M yths fool thousands and religious myths fool millions. The old apartheid myths of the communist onslaught with reds under the beds and black cut-throats in the ikhaya are dead, but there are plenty of others around. Most countries acclaim democracy as a good method of achieving a government which represents the desires of the people. But our opposition has now invented the incredible myth that if a huge majority favours one party, democracy becomes undemocratic. Racism is out in these new South Africa days, but it is preserved by a host of myths.
Racism is ousted by friends in other races.
But it is often a myth to conceal a culture demanding submission to parental or cultural domination. The essence of the freedom won in 1994 was a culture of responsibility to make our own decisions, not a culture of domination. But heads of families, churches and businesses find that empowering people to be responsible for themselves is too threatening. TALK BACK Have your say Click here. Professor Harvey Cox of Harvard writes about the myth of the market that has become God.