You know, I do get weary with the constant reminders that Westerners are given (to boost their state of arrogant aloofness through a model of faux humility) that they are better than the Colonials, albeit remaining evil, still, in their leaders' opportunism. Some Americans, Brits and Australians have swimming pools and workslaves too. Oh yeah, and other perks. But never mind. Let us narrow our vision and put on our moralising hats:
Of all the people I knew in Zimbabwe, only one had a rundown private tennis court. When the black Zimbabweans became elites, they, too, received some of the perks of bourgeois society. (ie. they also got swimming pools and black servants.) Go figure. The world, apparently wasn't fair back then -- but how fair is it now, especially in Zimbabwe?
If the International Herald Tribune disagrees with bourgeois values and their inherent unfairness, it should just come out and say so. But passing the buck and making out that such tendencies towards inequality were merely "colonial" or related to Western racist proclivities is disingenous and inappropriate at this time of actual crisis in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's situation needs a rational, clear and focused viewpoint from our newspapers, not tokens of vulgar self-deprecation.
The international community looked the other way, still pleased that Mugabe had urged reconciliation with the whites who had oppressed his people,
allowing former Rhodesian ruler Ian Smith to draw a government pension and
whites to continue living privileged lifestyles with domestic workers in
mansions with pools and tennis courts.
Of all the people I knew in Zimbabwe, only one had a rundown private tennis court. When the black Zimbabweans became elites, they, too, received some of the perks of bourgeois society. (ie. they also got swimming pools and black servants.) Go figure. The world, apparently wasn't fair back then -- but how fair is it now, especially in Zimbabwe?
If the International Herald Tribune disagrees with bourgeois values and their inherent unfairness, it should just come out and say so. But passing the buck and making out that such tendencies towards inequality were merely "colonial" or related to Western racist proclivities is disingenous and inappropriate at this time of actual crisis in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's situation needs a rational, clear and focused viewpoint from our newspapers, not tokens of vulgar self-deprecation.
2 comments:
The leaders all belong to the same class of people, so it's no surprise that they do things for each other.
Doesn't have anything to do with us peons.
No it doesn't -- unless nationalism comes into sway (which, given the education of the peons, it usually will)
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