There is a distinct meme out there on the internet, and to some extent on the streets, that the world is hating on us. That everyone is out to spoil our party, to take away our vuvuzelas and poo-poo on our parade. Every day all I read on Twitter, Facebook, and in the news, is people saying that the world is lying about us, making up stories, exaggerating the problems and playing down the positives. People seem obsessed with headlines from Sky TV and the Daily Mail, as if they represent the entire world’s opinion. That’s like me judging South Africa on the crap spewed out by You magazine and the Daily Sun. I’d be a fool if I did.
Around the country people are frothing at the mouth at anyone who is a little bit alarmed by the ten-thousand pound wall of sound produced by the vuvuzelas in our stadiums. Disliking vuvuzelas does not make you a “bloody agent” or imperialist who wants to see Africa back in the dark ages. No, it just means you have sensitive ears or you’re a bit boring. But whatever! It ain’t no thing to get worked up about.
As a nation, we have a tendency to be super defensive to the point of paranoia. At the slightest hint of criticism, our natural reaction is to form a laager and man the machine-gun posts, ready to blast anyone who so much as looks at us wrong. It seems Juju isn’t the only one with anger-management issues in our country. We could all do with one of those courses!
And what makes this even worse is the fact that we are getting angry about nothing. The world does not hate us, the English are not out to humiliate us, the Aussies don’t want to steal our World Cup, and the Europeans are not plotting our downfall. If they were, there wouldn’t be hundreds of thousands of them in South Africa. People who came here despite the fact that there is a world recession on, despite the fact that the euro is at an all-time low, despite the fact that South Africa is a 12-hour flight away and that they are leaving their summer to come to our winter. After the winter Europe had, for them to decide against a nice cheap holiday on the Med for a really expensive holiday in cold stadiums, shows they have more faith in us, than we do in ourselves. Clearly they are not reading the same news that we seem to think they are reading. Clearly they treat headlines that rags like the Daily Mail spout with the pinch of salt we should be treating them with. Yes, some players like Ronaldo have complained about the vuvuzelas, but why can’t he? If he thinks something is going to put him off his game, he’s gonna talk about it. He is not trying to screw with our national identity, he is not trying to make us look like fools, he just wants to win the World Cup, and will do everything in his power to make that happen. And we will do everything in our power (ie blowing our vuvuzelas) to make that not happen. That’s how the game goes.
We need to start acting like a nation with confidence. A nation assured of its place in the world, not a loony on the fringe, howling to be recognised.
Living in a global society is a bit like Big Brother, you need to be the housemate who can roll with the punches, rise above the pettiness while always keeping your eye on the prize. There will always be World Cup Grinches, but there is no need for us to turn into World Cup bitches. Instead of moaning, we need to get out on the street and meet the peeps who have come to see us, hang with them and enjoy our moment in the sun (or in the rain if you live in Cape Town).
hmm… Mr. Smith, have you been on facebook site “ban vuvuzela for WC”?, don’t think so, there are close to 200 thousand members in a question of days all spewing out very negative (hateful) slurs about SA ruining the WORLD Cup, note not SA cup but WORLD Cup, this piece of plastic some people call tradition is doing all lot of damage to a magnificent African Spectacle
http://www.facebook.com/pages/FIFA-BAN-THE-ANNOYING-VUVUZELA-HORN-FROM-THE-SOUTH-AFRICA-WORLD-CUP-/124891457531066.
Very well said author – nice one. The Big Brother analogy is so true – rise above the pettiness folks – its only a vuvuzela for goodness sakes, suddenly its become a national icon and we are all damned if people want to pry it from our dead fingers because a few people dont like it – chill – enjoy the World Cup – everyone else is.
Brilliant article! If only we could all believe in ourselves and stop worrying about what the world thinks or doesn’t think. I also fell into that trap – there is an article in The Huffington Post about the ‘security shambles at the World Cup’. I was filled with rage when I read it – How dare they criticise us! How dare they take away from our glory!! Then I realised that you tend to lose your perspective when you read that kind of rubbish. I think that most of us just want everything to work well, we want to be the example of a diverse country that WORKS! I agree that we are over-sensitive but I also think it is sometimes justified. Bloggers and overseas newspapers do tend to indulge in a bit of South Africa bashing.. I also get irritated by the ignorance of people – one blogger wrote that he visited Tanzania in KwaZulu-Natal! Another was disappointed because he couldn’t find a Zulu chief! So many inaccuracies – historical and geographical- in the reporting as well. Suddenly everyone is an expert on South Africa. OMG, you have to admit that all the eye rolling and carrying on about the vuvuzela is grating as is the debate about the ball now – there is a tendency to look down on Africa and hence South Africa as being somehow inferior. That said, I wish eveyone would just get a grip and enjoy themselves…
Absolutely spot on. You nailed it.
I think that perspective is needed in these situations. You have provided it and I want to thank you for that. When patriotism is running this strong, perspective gets lost.
By the way, you are right. We built it and they came and they do love us despite everything that the gutter press has been saying about SA.
Thinking about it, there is a distinct possibility that some of those people who spread the malicious rumours could very well have wanted to sell lots of knife vests but I wouldn’t want to start a rumour……
Well said bro.
Most people don’t believe in the media scare mongering anyway. The ones that do are better of watching the WC from their comfort of their living rooms on High Definition TV – where they have “total” control…LOL
Anybody who does not blow a vuvuzela every 5 seconds and does not believe that Bafana will win the cup is an imperialist dog sent by David Cameron to re-colonise Africa!
Ever heard “Paranoia” by Bauhaus? It reminds me of life here. Nevertheless… You are implying you hate me by suggesting I take normal events as malign and thus am unable to cope (whoops) with reality. FIENDISH COLONIALIST, IMPERIALIST, COMMUNIST, AFRICANIST, CAPITALIST, RACIST, SEXIST, ANTARCTICIST, THIRTY-THIRD FORCE plotter!
You hate us, don’t you?
PS: I know you have a sense of humour but others might not.
Yes “spot on” David old boy!. Did you see the tweet from the UK about “That incessant, monotonous football is really ruining my enjoyment of the vuvuzelas” Must admit I would prefer to hear “Shosholoza” sung in the stadium than the 4.5 hours of bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz – 2 hrs waiting for kick off, 2 hrs game, and 0.5 hrs walking from stadium to car!
Vuvuzelas or no vuvuzelas, it’s a matter of being settled in our national identity. As a nation we think a lot like a self-conscious teenager – always worrying about what what people at large think of us. Then again, we are still a 15 year old, as a nation. Hopefully soon we’ll come of age as a mature young adult, confident in our strengths and mindful of our weaknesses; and I think the WC is a great part of that coming of age process.
But wouldn’t it be absolutely great if all South Africans would be prepared to put their vuvuzelas behind them and refuse to blow them at the semi- finals and finals? That would be true hospitality; taking cognisance of the tastes of your visitors…
good one. aren’t there more rewarding things to complain about? all 200000 of them?
I’m with MLH there .. someone should suggest that President Zuma asks the crowds to do just that. That would be a gesture of great courtesy and discipline to the thousands of visitors who could be future tourists.
Has SA got the maturity not to blow it?
You didn’t maybe consider that people are JOKING with their wrath? Of all the South Africans I know, none of them would fly off the handle because some dutchman said something nasty about our vuvuzelas.
~ Wogan