JONATHAN JANSEN: South Africa’s scary new culture of reckless disrespect
Bad behaviour or wrong decisions come and go. But what happens when a culture changes?
We tend to estimate the direction of the country based on daily headlines. The staggering arrogance of Hlaudi Motsoeneng. The shocking decline of Springbok rugby. The appalling performance of primary school pupils in science and mathematics when compared to other countries. Those headlines come and go as our attention moves on to the next set of jaw-dropping world events such as the coming of Donald Trump in the US or the loss of lives in Aleppo, Syria. When the public mind lives off adrenaline-rushing headlines, we often miss something important that changes deep within a national culture; something not fleeting but a long-term alteration in the value system of the society. Bad behaviour or wrong decisions come and go. But what happens when a culture changes? The year 2016 will prove to be a turning point in our national culture. For one, the culture of impunity is now firmly entrenched. Whether it is the president of the republic or a senior executive manager of the SABC, it is no...
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