Rod MacKenzie's Blog, page 9

Christopher Hitchens not great, says this "atheist"

It depressed me a bit to write the title for this column, playing on one of the late Hitchen's book titles, God is not Great. I think nothing can ever be achieved by slamming other people's religious beliefs. Those people are going to carry on holding to their beliefs. Perhaps even more dearly. The attack...

Executions and fear in China

Daily I take a 45-minute bus trip to the school I teach at in Che Feng (pronounced something like chaw fa-ang). The place is an eye-opener in terms of poverty and beauty. Where I get on is a relatively "posh" area by Chinese standards. Though there is still a lot of poverty there are plenty...

The hell or heaven we create for ourselves

I think it is highly significant that while I teach children I am facing a clock on the wall behind them. They are about ten years old, bodies twinkling with life and laughter, oblivious to "clock time". They relish the present moment as I try and keep my lessons chock-a-block with games. I am a...

Durex: 'Let copulation thrive!'

It's just more embarrassing to watch oral sex on the big screen because it is just that much more in your face. The sexy Hollywood actor slid down the gorgeous Hollywood actress's quivering body towards her you know what. Courteously — or rather in line with movie ratings — the camera did not pan across...

I won't take money for my socks!

"I won't take money from you for my socks!" the sock lady cries, "Take them! They're yours for free". "No ways, you're crazy," I mutter in Chinese. She is shaking her hand at me, palm raised in the classic Han Chinese gesture for NO. (This was like waving a red flag at a bull in...

The bitter-sweet barrier

He is staring as if from a void, which is what catches my attention as I stand at the blackboard. His eyes are pristine, tear-less, lit from without, not within. The Chinese gentleman leans on his broom like a Gandalf, watching me attentively through the classroom window. The Chinese children here in a poor "village",...

Me hitting on 'Slutwalks'

The Oriental woman strolling casually in front of me was wearing the smallest skirt clinging to her hips that I have ever seen. Without even trying (scouts' honour, cross my heart) I could actually see the crotch area of her fishnet stockings and the lower part of her cheeks. The horizontal clefts in her bottom...

Me hitting on "Slutwalks"

The Oriental woman strolling casually in front of me was wearing the smallest skirt clinging to her hips that I have ever seen. Without even trying (scouts' honour, cross my heart) I could actually see the crotch area of her fishnet stockings and the lower part of her cheeks. The horizontal clefts in her bottom...

Dalai Lama's visa delay shows up SA leaders' moral bankruptcy

It was wonderful to see those two old pals and rogues, Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama in a photo on the front page of the Mail & Guardian online, September 27. Excited, I thought they had met up in South Africa. Alas, it was an old picture and the story made it clear that...

Sticks and stones: I'm learning from personal discrimination

"So nigga-boy, what you doing in China?" said the taxi driver to me, a smile on his face. "I am teaching," I muttered. "What do you teach, nigga-boy?" "English." "English??" His smile turned into a big grin. "You mean you can speak English – nigga-boy?" "Yes I can," I retorted, fixing a smile on my...