A rebuttal of Bert Olivier, whose recent opinion piece echoes every talking point of propaganda driving the agenda of authoritarianism
freedom
Posted inEquality, Media, News/Politics
Freedom@27: Layered, elusive, and personal
Four psychologists reflect on what liberty means to them, their patients and the country
Posted inEquality
Why money cannot buy us freedom
We must invent a humane world in which to live and die with dignity. This entails both an economics and a consciousness of black freedom
Posted inEnvironment, Gender violence, General, Health
I am an individual
I am an individual. I am a unique person. I am not like anyone else and I do not behave like anyone else. I am myself a singular being, and I behave like myself. My individuality is confirmed through the existence of my name and my date of birth. Theoretically there could be someone else […]
Posted inEquality, General, Media, Tech
People are not as free as they think they are
Some (older) people may recall the 1983 Warner Brothers mockumentary, Zelig, written by, and starring Woody Allen, together with Mia Farrow as the psychiatrist who treats him for his strange disorder. Lately I have been thinking a lot about this classic portrayal of conformism on the part of a man who manifested his adaptation to […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, General, Health, Lifestyle, Media
Sense8 – The full spectrum of life and love
Although I have done work on the astonishing Netflix television series, Sense8 (a play on ‘sensate’) before, it was restricted to the first season. Since then, I have viewed the Christmas Special, the second season, as well as the two-and-a-half hour conclusion-substitute for a third season (which was ‘inexplicably’ cancelled by Netflix), Love Conquers All, […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics, Tech
The early 21st century: Taking stock
We live in a society in transition – a process rooted in a technological revolution that stretches back to the middle of the previous century, with the invention of television, followed by other innovations in the media, and culminating in the invention of the internet, initially conceived as a military tool of sorts. Although the […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Why cartoons are linked to human freedom
There is a very obvious reason why cartoons are inseparably linked to human freedom. And here I don’t mean the Walt Disney variety, or indeed any cartoon film, although they are clearly connected to “artistic freedom” insofar as one’s creativity sets the bounds for the imagination as source of the construction of such films. What […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Out of control: South Africa’s obsession with authority
The last month has been historically and politically significant for South Africa. The student protests have – and continue to – present a great opportunity for citizens to hold their government accountable. Although this social movement represents the potential of our politics to mature and become meaningful, this potential will be squandered if we do […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Under fire SADC media must build alliances with citizens
The recent release of veteran journalist and editor Bheki Makhubu from a Swaziland jail should have been a momentous occasion for media freedom and freedom of expression activists in southern Africa. Instead, it has turned out to be a missed opportunity to inspire confidence, re-energise practitioners and consumers alike, and call the bluff on repressive […]
Posted inEquality, General
South Africa, we can do and be better
By Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar It would seem that racism is a divisive topic. It seems to me that the rattling of that word bothers people. It brings out such defensive reactions. It is troubling to see how easy it is to become self-righteous, indignant and defensive. We must guard against this tendency. Let us not […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What could Scottish independence mean for us?
On Thursday, voters will decide whether Scotland will secede from the rest of the UK — a union that has lasted several hundred years. Although this doesn’t seem too important for people outside the UK, there is the potential for great change (or disaster?) following the outcome of the poll. While some South Africans have […]