Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
The Old South African Flag - Offensive And Upsetting
Disclaimer: I am about to rant, a lot, and my opinions might piss some people off, unfortunately when it comes to this topic, I don't care.I went to the Portuguese festival in Johannesburg this weekend, Lusito Land. At this festival there were many different types of people, Greeks, Portuguese, Italian, English amongst many others. Two of these people were wearing t-shirts that offended me to no end; the old South African Flag proudly displayed on their moronic and ignorant backs. The old South African flag does not represent the Afrikaans people who are thinking, progressive and good people. In my humblest of opinions this flag represents the dregs of society, the people who believe in oppression, ignorance and racism. I cannot believe that anyone would still have the guts to wear this outdated insult on their body that once represented so much hatred and pain.You, sirs, are fools and the only reason that I didn't say something to you is because you were about 25kg's heavier than me. Nonetheless I understand what it is that these people were trying to get across but unfortunately I think that they were doing it in the wrong way. The flag below represents all that liberal and free thinking South Africans (not to mention the world) fought against and thrive to undermine everyday here in the New South Africa.Take that flag and stick it where you think it best belongs... and I'm not talking about your wall.
Don't mess wif my tootoo
What is with all these bloody flippin' Afrikaans adverts on TV when there is sport on? Who buys this shit? Who listens to "Don't mess wif my tootoo" kind of songs?Honestly if you cannot speak a language and write songs with correct grammar then don't bother. If you speak clutch plate the sing clutch plate, if you speak some other random language then sing it. There are those who can manage it such as good ol' Arno Carstens. But even he has his moments. I once heard him playing a concert and sound checking for it. The comment that flew out of his mouth at sound check blew me away:Arno: Nog delaaay assemblief, nog delaaay nowNic: *Jaw hits flaw, confustication sets in and beer started sinking*Now back to the TV advert issue. Why is it that the SABC thinks that only Afrikaans people listen to music and watch sport? Why can they not play kwaito, hip hop, or rock music while sports is on? Why not advertise those genres, those cultures and why not associate them with sports? Why is it that sports = Afrikaans?
Mnet and Afrikaans content
I have been meaning to post about this topic for a while now. I have noticed over the last
couple of months that Mnet's content is somewhat restricted. Mnet airs a fair amount of local content, I have studied over the years that local content might be patriotic and all but often it is the foreign shows that pull in the audiences. Thus Mnet and SABC will pay to gain the rights for these shows. Fair.
I have somewhat of an issue with the local content that Mnet chooses to air. I have just clicked on the Mnet channel website and saw not a single black face. I am not making this about race necessarily because there are lots of black American TV shows so that's cool too.
But why are there no shows in other languages with black faces as the forerunners? It has been eons that Egoli had been on the air and then Mnet chooses Binnelanders to take on as another major local production as well as Voetspore. I don't get. Yes Tumi is on the air now too but this show is a very elitist type of show with highfalutin content. Not a run of the mill soapie, series or show that is for the entire family or entire demographic of our country. Snitch is a recent addition to the Mnet family and does a good job, but this is one hour a week of diverse local content that I am not so sure is being watched by the current Mnet audience.
I understand that Mnet is not a free channel or government provided. I get that. But why not cater for an ever growing diverse market? Maybe their subscribers are still majority white but then maybe because the content is majority white the subscribers are too? It's a bit of a chicken and egg issue here isn't it?
It's All Over
Today was/is the day of my exam, the only outstanding half credit that I need to gain my degree in Journalism. It went ok I think. Albeit I am currently blogging when my exam is actually just about to finish, but I've never been one to hang around an exam when I was done. So here I am.I do have a bit of strange story to tell. I am happily going through my multiple choice questions when I notice an error on one of the questions, number 26 to be precise. I cant figure out where the answers are. The answers provided are marked from (a) - (e). The answers on the mark sheet are printed as 1-5. I am now stumped, confuzzled, bemused and in awe of this error or my stupidity. So I call over the invidulator who looks at the question and provides me with the answer to my problems:Nic: *whisper* Um, excuse me but these answers dont corrolate with the mark sheet.Inv: Excuse me, whats the problem?Nic: I said, these answers, there's something wrong with them.Inv: Oh don't worry, just look at the Afrikaans section for help.Nic: -stunned-Inv: -walks off-Um, ok, now I have a few fundimental problems with the help that I recieved. Firstly, why on Earth do they still print these things in Afrikaans at all? Secondly, I don't speak Afrikaans well enough to be able to read and decipher the answers on a damned University queston paper.So here we go again:Nic: -hand raised- Um, excuse me...Inv: -irritated- Yes, Sir, what is the problem now?Nic: I don't speak Afrikaans.Inv: Oh, um, well...Nic: Just tell me if the English answers are numbered EXACTLY as the Afrikaans ones are and I'll be fine.Inv: Yes, they are. -walks away-Now I can see her leave my table, walk to her colleague and glance over at me and skinner (gossip for my international readers). SCREW YOU LADY. I live in the 21st fucking century where Afrikaans is a dead, gone, dying, almost erie language to hear spoken (unless of course you study at University of Johannesburg or Stellenbosch). So take your little smirk and stick it where the papers can't be marked.Horrid little Afrikaans woman.