More herded than heard: how thinking in SA is corralled
In our national debate, people are more likely to be herded than heard. Which is one reason fighting often replaces listening. People are herded when party lines are imposed on those who think for themselves. The herders are the guardians who decide that, if you hold particular values, you must support whatever position your camp adopts, whether or not it makes sense. If you believe in social justice, or racial equality, you have to support every position the thought police of your camp adopt. The same goes if you support free markets or public order. The price of refusing is to be insulted and shunned: while this is not life threatening, it is powerful enough to get most people to conform. Herding is not restricted to the extremes of left and right — it happens across the board. Many liberals here are every bit as zealous in imposing an unthinking line as the keenest commissar: for example, liberals support the rule of law, but expect to be thrown out of the club if you think peopl...
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