By: Cucu Wesseh, Editor-in-Chief
Animus is a “strong dislike or enmity, hostile attitude” that breeds animosity (source).
Hence during the last eight years or more, the concept of “Moral Capitalism” across the world, especially in Europe (UK, Hungary, Austria, Germany) and the United States of America; continues to gain momentum and attention in both public and private spheres of ongoing societal relationship discourse. There is a direct connect in the conflict of relationships and the objective of “Capitalism” based market economy as a social, economic and political phenomenon vis-à-vis profit-driven incentive behaviors associated with the lack of morality and virtues of equality or fairness.
Fully aware of this connotation and with such understanding in mind; any desire for “egalitarianism” seems almost impossible and unachievable in full during this life time…
Several notorious incentive-driven innovations and phenomena akin to Universal Basic Income, Bitcoin Revolt and/Bitcoin, Universal Economic Welfare Planning as well as Universal Health Care for all are characteristic tenets of the neo-liberal agenda, which in my opinion is hypocritical with regards to the so-called concept of poverty reduction and other policies formulation directing at eradication of income inequality, wealth disparity, et cetera, et cetera…
Inherently the concept and notion of “moral capitalism” on the premise of ethics and value depicts an array of dissatisfaction characteristic of protests, rebellions and/or demonstrations against the “status quo” of Liberal and neo-liberal “quasi democratic” policy agendas of current global political realities…
In view of prevailing persistence of undemocratic and hitherto “business as usual” top-down governance approach; we continue to witness the unfolding of experiences of animus; often expressed in and translated into resurgent nationalism or white supremacy and extremist acts of terrorism, misogyny, racism and/or xenophobia, all of which constitute the antitheses of human benevolence, peaceful and ambitious pursuit of virtue akin to “better life” and moral decency.
As I penned down the preceding thoughts to this blog, my television screen is filled with and bombarded by flashes of breaking news from the Christchurch shooting tragedy in New Zealand and I wonder about; what is happened to human civilization. There is a alarming retrospective analogy reechoeing the main themes of George Orwel`s novel “Animal Farm” and “1984”.
It is appalling to witness diversity under attack, when in fact diversity is an advantageous asset of additional value in societies; not a liability as is frequently distorted and misrepresented. Unfortunately, such underlined distortions and misrepresentations are principally alien to the generic Africanist humanism of Ubuntu.
Relatively speaking, especially from a constructive, critical evaluation of human process interaction, it seems apparent that we are currently living in dangerous and terrible era. In retrospective this notion is however, far from the actual reality of our times. analysis and historical facts; we do live in a golden era of information sufficiency and efficiency. Nevertheless, we are currently most capable of self-destruction, self-deceit. Exposure to potential risks of illusion and falsehood as a result of “manufactured consent”.
The disbelief and cold reality of a fact that the youngest victim of the latest terrorist massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand is a two-year- old toddler of African descent reminds me that anywhere, anytime and in any place; it can happened to me and/or someone intimate family member as my youngest toddler…
Herein this chilling reality lies the sadness of “Animus” in lieu of these reflections from an editor’s perspective…
