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A sense of humour failure
16/02/2007 09:03 - (SA)
Colleen Figg
We South Africans take ourselves far too seriously these days.
A huge chunk of time is spent discussing news items, usually negative ones and bemoaning the state of this country. Those who have left are criticised for being cowards who have made their beds in greener pastures - if I may mix my metaphors - and they are apparently clearly enjoying them far more than we poor South Africans left to stew in this morass of corruption, greed and out of control crime.
Religious extremists seem wildly excited about all this negativity, in a demented kind of way, because they feel that this is a sign that their prophecies are being fulfilled. I'm always amazed by their zest for this, because if indeed, this is the end of the world, surely it must have struck them that they too will be smitten, or vaporised, along with the rest of us?
The old guard who supported apartheid like to hang over their garden fences and discuss at length with sympathetic neighbours how "they" have changed the state and face of this country, for the worse.
They shake their heads and tut-tut, adding that they feel thankful that their children or grandchildren at least have managed to scrape together enough education to get the hell out of here and never come back. Even if it means no more Sunday lunches, it's a small price to pay for keeping their loved ones out of the clutches of barbarians, they say.
The newly empowered in this country are so bloody thin-skinned about any hint of racism or discrimination that they're forever leaping out of their seats crying foul for real or imagined slights. Everyone is "sensitive" and takes offence at the drop of a blinking hat. It's getting to the point where a white person cannot criticise a black person without being accused of having racial motives.
We're not allowed to refer to people's gender, colour, disabilities, or culture. We're not allowed to laugh, in a spirit of fun, at anyone who might be doing something amusing, in case they're a different colour and will assume we're being derisive.
Tired of the naysayers
I'm beginning to get an idea of the grim, colourless life the Russian people lived, while under Communist rule. Eventually we won't be able to look at each other for fear of being misinterpreted.
Well I've had enough of living such a sombre and careful life! I want to be and be allowed to be the person I am, full of humour and enthusiasm, ready to take on any new challenges that the country throws at me, and embrace the chance for self enhancement offered in this blossoming piece of Africa that is the land of my birth.
I'm tired of the naysayers, the endless serious droning on about the State of The Nation address, the budget speech, the crime, and the problems we face.
For God's sake, let we, the people of South Africa, determine the State we want our Nation to be in! We'll never do it by wallowing in all that's wrong with this place. We'll never do it as long as our "rights" are the only yardstick we use to measure our success as individuals; we'll never do it by wasting time on pessimistic debate about who said what to whom and whether they should be rapped over the knuckles for constitutional infringements or not.
It's up to us to drive this place forward, to embrace the spirit of this nation, full of diverse peoples and wonderful characters.
Nothing is to be gained by indulging in negative energy.
Nothing at all.
Send your thoughts to Colleen.
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