Sure, one version of the original goes, “See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil”. The saying suggests role models and that our behaviour and viewpoints are the result of what is modelled for us. If we are not exposed to evil we will not do evil, is the implication, perhaps naïve to some. […]
Rod MacKenzie
CRACKING CHINA was previously the title of this blog. That title was used as the name for Rod MacKenzie's second book, Cracking China: a memoir of our first three years in China. From a review in the Johannesburg Star: " Mackenzie's writing is shot through with humour and there are many laugh-out-loud scenes". Cracking China is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle or get a hard copy from www.knowledgethirstmedia.co.za.
His previous book is a collection of poetry,Gathering Light.
A born and bred South African, Rod now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, after a number of years working in southern mainland China and a stint in England.
Under the editorship of David Bullard and Michael Trapido he had a column called "The Mocking Truth" on NewsTime until the newszine folded.
He has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. if you are a big, BIG publisher you should ask to see one of his many manuscript novels. Follow Rod on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Rod_in_China
Posted inNews/Politics
Malema vs Zille: Do we love what we hate?
Before going onto the blog, I invite readers to do a quick survey and answer, who finds the Zille-Malema slugfest: a) Entertaining b) Irresponsible politics c) An embarrassment for South Africa’s international image d) Stupid but harmless e) Destructive and creating rifts and resentments among races and parties f) Other (your opinion) Thanks. I first […]
Posted inGeneral
On the idea of evil and Zuma
What is evil? My favourite definition is that a person is evil if they cannot tell wrong from right, bad from good. As an extreme example, a man buys an apple and takes out a knife to peel it. He slits a child’s throat to check if the knife is sharp enough then proceeds to […]
Posted inGeneral
ANC wins … and KAPOW! Wolverine destroys army helicopter
Kabamm! The armoured truck does a roughly 270 degree belly flop, hurling Wolverine into the air towards the military helicopter that’s trying to gun him down. Snikt! His newly minted adamantium claws (he only gets the “virtually indestructible” metal version halfway through the movie) flash in the sunlight as he sails through the air and […]
Posted inGeneral
The search for Southern Africa flava
Okay, I am biased. It is my writing. I am in good company: JK Rowling was turned down six times before her first Harry Potter was published. My memoir, Cracking China, has been turned down about eight times now by various SA publishers and agencies. Interestingly enough, they mostly praised the manuscript and say they […]
Posted inGeneral
Why I miss South Africa
As I watch the electoral process unfold in SA from China I feel proud of my country. My heart jolted as I wrote the words, “my country”. The elections are being done peacefully, democratically. My heart was warmed by the sight in the Mail & Guardian of a picture of an IEC official helping a […]
Posted inGeneral
The role of religion: Why take aim at the atheists?
I am a great believer in interfaith dialogue, including “born-again atheists” and “mystical atheists”, and for coming to realise that all sacred scripture is a spiritual metaphor. If for example, we look at the scripture in the Christian gospel, where Jesus says: “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door […]
Posted inGeneral
The piss under the army banquet table
I shake my head at the younger Chinese when they drink alcohol. They have to gun bei (literally: dry the cup) when they drink. Their faces turn that nauseous, icy white and they run off, sometimes not making it to the toilet. Why can’t they take their time and just enjoy a drink? Like many […]
Posted inLifestyle
The bakkie: SA’s sweetest icon
I just couldn’t figure out what to call a bakkie when I left SA to roam the world. I struggled to bring my tongue around words like UT, yoot, pick-up truck. A bakkie’s a bakkie, a naartjie a naartjie, a braai a braai, lekker is lekker, and, sexist version or otherwise, a doos is a […]
Posted inLifestyle
A brief look at whores, virgins and ‘progress’ in China
Lit candles in the intense summer, the trailing willow branches are snuffed out, their smoke and shadows burning in the canals of Shaoxing, our first home in China, two and a half hours by bus north-west of Shanghai. Here the washing women bang their laundry against the huge steps that descend to the ancient canals. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Greed, Obama and AIG’s obscene bonuses in the US
Before looking at AIG, I just want to quickly look at two other examples of greed. As a child I had a Labrador called Bruce who could devour food as if he were a vacuum cleaner. His bowl would clatter across the veranda as his snout pushed into it and a typical meal was gone […]
Posted inGeneral
Why are we disgusted by what comes naturally?
From Jiang Rong’s Wolf Totem*: “…[Chen] spotted a large wolf slipping out of the bed of flowers and pouncing on one of his sheep, pinning it to the ground. Chen’s face turned white from fright, and he was about to scream when Dorji stopped him. He swallowed the scream and watched as the wolf tore […]