And inevitably…

Published: August 16, 2013 at 11:43am

The perfect venue for a repeat performance, wouldn’t you say? Though no doubt, Kitten from Malta would be appalled at the acoustics, rather than the significance.

I urge you to note the date of the ‘Ma Taghmlu Xejn’ performances in China. I think it was Kim Il Sung’s North Korea, actually, which is much worse. Hardly the dark ages – I was 19, turning 20. I look back and wonder how in God’s name we lived like that – in total abnormality. I seem to remember that we do so by consoling ourselves with the knowledge that half of Europe was even worse off than we were, locked behind the Iron Curtain, actually in the fist of communism.

It so wasn’t pretty. When idiots on Facebook and the internet comments-boards – and even educated people who should know better, like Martin Scicluna and a couple of others – bend over backwards to glorify those mad, hideous times or excuse/justify them – I just have to do the Dalai Lama thing and walk way, because it makes me want to blow up.

The fact of the matter is that Mintoff came to power on a wave of ignorance, stayed in power because of that ignorance, and was only narrowly voted out because of that ignorance. And now a man who seeks to emulate him has been propelled into power on an even bigger wave of ignorance when, given the progress in this country, we should have had less ignorance and not more.

But it was the wrong sort of progress, or rather, lacking one part of it. And I don’t feel like saying what that is all over again because I’ve written about it often enough. But basically, economic progress has been imposed on a fundamentally primitive and uncivilised society, and book-learning and university degrees taken by dictation and rote are not a substitute for education or intellectual development.

We were materially deprived animals and now we are materialistic animals. And that’s about the sum of it.

China




15 Comments Comment

  1. La Redoute says:

    Smart casual. Does that mean bowties and orange jeans?

  2. Joan says:

    Oh my god, and to think that we have at least 10 years under this government. Just the thought of that it makes me shudder.

  3. Last Post says:

    “We were materially deprived animals and now we are materialistic animals.”

    Meditate gente, meditate.

  4. Fwieha says:

    Maaaaaaa Daphne ma flahtx narhom, qalbi kienet hierga.

    Tal-biza u j’Alla li ma nergawx nigu f’dak iz-zmien.

    U imbaghad il-Mintoffjani jghidu li Mintoff huwa is-salvatur ta’ Malta.

    Jaqq u jaqq. Jaqq.

  5. Lorry says:

    “Oh my god, and to think that we have at least 10 years under this government. Just the thought of that it makes me shudder.”

    I wouldn’t bet on it

  6. Min Weber says:

    And Brikkuni’s performance had to be cancelled.

    • Not Sandy:P says:

      It didn’t have to be cancelled. The band didn’t want to pay rent, didn’t want to look for a sponsor, didn’t want to have a sponsor, and doesn’t want a big enough audience to cover its costs.

      So they cancelled.

  7. Min Weber says:

    A propos of nothing – will Joseph Cuschieri ever tell us what really went on between him and Joseph M after he ceded him the seat … ?

    I’m asking in the wake of the launching of the Together Campaign.

  8. ciccio says:

    Issa sew.

    Issa x’se jaghmel il-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat?

    Jirrifjuta l-invit – u jiggieled mac-Cinizi – ghax ma jaqbilx mar-“roofless theatre”?

  9. charly says:

    Here we go sinjuri Switchers.

  10. “The fact of the matter is that Mintoff came to power on a wave of ignorance, stayed in power because of that ignorance, and was only narrowly voted out because of that ignorance. And now a man who seeks to emulate him has been propelled into power on an even bigger wave of ignorance when, given the progress in this country, we should have had less ignorance and not more.”

    I think that Mintoff came to power on a wave of envy and spite, rather than ignorance – as did Muscat. Education, to most of us, is solely the acquisition of knowledge. I would even go as far as to suggest that our mode of education nurses ignorance rather than eradicates it; analytical and evaluation skills are not part of the “package”.

    [Daphne – Yes, you are right. That is, in fact, the problem.]

  11. Yasmine Nuvoli says:

    “But basically, economic progress has been imposed on a fundamentally primitive and uncivilised society, and book-learning and university degrees taken by dictation and rote are not a substitute for education or intellectual development.”

    As always, you hit the nail on the head ! We are a nation super-saturated with what I like to call : injoranti bil-“laurea” , lacking a basic knowledge of mores or manners which a fair amount of us would have started to assimilate at our mother’s knee.

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