When South Africa became the rainbow nation in 1994, much was expected of the country that had transformed itself from the egregious system of apartheid into one of the most modern democracies in the world. Founded upon a Constitution that is the match of any on the planet in terms of guaranteeing the rights of […]
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Posted inLifestyle
Post-Modern Hippie Communalism
But I digress. It felt even more hippie-esque considering the total absence of any furniture beyond the bare necessities residing in the kitchen. The dinners on a mattress in the living room and ashtrays on the floor accompanied by constantly refilled wine glasses and philosophical musings stand out as memorable experiences thus far. It has […]
Posted inNews/Politics
If Barbie is Mandela then Fritzl must be JFK
In one of the most ridiculous analogies yet, Johan Lemmer, stepfather of convicted child molester Cezanne Visser who is also known as “Advocate Barbie”, has likened her plight in being forced to serve her sentence to that of anti-apartheid icon and former president Nelson Mandela. Lemmer told Beeld newspaper that “just like Mr Mandela, Cezanne […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANCYL not helping Malema’s cause
When the African National Congress released a statement welcoming the national disciplinary committee’s (NDC) decision against ANCYL president Julius Malema, they were at pains to point out that they had noted his plea of guilty and his show of remorse. ANC reaction In their statement, issued by spokesperson Brian Sokutu, the party welcomed the ruling […]
Posted inGeneral
Proteas choking on stale air?
That didn’t last long did it? While South African cricket fans have become used to being underwhelmed by our national team, our recent exit from the World Twenty20 was even more whimpering than usual. What we are used to is a barnstorming start, then the inevitable loss in the knock-outs. Maybe Corrie van Zyl and […]
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The act of forgetting
Memory is pain. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet portray a couple who each undergo a procedure to erase any memory of the other from their minds. The whole idea is to remove the pain and anger inevitably associated with a failed romance. But there’s a twist. The Jim […]
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Has big industry become public enemy number one all over again?
Industrial companies have never had an easy relationship with the public. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, when these behemoths were first born, they have been blamed for all manner of things, ranging from child labour to global warming. But it wasn’t till about 30 years ago that industrial companies were viewed not only as exploiters, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Juju was right, Zuma and Mbeki are two sides of same coin
I am battling to understand why the ANC top brass was “particularly offended” by ANC Youth League president Julius Malema’s comparison of President Jacob Zuma to his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. For months now I have been making the same comparison myself and have come to the same conclusion that Zuma is indeed not different from […]
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Did Cape Argus reviewer Bianca Capazorio actually read Cracking China?
It is said that it is “not the done thing” for an author to engage with a reviewer of his book. Notice the passive structure of the previous sentence. There is no agency. Nobody knows who came up with that tradition. Anyway, my criticism of Capazorio’s review is mostly with a glaring factual error, not […]
Posted inLifestyle
Is God bad for you?
Are all religions like a cult? If you have a number of subscribers who believe that by following a particular way of life, and performing particular activities regularly they will be taken to some place better, and will be better people, is this madness? Should we have any faith in faith? My friends and I […]
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Burqa ban, just another form of oppression
Speaking about the ban on the burqa, Denis Ducarme, a Belgian Liberal Party MP said: “We are the first country to break through the chain that has kept countless women enslaved.” As noble as this may sound, I cannot say that I agree with his statement. First, how exactly does one go about liberating women […]
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How people allow themselves to be spoken by discourse
I have noticed that some readers — probably more than meets the eye — have difficulty understanding what is meant by the notion that one is “spoken” or “constructed” by discourse. A concrete example of how this happens may clarify things somewhat. Some time ago, as part of a discourse-analysis project with other members of […]