OK so I’ve been sent home from hospital for another few days… time to blog about something else for the time being…
The other day, I came across this post on Facebook:
And there it was, in black and white, what, at least to me, is the scourge of this bloody island we live on – the minute someone dares to criticise, the typical Maltese response is to put up the great walls of defense, as though there’s something in our DNA that just pings and there we are, back in time, fighting off the dreaded Ottoman Turks from the bastions of Mdina.
In the same week, I also came across a Norwegian blog that explained why the authors, for the first time in a long time, wouldn’t be supporting Malta’s Eurovision entry as proposed by Ira Losco. Let’s take a moment for this to sink in… we’re talking of a song contest here, entertainment, fun, kitsch. And now – I invite you to read the comments posted by those Maltese who felt righteously indignant that Ira Losco wasn’t being heralded as a Queen by two Norwegian bloggers (to be clear: while I’m not particularly keen on Ira’s song, I have nothing but admiration for her, she is a serious professional in what she does, continues to throw herself out there, reinvent herself, and has values which I share). But seriously, read the comments, if they weren’t so pathetic I’d have a good laugh. But I can’t laugh – it makes me cry. How oh how can we ever expect our country to improve if we continue to be so polarized, so black and white, so incapable of venturing away from our safe zone? And of course, the Norwegian bloggers give a lesson in how to respond to absurd critiques in this day and age of social media. Pure class.
Well, dear fellow citizens, I have news for you – we do NOT live in a perfect country, far from it (as recent events have amply shown, and we’re in good company), and I for one have no problem with people criticising us. Surely, this doesn’t imply their countries are perfect either. In fact, let’s just say it as it is, once and for all – the whole world is imperfect and we are the authors of this imperfection.
So get off your high horses and stop being so island-bound. What Malta needs is more critical thinkers not ostriches.
Oh and when you find the path to this:
do let me know… but hint, hint, it won’t be pointing to a tiny rock in the middle of the Mediterranean, no matter how much you hope it will.
Bonus track.
whatever Mia thinks 