Visions and Voices: "New York is like Johannesburg" Response

Before watching "New York is like Johannesburg" the idea of racism on a global scale had never really occured to me.  Yes I knew that racism takes place globally yet I never thought that racism in the United States was similar to anywhere else.  However, through its discussion of criminalization and radicalization in South Africa, the connection the panel was trying to make became clear.  The similarities between how African-Americans and black South Africans are radicalized by police forces and unfairly treated are staggering.  Although there may be more violence in response to racial conflict in South Africa, the cause is not dissimilar from causes of racial conflict in the US.  Issues like the stop and frisk policy in New York were mentioned by the panel in connection with the criminalization of many black people in South Africa.  Where the differences between the two are seen is in demographics.  African-Americans constitute a minority in the US where as South Africa has a 79% majority of black citizens.  This is vital because when racially charged events happen in the US widespread coverage is not always seen or equal, yet in South Africa if a black man is unfairly harassed by police, the majority of the country is outraged.  This makes me consider how both nations still have the capacity to allow blatant mistreatment to continue while outwardly expressing disgust for these conflicts.