Background
In response to my article, “Idols SA and Lazy South Africans” http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Idols-SA-and-our-Lazy-Nation-20120717 , I was a bit saddened by the fact that a lot of people thought that I was dissing Idols fans. I have my opinion on Idols, but that is the last I am going to say about the issue.If you have missed the point I was trying to make, forget about Idols and read about the actual issue.
The real issue
I still maintain that South Africans are lazy, rude and careless. Fact of the matter, if you read the social media, particularly comments on articles and the MyNews24 segment, you should have detected by now that South Africans are a very belligerent and uncompassionate bunch of people. Facebook groups are jam-packed with animosity and hate speech concerning particular races and specific religious convictions.
We devote hours on the internet trying to manipulate each other, slander each other and in general have lost all touch with the realities of our community and motherland as a whole. White people hate the ANC, the ANC detest the DA supporters. Atheists loathe Christians, Christians despise atheists and gays, and so we have been carrying on for ages now.
This while our country, and our fertile earth is shouting for affection and repair. None of us care about the environment, our communities and our youth. Yes, the government is failing them, but like Social Media empowered people to conquer several governments during the Arab Spring, in South Africa, we are using social media to rant and rave and show our general discontent for each other.
There is no way that we as South Africans will ever be able to do something virtuous for our nation via Social Media, if we do not learn how to love and respect one another.
And this conduct has manifested itself in our local communities, cities and towns where we live. People don’t drive courteous anymore. Please do not blame the BMW drivers and the Black Taxi’s – most of us are all guilty of being aggravated and just bloody merciless on our roads.
People dump their cigarette butts wherever they want to. Coke bottles are flying out of windows on the N1 at such a rate that motorcyclists gets struck on a daily basis. We do not greet each other when we stand in the line at Woolworths or Pick ‘n Pay. We do not listen to our neighbours when they scream for help after being held up and attacked by assailants.
No one gives a damn when an old lady tumbles down the stairs at the local shopping mall. Our offspring and even grown-ups distribute awfull depictions on their cellphones of people getting beaten up at schools, and even shockingly when a girl gets raped. All we are doing is sitting in our offices and homes and watch the disintegration of our society from afar.
Yes there are many people involved in many projects, but these projects seem to omit anyone that does not follow their same political or spiritual agenda. Can’t we break the barriers and start take note of one another, despite our differences?
You are just as guilty as the ANC in failing this country. We are all just as guilty in dividing this nation into race, class, sexual orientation and religion.
Please read my article again where I gave positive ideas on things that we could achieve, if we learn to work together. http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Idols-SA-and-our-Lazy-Nation-20120717
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