Hateful speech, hateful characters (but good TV)
A disjointed and incomplete reflection on what it means to hate, and what the best television shows ever created are. I reckon The Wire has to rank, as does Battlestar Galactica. Mock me if you like.
Stephen Watson, RIP.
Stephen Watson died on the morning of 10 April, 2011, after developing a cancer in February of the same year. All of us who knew and worked with him will be saddened by his death, and notice our own loss. For he was a gifted and patient teacher, as well as a valuable member of the South African literary community.
The Bill of Responsibilities for the youth of South Africa
The Bill of Responsibilities, being launched in South Africa today, is a list of purported responsibilities that flow directly from the Bill of Rights. But they don’t – it’s an aspirational, paternalistic, religion-infused list of virtues and values that could have been written by Oprah, and which in some cases run completely counter to the commitment to liberty enshrined in the Constitution.
Someone’s serious business, my frivolity
While the bulk of material on Synapses is rather serious in nature, I must confess that I sometimes engage in trivial pursuits. Like laughing at the way in which people sometimes take themselves far too seriously, and flying to London for 4 days, simply to watch a FA Cup Quarter-Final match between Manchester United and Arsenal. Below, I offer a brief account of these two activities, in the hope that readers will sometimes be less critical of the more serious things I have to say, now that they have confirmation that I’m just like them (well, sort of).
U2, provincialism and our reluctance to criticise
The reactions to any negative sentiment regarding the U2 concert at the Cape Town Stadium were more disappointing than the concert itself, in that they pointed to was a deep-seated insecurity – a mindset whereby we should be grateful for whatever crumbs the gods may scatter at our feet, and where one is not allowed to voice criticism, lest these bounties be denied us in future. Bono has graced us with his wildebeesty presence, and may decline such favours in the future (hip replacements permitting that choice, of course) if we don’t make our gratitude clear.
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