[Dean's World] Aziz P: apartheid

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Posted by Aziz P:
apartheid
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1165935411.shtml


   Pretty loaded word, right? I immediately think of these things when I
   hear it: 1. racism. 2. lack of civil rights. 3. violence. In other
   words - a specific historical context, the brutal Afrikaans regime of
   South Africa.

   But the term has more general meaning than that. According to
   [1]various dictionary definitions, apartheid can also mean "A policy
   or practice of separating or segregating groups", or "The policy or
   practice of political, legal, economic, or social discrimination, as
   against the members of a minority group."

   What I find intriguing here is that defined in this general sense,
   apartheid might well not be the result of an intentional policy. It
   may equally arise from economic conditions, or by other forms of
   disputes (including land, water, mineral rights, etc).

   In that sense apartheid becomes an important term because it
   fundamentally describes an illiberal condition, one that can and must
   be remedied via liberal institutions.

   However, it is also a loaded word. Calling a given condition
   "apartheid" immediately invites the comparison to Souuth Africa.

   So the question is, does the word apartheid have any valid use or
   meaning anymore? Can it be used in any sober analysis without
   immediately derailing the discussion?

   I could well write a similar post about fascism, it seems. It's a pity
   because these words have descriptive power. Perhaps we simply need new
   words, free of their baggage, to describe the general concepts they
   embody.

References

   1. http://www.answers.com/apartheid&r=67