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BEE, sport and your kid

FAMILY

I was all fired up last night to write this post today, then Emma didn’t sleep last night and vomited repeatedly all over her cot, herself, me, my bed and about 10 towels and then all I wanted to do was write a post about how Emma vomited all over, the perimeter alarm kept going off waking Jack and David had abandoned us for some godforsaken African country.

So I wrote nothing.

Then I started getting antsy because there was no post today, so I considered writing about how terrified I am about Cameron’s new swimming adventure or how I am done apologising to people who don’t have kids for my kids or about the home made chicken schnitzels I made.

But I kept coming back to this topic.

During a chat I had with a sport coach yesterday he mentioned Cameron stands a good chance of getting into the provincial team because they do take their BEE targets seriously. OH! Ok then!

Obviously he can’t just show up, tick the coloured box and make the team. He does have to show serious potential BUT I am not sure how I feel about HIM making the team based on this should it ever happen.

I am not too keen on BEE in sport in general. I really feel it is one of those things that the strongest and hardest working deserve to make it, regardless of the colour of their skin. I personally feel we are far along in our democracy for this not to apply in sport any more and the more I think about it, the more I don’t want it applied to my kids. I want Cameron (and Kiara) to be chosen based on their performance and not on the colour of their skin. I think it almost takes away from them if they are chosen so that the team can reach its targets.

I also think that this creates a sense of entitlement, sort of like ” I deserve to be on the team because I am a person of colour” when in fact Cameron is growing up possibly more privileged that I did! I don’t want any of my kids thinking they have an advantage over their counterparts because of something like the colour of their skin.

I am possibly over thinking this whole thing especially since nothing has actually happened yet but it is stuff that I lie awake thinking about while I wait for the baby to wake up.

What are your thoughts on this?

How would you feel if your child was chosen for the team because they were the right colour?

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9 Responses

  1. Yep so agree with you on this a person should have talent and stand out and it really should not be based on color of skin

  2. It shouldnt be based on skin colour BUT if that is an advantage for your child they shouldnt feel bad about it. In my chosen sport financial backing plays a big part. I didnt have it for a long time and then I did. It helped me reach a higher level. One I maybe would have reached without it but it would have taken much longer.

    For a long time I felt and was made to feel guilty about it. I dont any more. Some people have amazing talent, others lucky breaks, some have financial backing or the colour of their skin. If they’re still working bloody hard and putting in the hours should we begrudge them that leg up?

    I also find that the leg up does only benefit the people who put in the sweat (when it comes to sport anyway). So long as he grows up knowing that it is an advantage but not a guarantee to team selection it wont effect him negatively and he should own it.

  3. I am so over this whole BEE thing…it makes me sick. The struggle we have with this at the Mission is crazy…as if poverity has colour. So in a nutshell that is how I feel about BEE -gatvol 😉

  4. He should get on the team based on his talent, dedication and hard work. I really don’t understand how the color of his skin has anything to do with how hard he works for the team?!?!

  5. It would bother me IF my kid wasn’t really capable and didn’t deserve to be there, based on his lack of abilities. If however, my kid was competition level and had the ability and the skill to compete with the best of them, then it wouldn’t bother me in the least.

  6. You know this whole BEE thing really does my head in. I UNDERSTAND it, from the sense that previously disadvantaged people now have the opportunity to excel in the work place / sports field – or wherever. However, we are 20 years into democracy now, which to me means that all the “born frees” have had equal opportunity to excel, not so? I understand giving disadvantaged kids a chance to prove themselves – give them free lessons while I have to pay or whatever, but giving someone a position in the work force or on the playing field purely based on the colour of your skin is not democracy? That’s unfair? I’d hate a talented child to miss out on a spot in a team because it had to be given to a child of another colour who doesn’t have the same talent. That negatively impacts the WHOLE team surely.

  7. I agree it should be on merit.
    By the way I would have been really interesting in those other posts. Esp the one about being done apologising for having kids and Emma puking.

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