The Inbetweeners

I have an idea. It's new, at least to me, so I haven't had the time to work out the kinks. But here it is:  If capitalism, inevitably, alienates its workers from themselves, their labour and each other, its antidote is something that draws people closer together. Something that creates, fosters and deepens the bonds we share.  Therefore, what if culture , is the antidote to capitalism?  From here, allow me to present my thoughts in bullet points: Oxford defines 'culture' as "the beliefs that people hold about reality, the norms that guide their behaviour, the values that orient their moral commitments, or the symbols through which these beliefs, norms, and values are communicated." Inherent to this definition is that culture is a shared activity/practice; developed communally and practised collaboratively. This suggests that culture can be, and often is, a binding agent. Even capitalism, if construed as a cultural system, binds humanity together in service to ...

 and I have thoughts... In the moment, I enjoyed the new Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie. It was visually engaging, hilarious and had some cool action scenes. I, particularly, enjoyed the call-back to Ant-Man's line in Civil War and how the film depicted Scott's growing competency as the Ant-Man. I loved the fact that Scotts' journey mirrored Janet's in the quantum realm; both of them chose to save the world at the cost of their families. Put simply, the movie was fun. An interesting juxtaposition to the grief reflected in Wakanda Forever (the last MCU movie of 2022 and Phase 4) that suggested Phase 5 would be different. As a result, I entered the post-credit scenes feeling good about Phase 5 of the MCU and where it was going. I felt vindicated in my willingness to give Marvel the benefit of the doubt as they establish the next 'big-bad' and build the new team of Avengers. But as soon as I left the theatre, two things happened: (1) I began to engage with the movie an...

A couple of weeks ago, I learned about Cargo Movements (aka cargo cults) and I couldn't help but wonder, is Africa in a cargo cult? The term ‘cargo cult’ or ‘movement’ is a term given to a number of religious or political movements that started when indigenous peoples came into contact with Western civilisation and the technology, they brought with them. Items like radios, aeroplanes, ready-made and abundant food etc. These items were called cargo, hence cargo cult or movement. These indigenous groups then attempt to get these goods by replicating the rituals that caused the cargo to land on their soil; building plane towers and runways, and signalling with radio and military marches.  This act of replication is what makes them incredibly fascinating, from the outside looking in. It reminds me of a child playing 'grown-up' - in as much as I know better than to infantilise indigenous communities. Or perhaps, more appropriately, it reminds me of the dynamics of cultural appro...