The problem with POSITIVE South Africans
I'm often accused of being too negative about South Africa, so let me try and explain why I believe negativity is the most postive approach we can take - in the same way that saying NO is often the best response to something that is unacceptable.
The thing is that the solutions we need are so radical - nothing short of a wholesale purge of all levels of government and the police and the declaration of martial law is going to save us. You can't stop a flood by sticking your fingers into the holes in the dyke. Extreme situations require extreme solutions - and no-one can deny that we are in extreme crisis - the latest being that our police force has just declared that they are too scared to fight crime because they are just getting fucked up, and the Commissioner of Police is implicated in organised crime on a massive scale, while the President says, "Oh don't worry, trust me, he's a good guy."
And how many people have gone on strike and marched on the Union buildings and refused to pay taxes in protest?
None. Because that would be a "negative" response wouldn't it? And we need to be "positive", don't we?
We're all looking on, going "oooh, let's not be negative, let's be positive - negativity is BAD!"
Meanwhile if more people took up radical negativity and said - STOP! we have had enough and we are not going to carry on trying to be positive while we are being driven over a cliff, then the more positive the future of this country would be.
I agree with JG Ballard on this type of thing - we need people (like me? lol) to keep rubbing our faces in it, cos we are so complacent and scared to confront what is actually going on outside of our little electrified picket fences.
If the black people in this country had taken a more "positive" attitude towards apartheid we'd never have escaped it!
I am not at all negative about our ability to have a healthy society - as long as we stop using positivity as a way of not confronting the task that lies ahead if we are going to get there.
Not to mention, it's easy for whites to be positive in this country when most of them are drinking or drugging or taking prescription medication to make themselves feel better about things!
The thing is that the solutions we need are so radical - nothing short of a wholesale purge of all levels of government and the police and the declaration of martial law is going to save us. You can't stop a flood by sticking your fingers into the holes in the dyke. Extreme situations require extreme solutions - and no-one can deny that we are in extreme crisis - the latest being that our police force has just declared that they are too scared to fight crime because they are just getting fucked up, and the Commissioner of Police is implicated in organised crime on a massive scale, while the President says, "Oh don't worry, trust me, he's a good guy."
And how many people have gone on strike and marched on the Union buildings and refused to pay taxes in protest?
None. Because that would be a "negative" response wouldn't it? And we need to be "positive", don't we?
We're all looking on, going "oooh, let's not be negative, let's be positive - negativity is BAD!"
Meanwhile if more people took up radical negativity and said - STOP! we have had enough and we are not going to carry on trying to be positive while we are being driven over a cliff, then the more positive the future of this country would be.
I agree with JG Ballard on this type of thing - we need people (like me? lol) to keep rubbing our faces in it, cos we are so complacent and scared to confront what is actually going on outside of our little electrified picket fences.
If the black people in this country had taken a more "positive" attitude towards apartheid we'd never have escaped it!
I am not at all negative about our ability to have a healthy society - as long as we stop using positivity as a way of not confronting the task that lies ahead if we are going to get there.
Not to mention, it's easy for whites to be positive in this country when most of them are drinking or drugging or taking prescription medication to make themselves feel better about things!
posted by Zapruder | 14:51
7 Comments:
Perhaps it's the difference between being positive and taking positive ACTION! It's not so much the idea of positivity that's a problem - it's more the accompanying apathy that (and I'm guilty here too) perpetuates intolerable situations.
Yes, we should ALL be marching.
Something I'm guilty of too, indeed.
What prompted this outburst was people's jubilation at Tony Leon's resignation, on the grounds that he's always so critical. For the life of me I can't see how one can be anything other than critical - as a first step, that is - as you point out, action must follow.
Remember that great old yarn about a ruler romping around nekkid, and not one subject had the gumption to point out his folly?
THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!
Negative? Or a dose of realism?
If being realistic means being negative, then I say be negative.
Well you know what they say... cynicism is just a well-developed sense of reality ;)
Jeepers! I was jubilant at Leon's resignation cos I think he's guilty of not being critical ENOUGH!
He was great in the old days.
Since his alliance with the New National Party years back, he's been a centrist, toothless chihuahua.
I'm looking forward to a real leftwing candidate stepping in to counter the right wing ANC.
It's wishful thinking, I suppose. Cos we all know that Jacob 'Laduma' Zuma will become our next incompetent president.
Check out the painting of him (and my cynical, bitter, bitchy writeup) on my Flickr gallery.
Here's the link: Jacob 'Laduma' Zuma by Roy Blumenthal.
Blue skies
love
Roy
Good point! Every day the ANC becomes more like the old Nats. I take it you mean "Laduma" as in "own goal", lol :)
Yup. Own goal Zuma.
And I meant it ironically, in a laddish sorta way: "Score one for the team."
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