Kalunga Opweeli (God exists) part 2 – The tyranny of emasculated men.

"Falling rocks don't kill people, people who put other people under falling rocks kill people. Beware the tyranny of emasculated men."

Man is powerful, perhaps the most power species on earth.  He is also equally destructive. That much is evident, man has cured diseases that used to signal a death sentence, but he has also destroyed, two World Wars have shown the most destructive side of man.

Men who have been oppressed for too long are perhaps the most distructive. Case in point: Africa’s dictators. Severely brutalised by colonial powers, and then when they gained power, they turned out to be worse than those who oppressed them – ruthlessly brutalising their own people. 

When a man is oppressed, often he is emasculated, his feels as though his superiority and power are stripped from him. So what he does is to compensate by taking that frustration out, usually on those physically weaker than him – Women and children. Some men who worked in mines for a long time, are prime examples of this. They go home with anger and frustration bottled up inside them, and then unleash it on those unfortunate to be around them when it overwhelms them. A man whose manhood is ridiculed by other men is dangerous. Imagine being a cook in the diamond mines in the 70’s and the 80’s, being constantly being broken down by other men, men who denigrate what you do by saying that it’s women’s work. Eventually you’ll snap and lash out.

I spent a few days in the change house, as an assistant, while waiting on doctor’s approval to get back underground (a story for another time).  The blaster on our shift passes me on the way to his locker, he looks at me and says, “Dit as vroue se werk, wat je doen.” It’s women’s work, what you’re doing.

Yes, in his eyes, washing overalls, and running errands is women’s work. Real men’s work is underground. I don’t blame him for his mind-set. Most of the men I work with are 2^nd or 3^rd Generation miners, some are sons whose fathers and grandfathers worked and died underground. It’s a culture, passed down to them, and you don’t trample on people’s culture. You just try your best to survive. It’s hard to change a habit, even harder to change a culture. Better have your wits about you. There are no friends when survival is at stake.

The most emasculated egos underground are those of formerly oppressed supervisors, now empowered by the same establishment that brutalized them, they tend to be harsher on those under their leadership – harsher than the establishment ever was towards them. To them, the power they now have been given, gives them a sense of importance. 

The underground environment is usually thick with the stench of self-importance, usually emanating from men physically inferior to those they castigate, they push down on others to ease their inner anguish, therefore perpetuating a vicious cycle. 

Beware of the tyranny of emasculated men.

Part 3 coming soon…