You Americans. You are a damn funny bunch. Doomsayers. Hehehe! The world isn’t going to come to an end. Your life will still be fine. Really. I promise you. No, I am not talking about the economy. I’m talking about the election coming up in November.
I find it amazing how people paint the worse possible outcome if any of them wins. Oh, it’ll be the end of America as we know it. Depending on who wins the scenarios are either America will be taken over by hardline Christians or fundamental Muslims. Far-right racists or a bunch of bleeding heart liberals. Abortions will take place left, right and centre or individual rights like choice will be taken away forever. America will go into more wars and stay in Iraq forever or be to weak to attack anyone who threatens. Americans will be forced to pay through their necks for a proper health-care system that will cover everyone or the poor will be left behind to die alone without any care. America will be taxed to death to look after the poor or the rich are going to get richer. The corporate world will be regulated to a level where they won’t be able to compete or corporate interests in DC will reach new highs. A black guy or a women… Oh, wait - that one might actually be true. Hahaha. Come on people. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid. You remind me a bit of South Africa back in 1994 when we had our first democratic election.
My dad and my wife’s dad panicked. What will happen if the ANC wins the election. What will happen if we have a black government. Oh God forbid that ever happens. It will be the end of the world as we know it. Oh the country will come to a standstill. Traffic lights (or robots as we call it) will stop working. Electricity will stop running. Gas stations (petrol pumps back home) will run out of petrol. Taps will run dry. And worse of all - the grocery stores will have empty shelves. We will even run out of beer. And that would be bad. Especially if you are South African.
So they stockpiled. They bought canned food - corned beef (or bully beef as we call it) and candles were all the rage back then. Man, my dad bought so much of the stuff he could have opened his own little underground shop if he wanted. And then they started with us. Telling us we must stockpile. Get ready because it is the end of the world as we know it. But they didn’t know the next line of that R.E.M. song - And I feel fine. Because this election was what I fought for and dreamed of. Free, free at last. But we were poor then - my wife and myself. So we couldn’t really say no to any money they were going to throw our way. But it was a bit of a dilemma - we couldn’t lie to them either. Just not ethical. So we divised a little plan. We took the money and stockpiled. Let me qualify that a bit. We did the alternative version of stockpiling. We bought mussels, prawns, perlemoen, crayfish, steak and champagne. All those things we could never afford to buy! We stockpiled to celebrate the win! In style baby.
Well, as you might know I didn’t get along with my dad. But when he died he still had candles and bully beef stuck in his grocery racks. All from back in 1994. Because the stores were stocked and open the next day. And the taps ran crisp clear water. And the electricity kept on going. And the petrol pumps were ready to fill you up. And the banks still had your money in their vaults. Yes. South Africa carried on as the usual. Just as a free and democratic country for the first time. Oh, we had one little problem. We had one huge hang-over from the parties that just went on and on. But no one bitched about that!
So, you see, the more things change the more they stay the same. America will not face what we faced back in 1994. A moment that defines our place in history. The end of an oppressive system. And freedom at last. You don’t need to stockpile. Because whoever wins will not be the worse case scenario you are so frightened of. Yes, McCain will be more ready to go to war and stay in Iraq. And yes, some of the rights America fought for so hard will remain under pressure. And he’ll pander to the right and flip-flop when he doesn’t “misspoke” or forget who is who. And he’ll be bad from a foreign policy perspective. And Hillary will be a hawk. Ready to go to war and obliterate anyone who steps on her toes. And she’ll be more of an empty bag of little substance than most. Dodging bullets and making peace/war wherever she goes (you pick - war in Iraq and peace in Northern Ireland). And yes, Obama is more of an idealist. And idealist who paints a picture of what America should look like tomorrow. And he’ll be more likely to speak and seek peace and compromise than go into war. And he is more wonky than he other two. And yes, he and Hillary are more likely to bring in a universal health-care and strengthen social services. But come one people. They are proud Americans who will give their all to make this great country even greater.
Your water will still drip from the taps. Gas will still flow from the pumps - even if it is a bit more expensive than yesterday. Food will still be at a reasonable price. Your lights will still burn when you flip the switch. Roads will still be fine even if you need to invest in them a bit more. You’ll still have unemployment - but at a low rate. The dollar will still be the global standard. And the world will still catch the flu if you sneeze. You will be just fine. Just fine. Really no need to stockpile.
