1. People that moan about the use of expletives.
2. The combination of capitalism and yoga. I can’t claim to know all there is to yoga but I can say for certain that apart from keeping you healthy, yoga philosophy aims to connect with something profound, some call it god, some peace, some essence. There is nothing wrong with buying expensive yoga gear, chakra energy jewels or zen retreats if that’s what you want to do, but some yogis are simply indulging in ‘spiritual materialism’. You cannot buy happiness. I see big bright red bulbs whenever a yoga class is marketed as ‘transcendental’ or ‘happiness-boosting’ or worst of all, anti-ageing. How utterly contradictory. Which leads to the next one:
3. Anti-ageing. If ever there were an indicator that western culture is not more evolved than any other it would be its fixation with ageing. Or should I say against ageing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to look youthful as I get older, but not young. There is a difference and all the botox in the world does not make a person youthful.
4. African ignorance. This should have been number one. This is beyond fucked up. The problem is (at least) threefold. Africans that shun our history, our treasure of philosophical and cultural historical wealth. Africans that call our cultures ‘backward’ and Africans who behave as if Africa did not exist prior to the messed up shit that was colonialism.
5. African supremacy. Romanticizing Africa and its traditions is counterproductive. To develop we need to be willing to scrutinize ourselves, dirty laundry and all. We are not better than anybody else, human beings are all in the same boat. Realising this is the only way we can get to grips with the compex fabric of African society and psychology. Tradition is not dogma. We must unravel the myth and propaganda from the reality.
6. Unrealistic entrepreneurs. People that approach you for work and think that you will write an annual report, or a 10-000 word feature story, or their website content out of passion. Passion does not pay the rent. Get fucking real.
7a) African ignorance, once again. Really – this one is worth repeating. I think the disconnect between the precolonial and the modern is the root cause of failed governance in many African states. African society (and that extends to us in diaspora) is a product of long term patterns. It isn’t just the outcome of post-colonialism. Many people of this generation have a gap in African history knowledge because our schooling systems did not cater for it but with info at our fingertips there are no excuses anymore.
7b) This post. Because I don’t like writing in the negative and also because although I wouldn’t moan about using expletives, I may have overused them in this instance.
Anything to add?
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photo credit: Brandon Giesbrecht
I <3 it.
I really like the idea of it being 7 and I think you can combine 4 and 5 under Ignorance ;-). which frees up space for… let me see…
5 . Lack of vision in all directions.
– The Past, as Africans we have lost so much in terms of culture to a point where many in Africa now have no idea of their heritage.
– The Present, we see this system failing all around us in our countries and the west yet just find ways to 'sticky tape' the problem and march on to…
– The Future. Where are we willing headed as a people? what controls our society? what are it's main motivations? Money it seems doesn't buy us happiness but gives us comfortable surroundings to drown our souls. We figured that out a few times over history.
It seems we'd rather blame others than take responsibilities for our actions. So maybe irresponsibility is to blame for the lack of vision.
It all leads to the same place so there is solace 🙂
InJoy.
Thank you… valid points
Boy i really want to link to this but scared shitless of the folks in number 1
fuck em 😉
I feel that people who complain about the use of expletives aren’t able to fully express themselves.
There are some subtlies of emotion such as being angry and being very angry that an expletive is perfect for expressing.
Then there’s that subtle difference between something being stupid or irritating or aggravating and something just being fucked up. That expletive captures it perfectly and concisely.
“Then there’s that subtle difference between something being stupid or irritating or aggravating and something just being fucked up. That expletive captures it perfectly and concisely.”
A perfect example.
Thanks for the comment!
Were you messing with my computer MsAfropolitan? If so, I think that’s messed up. Those crystals I bought are for good health! One simply blocks harmful radio waves. Besides that I just like various kinds of jewelry. Not really into all that other stuff!
See, my visions be coming from all directions. I’m just trying to deflect some of the lights. And I apologize if that wasn’t you messing with my computer.
It wasn’t me, but radio waves are bad for Muladahra!
I once dated a woman you who used expletives in nearly every sentence.
For that simple fact I did not date her for very long.
My theory on people who swear a lot is due to there lack of vocabulary and expression.
Sorry about your experience Steven.
But thanks for stopping by anyway!
7(c). Kids that live abroad and cannot speak the tongues of their mothers and fathers, to add salt to injury are clueless about the motherland, her struggles and achievements! That right there, is fucked up.
Hi, thanks for 7c 🙂
Agree with the rest, but not sure we can blame kids whose parents don’t teach their mother tongue?