An angry nation
Tumie Modise | Monday June 20, 2016 17:35
Fists flying. Heavens shouting. The sound of hooters in the morning, horn if you drive a German machine, everyone is angry, even early in the morning. Furious. Indignant. Incensed. Irate. Enraged. Outraged. Frothing. In a constant state of rage.
It has almost gotten to a point where if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention. We’re all riled up. Infuriated on a daily basis. Everyone in this country is so darn ticked off, it’s a shock our foreheads aren’t perpetually moist from the little flecks of spittle flying out of our mouths whenever we speak.
People are angry, well, because everybody they see around them is angry. That’s it. The homeless are angry, we won’t let them wash our cars with muddy water at the main mall and this makes them very angry. We give them tips to ‘watch’ our cars while we pay bills at the mall and this makes us angry because we are broke in the first place, angry again because BPC’s tariffs are just insane.
People with low income jobs are angry. People with four jobs are angry. Stockholders are angry. Middle class managers doing the work of four people are angry. Those other three people whose work they are doing are angry too.
People paying P15 for a stadium beer are angry, it’s served on paper cups and this makes them angrier because it now tastes like paper and it doesn’t even make them tipsy. Vendors outside the stadium are angry. Zebras players are angry. They are angry because they were accused of drinking while on national duty two weeks ago. But they swear they were not drinking; they were only photographed next to a 6-pack of Castle Lite on a counter which makes them angry because that is not even their preferred drink; national duty or not.
They are owed money so they cannot even afford a drink, let alone a beer at this point so this makes them angry. Fans who can’t afford to watch the national team in Francistown or buy the P15 beers are angry too.
We’re all mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Even if we’re not quite sure what “it” is we are really angry at.
DSTV is stuffed with reality shows that offer no plot other than people getting angry at each other.
Professional angriers. But we care less about that, because we have our very own Itshireletse on BTV. But Itshireletse cast is forever angry too. Either someone is being robbed, stabbed, beaten or cheated and that makes us the viewers angry because we can all relate to the stories.
Euro 2016 is on and we starting to get angry because ‘our’ teams are not playing well. Worse, the Russian hooligans are threatening our favourite English hooligans. They call them girls and this makes me angry.
The electorate is so angry. Sebina people are angry. Oompaloompas are angry. Women are angry. Men are angry because that’s one of their defining values, but they’re also angry because women are angry.
Kids are angry because their parents and grandparents and teachers are angry. Skinny people are angry this winter. Apparently, even the birds have gotten angry.
Ordinary people are angry because the nature of their lives is different. BURS is angry and threatening to deport investors because they don’t pay taxes. Interns are angry, tertiary students are angry because their attachment allowance has been cut.
Our folks back home are angry because they feel they’ve been forgotten by the government and by their own children. Most have been angry for so long, they’ve even forgotten why they’re angry. Some are angry about everybody else being angry. Others are angry because they think not everybody is. Although, deep down, they are.
People on social media are all angry. In fact, social media is officially now a platform for angry people. Radio presenters are angry.
The media in general is angry. Angry because now there’s no news except to write that everyone is angry, this is now becoming a bore and stale news. Politicians are angry because as long as everyone else is in that state, then they are determined to out angry everybody.
Township Rollers management are angry so their supporters are really, really angry that their league prospects are now in complete jeopardy. This makes Mochudi Centre Chiefs angrier.
Our elected representatives promised us pie in the sky in 2014, but we end up with nothing but turd muffins.
Now they pretend to be angry in parliament where we cannot see or hear them. Anger is the new black. It’s like there’s a competition to see who’s the angriest. And we’re all coming in second. This, of course, just fuels the anger.