In actual fact, you will be better than where you are today. And you will hopefully rally behind your new President and tell him/her to go and make you proud. To run this country like a President. Remember. They are willing to do so. They are willing to stand the public attacks from you and their election opponents. They are willing to be scrutinized. At least show some respect for that. You deserve better.
No. Your country deserves a better you. A you that act like a proud and patriotic American. Not like a spoilt child that fears anything and everything. Your country deserves a you that remembers that this country is about what you do to make it better. And it starts with how you will support your new President. And how you treat your own people. Those who are willing to stand up and be counted. Be critical, but don’t be destructive. That is not the American way. Or so I was told.
You don’t need to stockpile. Maybe just a little on decency and on guts. But don’t fear tomorrow. It’s not the of the world as you know it and you’ll feel fine.
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15 responses so far ↓
mysehnsucht // May 7, 2008 at 1:16 am
Funny how, 14 years later, many of your dad’s fears have become a reality
Garth // May 7, 2008 at 5:53 am
Your Dad, and your wife’s Dad, were right about the consequences of anc rule for SA. They were wrong about the timing. It took the anc quite a long time to get to the stage where power is cut regularly, and essentials are in short supply.
angryafrican // May 7, 2008 at 6:53 am
@mysehnsucht - Hey, I am meant to be the Angry one. Oh sorry, I am. You are just the bitching one I guess… Okay, sorry. I meant my comment to be tongue in cheek. Not a personal insult. We all experience life differently and we all have our own right to say what we want. We just experience life differently. But the beauty is we don’t have to agree with each other. Times are tough in SA, but I still believe that for the majority of South Africans it is better than under Apartheid. Not perfect, just better.
@Garth - What! The Castle Lager is running out?
Garth // May 7, 2008 at 7:52 am
Dunno about the Castle, don’t drink the stuff, never have. Know about the rest tho’.
Energy Engineer // May 7, 2008 at 8:18 am
Washington won’t open up the anwar or relax EPA rules so we can have 5 or so more refineries, their solution, “fair” taxation of exxon. How is nationalizing (in essence) the profits going to improve prices at the pump? They only make 8% profit. Won’t insure the coal to oil plants and relax EPA rules for those. Won’t build Nuclear Power Generation, even though the engineers have the solutions for the problems in hand. Food Prices are going up because of fuel concerns. Washington’s solution, nada none you want to add more pressure with a progressive?
By the way I read a arcticle in the WSJ. Food Prices are going up so buying food is an investment. I read on another site that a 72 hour kit is a good thing to have. I am not stockpileing but I did spend an extra 50 bucks on food. I have water 8 gallons. Am I really so extreme?
Absurdist // May 7, 2008 at 9:07 am
In many respects, I agree with you. Our depression, however, was a really horrible time. I do believe that we are looking at major changes in global politics, healthcare reform and our economy.
Is it as bad as what you went through? Absolutely not. Maybe some of us whine, but my experience, with respect to this election, is less about whining and more about fear. You are right about that too.
Yes, our basic needs will be sustained. Maybe we Americans look to other large issues that are very important to us. We know our basic needs will be met. You won’t see us complaining about that. But our capitalism nature causes us to care very much about what happens to us globally and nationally, because were tremendously money-driven.
I won’t even PRETEND to know what it’s like in Africa. That would be extremely rude of me. I don’t know anything about if you are capitalistic, democratic, or anything. They didn’t cover Africa in school, unfortunately. I wish they had.
Anyway, my two cents, which is globally worth about nada.
H // May 7, 2008 at 10:47 am
I think that people living in SA have the right to bitch about the situation. It is always easier to say don’t bitch if you are not exposed to what they are going through. Power cuts, high food prices, high unemployment and high cost of living is enough to rattle anyone’s cage. You might not have needed those candles then, but there are people (including my family in SA) who sure as hell could use them now…
angryafrican // May 7, 2008 at 11:17 am
@Garth - Sorry dude. Didn’t mean to insult. But the Castle is important to me. Yeah, things are tough. But not impossible. We just experience it differently.
