One of the enjoyable things about Cape Town this time of the year is that it’s packed with visitors. For residents of Kalk Bay trying to get home, or somebody dashing to the Waterfront late for a movie, and circling for hours trying to find parking, this may not be a good thing. But I enjoy the vibe, when sleepy Cape Town starts to wake up, and the chance to meet a small fraction of these visitors.
Today, I took 2 Brazilians, amongst others, on the Franschoek Wine Route. And, as tends to happen, the conversation got onto George Bush and ‘the Americans’. Before long, the insults were flying. Now I’m as disgusted as anyone by the US government, but I’m bored talking about it. Too much of the conversation is stating, and restating, the obvious. The lies, the atrocities, the manipulation, are listed. Soon the abuse spreads to all Americans, and its a feeding frenzy with everyone trying to get their jibe in.
Being the driver, and sober, while everyone else was knocking back the wine, didn’t help. But I became bored when nothing new was being said, nor anything constructive, nor any perspective applied.
How does the US compare to Nazi Germany before World War II? To the US during Vietnam? To the UK and Australia, countries whose governments were equally rabidly in support of the invasion, but get forgotten? To white South Africa under apartheid, with its controlled media and fear-mongering to build support for the insupportable? What about the subtleties that make up America? Is there really no other choice for Americans than the Democratic/Republican sham? Does a northern American really have as much chance as a black American of winning a presidential election?
So I don’t ask for much. Just that my average dinner-table conversation be as packed with insight as, say, Harold Pinter’s Nobel acceptance speech 🙂
It seems silly to stay quiet at the dinner-table and not bring up your sentiments then. The sober Brazilian may have been interested in your boredom of this specific issue and been intrigued to hear more about “Harold Pinter’s Nobel acceptance speech”. Maybe you should rephrase “So I don’t ask for much.” to “I don’t ask” 😉
Written by “one-of-the-others”
Adding insult (Padraig’s) to insight (Anique’s), I suggest that you take me as one of the “amongst others” the next time you travel the fringes of decent and sober society, out there in the green and hilly grapelands. You can make up, in part, for your oversight and underbite by including in the next mailing to me, the Primi voucher (before it expires for good).
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Padraig (“one of the others,without hyphens”)