Why do some people take a crowd trend personal? They flare up when a group is insulted, but actually have no solution to the real problem.
Let me share some examples.
A popular American novelist writes a book. In it, he calls Nigerians fraudsters. The book is a bestseller.
A French journalist shoots a documentary on Lagos. He highlights the dirty slums, canals, cattle markets and other typical features like black-outs, traffic jams and associated theft etc. The video is an instant hit. French journalist gets a Pulitzer.
A successful international Ghanaian footballer, originally from Nigeria, denounces his Nigerian roots on the stage of the European Footballer of The Year awards. Nigeria gave him nothing, he claims. “I had to run to Ghana to survive…”
Another Hollywood celebrity names Africa as a country. She says she has numerous charity works in countries like “India, Afghanistan, The Philippines and Africa”. Sigh.
And then a Lagos Lawyer publishes a reaction condemning the documentary, blasting it entirely and alleging a racial propaganda.
Another Nigerian Professor blasts the American author. There are also fraudsters in the U.S after all, he points out.
Of course a sports pundit wages a media war against the footballer, calling him an ingrate, treason this and that, bla bla bla.
Of course, religion is an outstanding example!!! Because I don’t want to have a bull’s-eye on my back, I won’t talk too much about it. But you pretty much know the story; the attacks in Paris, insurgency in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, etc.
My question is this: Why do some people take a crowd trend personal?
I know we all have a calling to be responsible and all…but sometimes it’s really none of your business!
Was the documentary not shot in Lagos? Are there no fraudsters in Nigeria? Switching nationalities is legal isn’t it? Then why do we waste so much time fighting battles above us? Why do we overlook the real task and chase shadows with big grammar, well packaged law suits and misdirected violence?
If ‘they’ said “Nigerians are fraudsters” and you are that educated, can you not see that it is a figure of speech being used to make the phrase have depth? Are you alone all of “Nigerians”? And then because you (Nigerians) are not a fraudster you feel the need to speak for yourself (Nigerians)?
Cool. But maybe not so cool.
I am not saying there is nothing wrong in labeling a Country fraudulent, there definitely is insult in that. But crying over spilled milk never put the milk back in the jar. Many on-going crises are as a result of escalated blames and finger-pointing gone into the eye! And the world is not getting any better for it.
What am I saying?
I don’t need anybody to hack down cartoonists for insulting my (our) Prophet. I need people to use that religious zeal to make the world a better place.
I don’t need anybody to lash back at the West for calling me, a Nigerian, and you (who decided to take the hit for us all, thanks), a third world country citizen. I need you to use that knowledge of our strengths and all the reasons we are not underdeveloped to motivate young people into living positively.
I don’t need you to analyze why the greatest African footballer had to leave Nigeria. I need you to make one of us the greatest again.
I don’t need arguments about who is right and who is wrong. I need action, in whatever little way possible, to move things forward.
Even if you can’t change the world and all you do is handle your own self (don’t go crazy, don’t steal or cheat, don’t kill, etc.) then that’s fantastic.
Don’t fight the battle for us all. Fight for yourself and we’d all be sorted out somehow…if everyone did.
May Allah grant you the wisdom to discern when you need to keep quiet!
