'Those Who Cannot Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It'

On this message board alone, I have read posts by two different white South Africans saying " we need to forget the past". Their point being (partly) that since they themselves did not commit attrocities, they should not be labeled or looked upon with suspicion.

I think this attitude is either wimpy or perhaps they don't want to face up to something in themselves. I would just ask them to take a lesson from America. We are still trying to make up for not stopping Hitler sooner. We are still making movies and documentaries---not about how great WE were in WWII (well maybe some of them)--but we're telling mostly how terrible it was because we are still learning about all the horrors of that time.

The more we tell these stories, the more we heal IMO. The same is true of civil rights abuses, slavery, Native American oppression, etc. There is still so much injustice, anger and inequality even after all we've been through. For those who say "forget the past" , you are BRINGING suspicion on yourself by saying that. Move on, yes. But uncover and face whatever has happened. Otherwise, healing cannot even begin.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_on_re_af/south_africa_apartheid

Along those lines I have posted this link to an article about former South African Government Minister Adriaan Vlok pleading guilty to attempted murder. It seems like a nice "real-life" follow-up to "In My Country" and shows that truth is still being revealed and confronted there.