Show some respect
Showing status has evolved as time has taken its course in our nation. I think it has always been a human need for the creme de la creme to showcase who is who in our society. Even the not so creamy have wanted a ranking in society. For example in the early 1980s if you wanted to see who the city boy was, you could most probably recognize him carrying a big stereo on his shoulders with the volume full blast. You could hear miles away that a boy from the city has come. Unfortunately all those that did not have a radio or the ones who did not want to hear his city music had to suffer the loud volume in silence. All he cared about was upholding status and he did not mind whether all of the other villagers wanted to listen to his loud stereo.
That era has come back now with the phones taking the place of the stereo. But now it’s not about status because just about all of us have phones. There is nothing amazing about a phone, even my 10-year-old niece has one. My question is why should I listen to a Jay Z track talking about getting naked in a public space from another phone. Even if you are playing a gospel song from one of our local gospel artists, it doesn’t give you rope to play it aloud.
Don’t you think it’s a little 1980s for a person to put his /her phone on full volume inside a kombi which happens to be a public space?
Please people do not drag us back to that era. A public space is my space so don’t you violate it by playing whoever you listen to these days; instead, use your headphones! Why should I suffer your style of music in a public space? If we are going to usher this country in a new era where we don’t do things for self satisfaction, where we consider how our actions are going to affect the person sitting next to you, we need to show some Respect. This nation is ready for change and for moving foward. It’s a shame . . . we have not only stood aside and watched abuse from our leaders, but we have in fact become like them. We have the ‘whatever I want, I get,’ mentality regardless of the next person.
The worst situation that I came across is a little girl who decided to impose her love for Shakira music on me while on the other hand the kombi driver was on some local station. I had to do something. I was not going to let silence be a part of me. I took matters into my own hands and I think that’s what we need in our country. I was not going to be the typical 1980s villagers who did not have the guts to tell Mr. City Boy that, “hey man, we understand you are from town and you are the elite one, but we don’t want to listen to your radio and your songs.” I said to her please take your volume down or use earphones that’s why your radiophone comes with them.
What am I saying people? I am saying let us consider how what we are doing is affecting the next person. Maybe its still about status. Maybe people still want to showcase that they have a better phone that plays a certain number of songs at a certain volume. Maybe we are still as rank and status obsessed as ever. But if you are sitting next to me and you play your phone aloud I will ask you not to. I will ask you to use you your earphones.
That’s their correct purpose anyway.