Understanding the matrics of 2020

Social media demands responsibility, marijuana has incredible potential, sex before marriage is a personal choice, and novelty isn’t always a good thing.

These were some of the opinions voiced by students of the matric 2020 cohort. A panel of 16 youngsters weighed in last week on a variety of subjects in an online discussion hosted by the SA Jewish Report.

While Instagram seems to be the platform of choice, some students suggested that social media does potentially more harm than good.

“There are definitely good parts of social media,” said Julian Gordon, who attended Redhill. “From a business perspective, many use it to market themselves. But there are negatives like cyberbullying and scamming. If I had to pick, I’d say it does more harm than good.”

Amira Cohen from Yeshiva College believes that almost everyone follows social influencers online, something these influencers need to be aware of.

“Influencing creates a job opportunity, and many people get far with it as a career,” she said. “Still, a following comes with a lot of responsibility. It bothers me when influencers say that they didn’t sign up to be a role model. Maybe you didn’t sign up for it, but you definitely are, whether you choose to be one or not.”

On the COVID-19 front, a number of panellists felt that the recent Matric Rage festival may have been unadvisable, although that could be said only in hindsight. Five panellists attended the event, four of whom were infected with COVID-19.

Sam Maron, who attended King David Linksfield (KDL), regrets taking part.

“At the time, I was adamant about going after the tough year we’d had, but looking back, it’s something I would avoid as ethically, I think it was incorrect,” he said.

King David Victory Park’s (KDVP) Bethia Milner agreed.

“In the moment, we thought the cases were a lot lower,” she said. “We were perhaps a bit naïve when we thought there’d be better precautions. Looking back, we see how irresponsible we were. We didn’t fully grasp how bad it could be. It’s easy to look back and say now that we shouldn’t have gone.”

Said Brad Gottschalk, a KDL graduate, “With the pandemic, we can’t say, ‘lock yourself up in your room’, but we also can’t go to a super spreader event where drunk teenagers are spreading COVID-19. It’s illogical, and it wasn’t right. The government should have stopped it. Still, we can’t look back now and accuse people.”

Most panellists believe that alcohol isn’t a problem amongst youngsters. As for drugs, a majority approved of the legalisation of cannabis.

Said Gordon, “I’ve always believed that when you have a substance, the more you try to ban it, the more resistance there will be, and it will continue to be used underground. It gives South Africans more freedom to have it legalised.”

A KDL graduate and former vice head boy believes that as long as consumption is controlled, it’s acceptable.

“The worry is what it leads to,” he said. “Often, it’s step one to things that aren’t great, but if done with control, it’s fine. If people want to experiment with harder drugs, it’s a problem.”

Fellow King Davidian, Jake Rudnicki, however, believes that psychedelic drugs enable people to unlock their potential.

“Today’s society is designed to shut down 90% of a human potential,” he said. “This is a revelation that comes from working with psychedelics. They reconnect us to the spirit, something which society lacks. These drugs aren’t all perfect, but certainly are an agent of liberation.”

On the subject of race, almost every panellist agreed that their parents weren’t racist. They also said that if their parents voiced a racist or discriminatory remark, they would discuss it with them.

Dani Sack, a Yeshiva College graduate, said, “Because of the apartheid society [my parents] were brought up in, they have learned prejudices they have yet to unlearn, but they want to get out of that racist past.”

A Hindu by birth, KDVP graduate Kabir Singh said that he had never experienced prejudice attending an almost exclusively white Jewish school.

“When I first joined, it was a bit of a surprise for a lot of people,” he said. “Everyone else was white, but my colour never came into anything. It was a regular school, where I got to learn Hebrew and Jewish Studies and look into another culture. My race was never an issue.”

Asked about their future, a majority believed they will still be living in South Africa in five years’ time, while only half predicted that they will still be here in 10 years’ time.

Said Gottschalk, “The situation in South Africa is very demotivating, and it’s hard not to get upset about it. But that said, the Jewish community tends to live really good lives here on a global scale, and we should be the ones improving society.”

Shui Hoppenstein, who graduated from Torah Academy, agreed. “I love South Africa. It’s very beautiful but with a ton of awful problems. I want to go to Israel but that makes me kind of sad. I should be staying here and not ditching the country I’ve been in my whole life.”

“We need to give credit where it’s due,” said Milner. “We’ve maintained a democracy after our very tough history. Yes, there’s corruption and disappointment, but I feel that I have a responsibility to the country, and I want to contribute. I want to experience the world, but South Africa is my home.”