GARETH VAN ONSELEN: How blind patriotism makes you stupid
Pessimists demand excellence, optimists excuse mediocrity; scepticism is becoming frowned upon; doubt is being increasingly treated as treasonous
All things being relative, SA is currently in the grips of a new-found patriotic fervour. Because the country takes its cue in all things from the ANC, the ANC is the inevitable source. A wretched, corrupt organisation that has brought the country to its knees, it has fashioned for itself and the public a new myth: that it is in a process of renewal and rebirth. And so, we all are.
“Thuma Mina”, is the call, along with all the metaphors of old, each one of which illuminates our collective national pride and spirit. The great nation-building machine is back in good working order. Binding it all together, a rampant optimism, billowing from the ashes. Now is the time to join the reconciliation project that is the new SA. Now is the time to believe, and to hell with all the naysayers and “Afro-pessimists”...
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