You hit the nail on the head there (Dragon Boat Festival). As the Americans I work with heard of the Sep 11 tragedy, some actually cried. The shock of what happened stunned them. Of course, we who live in Africa were more fascinated by the good photography and the planning and precision that went into that act than the loss of life. Our American colleagues were shocked that we did not share their grief and that we were so casual about it all.

I mentioned a few hard truths about what the rest of the world saw in the following weeks. As South Africans we put up with terrorism for years as have Israel, Albania, Italy, Chechnya, Ireland and too many other places to mention. Who was always there telling the rest of the world to stop violence and go to the negotiating table?

Now it happened to the "untouchable" and what are the cries emanating from this arrogant giant? Just because it happened to them, they throw away all advice given to other nations on handling their terrorists, lay down the law and still try to tell Israel that they must go back to talks while the bombs are raining down over Afghanistan.

And no, the world does not see the irony in this little play. The rest of the world stifles a giggle and smiles knowingly at each other.

Practice what you preach
You shall reap what you sow

Now put up with that for twenty-odd years and see where we South Africans are coming from.

The USA, in all its magnificence, is actually isolated from the rest of the world. They do it to themselves. They go through life with small town mentality thinking that there cannot be any town more significant than theirs, so why bother trying to find out if it is so?

It is the same reason why the workers on the bottom of the food chain in any company can list all the shortcomings of upper management, but management cannot see past their secretaries.

So, the next time you see me eating a rice cake, be sure I'll be thinking of tying a rock around the next unsuspecting American tourist and bringing alive the legend of Chu Yuan, and toss him merrily into the Jukskei river.

17 June 2002

Shaun Delport

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