Outsider


I grew up in Northern Ireland and have been a teacher and lived in England, Ghana, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malawi, Mexico, Colombia, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

These are my memoirs which are arranged chronologically by year. Much is social commentary.

Aside from narrative recount, the style is often anecdotal, aphoristic and ironical. I try to soften the heavy social commentary with humour. Some friends have said I tend to 'rant' at times. I don't deny it! Perhaps it is the Irish in me. I apologise in advance then, if that is your impression too.

I do not intend to stereotype various nationalities but inevitably I will generalise for dramatic effect.

In a globalised multicultural world there is an urgent need to identify and face up to our national idiosyncracies and shortcomings. Nationalism has always seemed to me to be a bogus substitute for a genuine sense of connectedness and community. It is a highly dangerous concept when manipulated by politicians to get citizens to do things that are unpalatable to them-like going to war for instance.

If we don't begin to see ourselves as others perceive us - and not as we would like to see ourselves, then catastrophe looms.

I contend we can be comfortable with our heritage and still be able to criticize and even laugh at ourselves at the same time.


The two are not mutually exclusive.

Outsiders are in a unique position to show us our shortcomings because we simply cannot see them ourselves.

I believe that no culture has found the ideal 'solutions' to the challenges of life. Every culture I have lived in has both positive and disturbing characteristics.

In which cultures do people appear happiest? (notwithstanding natural and man-made disasters such as war and famine)

What question can be more profound than that?

The results may be surprising. In my experience, the happiest cultures were Ghana, Malawi, Mexico and Colombia. At the bottom of the list would be England, Ireland and Australia.

I think we need to learn from each other-not try to 'teach' each other...there is a big difference.

Please send me an E-mail if you would like to comment on anything.


Outsider


Outsider1952@gmail.com









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Friday, July 3, 2009

) George Orwell 1984 in 2009

"1984" written by George Orwell is the book that has most influenced me.

Contemporary society in Australia embodies everything Orwell feared.

Cameras everywhere.

More and more forms...

Numbing conformity abounds. No laughter. A colourless, humourless, joyless, social desert characterised by a people grittily determined to either boss each other around or completely ignore each other or both.

I take care to sensitively interrogate people form other cultures who live here. This is what they think: they think we are cold, rude and uncaring. They are much  too polite to tell us this because they do not want to insult us. It has to be coaxed out of them. But that is how they see us.

Xenophobia rules too..

"Go back to your own country, Miss" a pupil will tell a chinese student teacher.


To gain entry to my workplace I have to fill in a form to get a plastic card. But before I can use it I have to fill in yet another form!

George Orwell predicted accurately that when his nightmare world came into being the victims would be in denial about it's very existence. It is worse: many Australians are enthusiastic supporters and promoters of this dull grey nihilistic nightmare.

I'm afraid not many people see things as I do.
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