2008

I’ve loved Firefox since the day I installed it. I was an early member of Spreadfirefox.com and have been evangelising it prior to version 1. I even had my name in the New York Times as part of an advert for Firefox 1.0. Sadly, almost four years later I’ve just switched. It was a tough […]

There’s a fantastic moment towards the end of The Crying Game when Jaye Davidson’s character recounts the story of a scorpion hitching a ride across a river on the back of a frog. Half way across, the scorpion stings the frog. When asked why, she simply replies: “It’s in my nature!” Earlier, when reading through […]

I would rather live in the new South Africa with its non-stop power failures, crime-riddled society and (who changed the f***ing climate?) monsoon weather than return to the “good old” days of apartheid. To my mind it’s not even worthy of debate. Notwithstanding, I figured that with just over five months of Thought Leader having […]

In a strictly hierarchical culture, the name of the game is follow the leader. Irrespective of how he/she/it became the leader, by fair means or foul, hierarchies are premised on the unshakeable belief and unquestioning acceptance that “the leader” embodies the best of that culture or society. Baboon troops, whether the vast hairy hordes of […]

It is not always easy to stand up and fight against injustice, oppression, corruption and plain stupidity — especially if those guilty of perpetrating the injustice, oppression, corruption and stupidity are one’s friends, one’s colleagues, one’s family, one’s comrades. This is why the vast majority of white South Africans who would describe themselves as “good” […]

Welcome to our conversation. Strange as it may seem (considering this is our first contribution to Thought Leader) you are joining us in the middle of numerous, intriguing debates of which we hope you will soon become part. But first let me introduce “us”. We are the Community of Mandela Rhodes Scholars. We are an […]