Onelargeprawn
I just couldn’t resist but I promise that this is my last China Bashing post for the week day. This pic looks suspiciously like it was taken near Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side. If it was, I’d hate to see the next pic in the series because g-d knows what would have happened to the poor woman – almost everything available in Zimbabwe now comes from China (via South Africa mostly).
For more sort of like this visit Superpoop.
I don’t know about you dear Readers, but I’m not feeling particularly proud of the beloved country this week. I mean we have friends and relatives fleeing the country left right and centre for the “greener” pastures of Europe and the Antipodes, but we decided that we actually like it here, and we’re going to stay. For the past few mornings however, I’ve felt like leaving the house with a paper bag on my nationality.
I know that the Dalai Lama says to be kind whenever possible, but I just cannot be kind in my mind when I think about the fact that nasty neighbour (and mass murdered) Bob Mugabe is permitted to come and go in South Africa as he pleases, while one of the world’s most respected spiritual leaders (a darling peaceful little old man with spectacles, yellow robes, and a Nobel Peace Prize) the Dalai Lama is denied a visa. And it’s all for the love of China (well trade with China really). Yes, China. The same China that is responsible for huge job losses in South Africa, particularly in the textile industry. The same China that annexed Tibet, exiled the Dalai Lama, and built casinos and supermarkets on ancient sacred ground. The same China that continues to violate human rights, and environmental laws on a daily basis. It’s just great. And did you know that there are only two countries in the whole world into which the Dalai Lama is denied entry? Yup you guessed it – China and South Africa.
I won’t lie to you, I’m starting to feel a little afraid about this whole China and South Africa against the rest of the world thing. There’s an old Croatian saying that goes something like “if you lie down with a dragon, you’ll wake up with third degree burns all over your body and face, and your nylon underwear will be welded to your bum forever”. I just hope our respected leaders know what they’re up to. Anyway this rant of mine has gotten a little long, and depressing, so if you want a lighter version of the story, check out this gem on the brilliant hayibo.com.
And to read more about the man whose religion is kindness, click here.
Spotted on the streets of Cape Town, and ANC election poster gets the subversive treatment. We’re pretty UPSET about this – upset that we didn’t think of it first!
Some comments from Reddit:
– thanks AmyH!
As you may have noticed Dear Reader, I am a great fan of satire, sarcasm, irony and all things dark and dangerous. Anyway the fabulous Zahidah (maker of superb pies and samoosas) pointed me in the direction of a very lekker local site that is jam packed with lovely juicy satire and sarcasm. Here’s a tasty tit bit:
After 15 years ANC thinkers make incompetence breakthrough
PRETORIA. After fifteen years in power the ANC has for the first time threatened to sack non-performing ministers, saying that the groundbreaking concept to stop rewarding incompetence went against everything the new South Africa stood for but was necessary if the ruling party was going to carry out effective purges inside its organization.
Speaking to journalists this morning ANC spokesman Yesman Mxenge said that the new concept, called “accountability”, had sowed panic and confusion among ANC backbenchers.
“The problem is that it’s a very high-end concept,” said Mxenge. “I’m not sure I understand it myself.
“In a nutshell, it’s basically that if you don’t do the job you’re being paid half a million a year to do, you don’t get fired.
“Wait, no, you do get fired. That’s the part that keeps tripping us up.”
For more full flavour fun and delicious belly laughs visit Hayibo. Oh and their polls are awesome too!