I know exactly what you mean Denis. It's frustrating not to look up and see the potential for a much deeper and more meaningful democracy in SA. A democracy where what people THINK actually counts - in colleges, in communities and out on the farms and streets. Fences and walls seem to bind minds as much as they set protective boundaries around private property these days.
What's happened to robust and engaging debates? What's happened to open minds? What's happened to thinking differently? I'm delighted to discover you and your colleagues are doing something to address this. Count me in.
Before the acorn
Phoebe, thanks. Great! Lekker! Kuhle! Also Dinky Dye, or what's that thing they say in Oz? I count you in.
You misjudge South Africa, I have to say. Robust debate is riding high. It's called "Malema" after a young chap with a spectacular capacity to gobble headlines. If he sneezes, forests are consumed in the rush to advise the populace. Inboxes groan under the discourse as to whether Malema is brilliant, imbecilic, confused, the Messiah, Satan, or a potential despot. In the eateries and meeteries of the nation, Malema's inner psyche is analysed with greater authority than the failings of the sports coaches. Megawatts of power go into computing how many emigrations, immolations, and occupations of the former baas's TV couch will occur if/when Malema comes to power.
That is to say, business as usual. After 359 years and with universal franchise already adolescent, the ones who came by ships and planes still work up froth over when-are-they-gonna-get-us. Switch "Mandela" for "Malema" (only an 'n' and a 'd' to drop and a mumble to add) and today's conversations could be 1961. But, Phoebe, you do not get a good reception when you say the obvious thing to these guys. Tap them on the shoulder and say "excuse me, focus on upgrading the system, not the potty-training of isolated individuals, and you get the society you want", and they shake you off impatiently: "tch, don't bother me now, I'm busy calculating when Malema will do a Mugabe on us".
So, Phoebe, I count you in as a debate-stretcher. Just stay in, would you kindly. Imbibe the theme, explore it, add to it or subtract from it, do things with it. But don't expect applause. People are happy fighting the good fight, Malema's Okay versus Malema's the Apocalypse. You barge in and say "you can drop that now, and we'll get in to stuff that matters", you get long looks. When you turn your back they tap their temples. We know alright that the acorn grows into the oak, and that'll happen. But before it even starts to happen the molecule has done a fair amount of growing to become the acorn. It can get a little bit daunting now and again, but hey, it's right, what else?
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How does one distinguish between the next Mugabe and a loud flash in the pan populist? On what basis does one ignore him, or rush to the exits?