Let Me Say It Once …

Barbed WireTaking a big breath, holding my nose, jumping into the deep end.

I often talk about wanting eLuckypacket to be a place for us to share the good and the bad. But then I know that this means allowing you to say what’s really on your mind and so, up to this point, I haven’t raised anything controversial.

Which puts me in a spot because how can we, as South-African women, talk about things that are important to us without talking about our country’s past and present and future? About the things that scare us or make us weep or make us who we are.

Yes, eLuckypacket is intended as a place for us to read something lighthearted and fun. But at the same time, I know that none of us can live with our heads in the proverbial sand.

Those who know me, know my politics. That I hate prejudice, violence and loss. I know the things in my upbringing that formed my ideas and I’m sure you know what formed yours, but I am not so presumptuous as to assume that we share the same ideas and experiences. There will be those of you who are more conservative than me and those who are more liberal.

But as editor of this blog, as the person with the pen in her hand and the responsibility of making sure that no one says anything absolutely horrible, I’m not quite sure how to proceed. So I will be winging it a bit in the coming months, taking it as it comes and I hope that you will cut me some slack if I mis-speak or mess up.

All I can really say at this point is this. From time to time, when I see the need to showcase something social or political that might be contentious but that I consider important or exhilarating or heart-wrenchingly sad, I’m going to do it. And I trust that when we comment we will all be respectful of others who may be reading. As eLuckypacket’s Terms of Use on our About page states, I will not tolerate comments that are abusive in any way.

I know that I hardly need to say this to the people that I know are reading every day. But I do want to say it at least once, so that if something really nasty were ever said, I can point you all back here and delete that comment quick-quick without having to explain too much.

All that said (wow! long and wordy), my intension really is for eLuckypacket to be engaging and interesting and thought-provoking and fun.

The reason for this whole post? I read Ndumiso Ngcobo’s I’m a Coconut and Proud of It over at Thought Leader the other day and found it to be all of those things (engaging and interesting and thought-provoking and fun) and I wanted to share it with those of you who may not have read it but then realized that we hadn’t had this talk yet.

So fair. Now we have. Once and for all.

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Posted: March 28th, 2008

Categories: Politics & society, From the editor, From South Africa


One Response to “Let Me Say It Once …”

  1. Lynda says:
    March 29th, 2008 at 2:06 am

    Hi there

    Read the article and enjoyed it. Mainly because I havent been back to SA for ages and am really out of touch with issues in South African society - except the obvious ones like crime and presidential candidates or the lack there of. So it is nice to have a view of SA society thats more day to day - if you know what I mean. This is very lazy but I am too tired to articulate my own point so I guess I would agree with what Kit said in his/her comment i.e. I just know that if we carry on creating groups and subgroups of subgroups or subgroups, we’re all goin to hate each other even more.

    For the record I still sound completely South African, although I was mistaken for an Australian yesterday…I probably dont say ja anymore, mainly I say yeah. And I am still forever having to correct myself by saying traffic light instead of robot when I get confused stares, but now I am straying from the point. Have a great weekend!

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