You completely missed my point.Gadget wrote:
* Apologise and people like Dom do not believe you and say that it is too late, insincere and by implication done by a bunch of racists (even though the Club has not in any way participated in or supported discriminatory practices in recent years)
* Do not apologise and people say the Club is a bunch of racists from the apartheid era for not making one (even though the Club has not in any way participated in or supported discriminatory practices in recent years)
The MCSA membership is just a reflection of the pre 1994 SA legacy situation when it comes to most of South African outdoor recreational activities whether you talk hiking, climbing, 4x4, sports fishing, etc.
Here's my point (in smaller words so you can understand):
(1) You said "even though the Club has not in any way participated in or supported discriminatory practices in recent years" so I'll follow your implication that they did previously (we all know this). Ergo, there were people in the high echelons of the club who participated in/supported/were responsible for said discriminatory practices. Where are these people now? Are they still in the upper echelons of the club? If they are, then I'm inclined to take the supposed transformation a little less seriously. If they have been 'removed' from power, then that would be a good example of transformation, and could be taken seriously. Kick them out - there is no place for them in South Africa, especially when transformation is as stake.
(2) If it's taken the MCSA 12 years to apologise, what does that say for the speed of the transformation effort? This country has made huge strides in the last 11 years, if it's so small an issue to the MCSA that it's taken 12 years, the why apologise at all?
(3) I understand and appreciate all that the MCSA has done re: access etc etc. I don't even mind being reminded how I wouldn't be able to climb anywhere without the MCSA. I don't even mind being told what kind of worthless scum I am for not being a member. What bothers me is that every time someone criticises the MCSA, the MCSA Apologist Club, as headed by various people on this forum, jumps to it's defence, spouting the same tired old arguments.
Jackass.Gadget wrote:
Lastly and more positively I can not describe to you how good it was to hear two climbers on a trad climb calling to each other in Zulu (I think it was Zulu). I sincerely hope that will become more commonplace in my lifetime and that someone will help educate me by producing a translation of “on belay climb when ready” and all the other calls in all official languages.