South Africa

Firstly, lets get a bit retrospective :

 

It was close to the end of the republican era of Rome at which the gladiatorial fights largely lost their meaning as a rite of some spiritual significance.  Their sheer popularity led to their gradual secularization and it was inevitable that something which was so popular would become a means of political propaganda. So, more and more rich politicians hosted gladiatorial games in order to make themselves popular. With such blatant political populism it wasn't remarkable that the gladiatorial fights turned more and more from a ritual into a show...

 

As the rich intensified their efforts to dazzle the audience, the plebeians became ever more choosy. Spoilt by ever more fanciful spectacles they demanded and received more. Caesar even clad his gladiators in armour made of silver at the funeral games which he held in honour of his father! But even this soon no longer excited the crowds once others copied it in the provinces. Once the empire was ruled by the emperors, the essential use of the games as a propaganda tool didn't cease, indeed they were a means by which the ruler could show his generosity. The games were his 'gift' to the people.

 

Now fast-forward to the present day and a meeting of our local political Spin Merchants -

 

"Of, course in SA we can't have our own gladitorial contests (no matter how much the DA wishes it so), so instead we politicos have to figure out another way to keep the plebians masses happy. First of all, there is always that old crowd pleaser, the "Rally" with its assorted free clothing and an appearance by some random Kwaito act :

 

Thousands of people braved the heat on Sunday and crowded into Gugulethu Stadium to listen to Western Cape African National Congress leaders launch their plans for the upcoming election...

 

The thousands who attended also had time to relax and dance to the music of Ringo Madlingozi and his band, the Lusanda spiritual group and new kwaito performers Mzambia and Chippa, who also acts in the popular e.tv soap Backstage

 

But then again everybody is doing those rallies these days, no, we need something more effective that will deflect people's attention from what is important to them. Things like service delivery, political responsibility and competence in elected officials must never be allowed to distract people from what is important to us -- allowing the next Fat Cat a smooth ascension into office! Unfortunately in SA we can't take our lead from politics in America and focus on Abortion, Religion and the Death Penalty because locally these issues don't gain a lot of traction. We need our own Hot Button Issues dammit!

 

Then the answer arrives -- in a country both obsessed and divided by race and history what a perfect formula to use before the next local government elections!! Hmm but how to package it, nothing too obvious because we realise we're sitting on a bomb that will go off if too much racial spinning takes place.   

 

(then the heavens open and the answer is delivered)

 

YES! I have it, the perfect way to fire up the base and remind them just which politicians are protecting/promoting their interests (without the politicians having to do any form of REAL work hehe!). Of course this process has already been moving for awhile but we need to make it a BIG POLITICAL issue that is very divisive and perfect for allowing people to ignore the big picture i.e tarred roads, schools for their children, jobs etc

 

So without further ado....I give you The Great Name-Change Issue™ repackaged for the 2006 Local Government elections! Witness our early successes -

 

>HERE and >HERE