Keven Bennett // May 7, 2008 at 11:20 am
Yar!
I remember Y2K, the year that was actually supposed to happen on Jan 1, 2001, astonishingly enough! Ha! The planet was going to crumble. At least digitally it was, anyway.
My brother in law (my sister’s husband) spent too much time at rabidly fearful militia websites. His new-found ‘wisdom’ led him to pull his kids out of school and take the family to Tillimook, Oregon to weather out the Great Digital Disaster That Happens When Computers Go Gaga When They Can’t Figure Out The Difference Between 1900 AD and 2000 AD.
When That Great Day came, posolutely nothing happened! Not one thing. Absulartly, peesolutly nothing.
That yellow star crept above the horizon, and the dinosaurs (what’s left of ‘em anyway from that rock from space) were still singing in the trees. Actually, just crows, and I have to say that their hoarse ‘caw! caw! caw!’ ain’t actual singing, neether.
Anyway…
I gave my brother in law a good chastizing for doing something that most slightly educated Americans, and even some of the smarter logs in the forest wouldn’t do:
Run like hell in the face of non-dangerous dangerouslessness.
Me, I ran to the nearest sporting goods store on the Day After (there is an old movie out that has a thermonuclear motif to it by that name).
To get there, I had to pick my way of non-existant non-wreckage, cars that weren’t on fire, water mains that weren’t spouting water, the non-dead and non-dying and finally, the blasted out bridge that really wasn’t blown out at all, or even a bridge.
Even the dinosaurs were still cawing!
And I got very nice discounts on hand powered flashlights, radios and other sundry goodies.
Guess where they were made?
Yup. South Africa. I’m telling you true!
Keven Bennett // May 7, 2008 at 11:24 am
Oops.
One minor change.
The milleneum ended on Jan 1, 2001. Y2k happened on, well, um, hmmm…
2000.
Oh, well. Slap me.
Jen // May 7, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I am very hopeful about this year’s election. I aim to be inspired and very teary in a feel good kind of way. This morning 3 African American men in their lates 60s were talking at the counter. I got the symbolism of where they were physically and spiritualy. Today, I love this country and I love it’s promise and I love it’s ability to change and go forward. I won’t let any bad thoughts get in the way of it today. I heard disbelief mixed with a bit of awe, a lot of hope and underlying cheeriness in those men’s voices. Today is a great day.
SanityFound // May 8, 2008 at 2:06 am
Classic!
Michelle // May 8, 2008 at 8:48 am
Much ado about nothing? Life goes on regardless. AA, I get your humour regarding the Americans - no offence, I love you guys - they really do drama. To make a gross generalisation (I have lived there, so I feel a bit better about doing it), the majority of Americans live a very insular life and tend to take much for granted - this is not a judgement, I don’t think it’s a bad thing, it would be nice to take things for granted every now and then - so they tend to make a really big deal about things when they move somewhat out of their frame of reference…
I’m watching with avid interest as the soap opera unfolds…
Oh, and yes, we do have power outages and food shortages in SA, but it really isn’t as dire as everyone makes out… this has happened in other places in the world - including the USA - we have far more for us than against us and we have the most amazingly resilient and strong people. Those of you who are so concerned, get back to basics and talk to the people - not the same group of friends who bitch and complain with you, the real people and you will be surprised, uplifted and encouraged.
angryafrican // May 10, 2008 at 11:42 am
@Keven - See? You Northern guys can’t get the time right hey?
@Jen - So right. America hold hope in their hands. Hold it softly please. It is precious to the world.
@SanityFound - Thanks!
@Michelle - These are the days of our lives… Maybe better than 7de Laan?
Keven Bennett // May 11, 2008 at 9:29 am
Surely you jest! My slinger fipped, er, I mean, it was just a mixup, er, my grandson distracted me when I was typing.
We’s from that upper hemishpere, you know. We’re Smarter Cause God Made Us That Way! We doesn’t make mistakes like you bottom hemisphere types.
Nevermind Iraq and Bush and global warming and pollution and depletion of our resources and nuclear proliferation and the fact we owe everyone else a ton of money and…
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