much ado about insults (aka politics of insults in Ghana)

Pal,
down town the old coast of gold now called Ghana is this noise! just noise!

when the forces wake you up in the morning and you are fortunate or cursed enough to hear people talk on radio; if you don't have a a strong head, you'd either have a break in your spine or get arrested by convulsion! either way you are doomed!

aha! that is how exaggerated the talk is on radio in Ghana.

Yet amid the noise is this shrill cry of anti-insults they call 'politics of insults'; whatever that means pal, I wonder if the apostles of this anti-movement understand themselves when they say this phrase! funny thing? many of the people crying against insults are some of those who have been at the forefront unleashing barrages of insults unto others. but the obvious hypocrisy is not my issue now! another time, maybe!

So what is an insult, Pal? do these noise makers know what an insult is?

Insults are a part of society as the air we breathe. Insults can never be eradicated and they'd never be. Insults have served society well in many forms such as in music, poetry, chants, appellations, prayer, etc. Indeed, you'd find, pal, that in many societies there are records of institutionalized insults, where communities get together to expose the misdeeds of others by pointing out those misdeeds as raw as they come or through veiled or subtle means depending on the tolerance levels in the communities.

Among the Ewe people for example from whom I originate, they have halo songs in their traditions that are meant to be sang to cast out nonsense from individuals. Then among the Ga, and this is something we were taught in school from govt funded textbooks on culture studies, exist a well organized institutionalized insult ceremonies held by the people of La called something like La-kpashimo so.

Aside these facts is the non-contestable fact that insult really is what anyone chooses to be demeaning to him/herself. Pal, I'd not give a whimper if you just brush by me and claim I'm a fool. I can't be a fool just because you say so. So such and act from you would not be considered an insult to me one bit. Rather I'd ask you to show how I qualify to be called a fool and failure of which I'd point out to you how you are rather the fool. Pal, what I consider an insult to me is when some leader or president misuses the tax I pay and turns around to look me in the face and talk rubbish.

So I don't know what is insulting to you. But let's face it. If I see a murderer you'd not expect me to call such a person a saint would you? So if I see a thief I should be able to point that out without beating about the bush!

Pal, let me just wind up: It's a useless and illogical fight for anyone to claim to be against insult or calling for an end to insults.

I wish you a head (not heart. that pumps blood) full of tolerance so you can pause and reflect and make sense of situations instead of jumping up and making noise like they are doing with the so called arab spring.