks cry for equality. It is ironic that both races are judgmental but what they do not know is that Marais was not only a friend to Lucas but also his father. They went hunting together. Few people will believe him though. This is because he was white and Lucas was black. The two races had a history of conflict. It is important to note that prejudice in The Moment before the Gun Went Off goes both ways. The blacks will most likely not believe Marais because of the history of oppression that white people subjected people to in South Africa. But this does not mean that he is not innocent. Following demonstrations that rocked the United States and other parts of the world after the death of George Floyd in the hands of a white police officer, other white police officers might face challenges in the future while handling black suspects because they might be accused of racism. It might be difficult for them to use considerable force even if it is within their professional guidelines.
References
Gordimer, N. (1988). The Moment before the Gun Went Off. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
