Propaganda: Does it thrive only on rhetoric?

South Africans are a very lyrical people. I am always amazed how we catch on very easily to certain phrases. I remember how after Shabir Shaik was convicted, the media got on with the phrase "Generally corrupt" like a squatter camp shack on fire. The phrase was big,it was used in a variety of contexts in bars, stokvels and other social gatherings. After a good weekend for an example, if someone would ask me how my weekend was, the reply would typically be "Generally corrupt", the query would have be adequately responded to.

Of perculiar concern, phrases currently doing the rounds are: The succession battle or The battle of the Soul of the ANC or The Polokwane conference or The presidential race. Our media has milked these out so much so that I get sick whenever I hear them. They frequently make headlines and advertisement billboards.

What really irks me about the articles that bear the above phrases in their headlines is that they are neither informative nor thoroughly researched and the format is consistent amongst most newspapers, to a point where I am beginning to suspect they are all written by the same person.

The format is simple: Get a a few potential ANC presidential candidates, write a bit about each candidate's profile, do a speculative discussion on a candidate's attributes on economic policy, leadership, support base and relations with the so called 'Left'. A superficial ranking on a candidate's chances is then made. There you have it, done! It works, It sells!

It is irrefutable that the ANC "succession race" or " the battle of the soul of the ANC" is an interesting topic for readers, what baffles me though is whether there is still interest in these stale articles. Could it be that the readers are just always hoping to get something different and new? I really think the whole ANC succession obsession is suppressing real debates.

Gatvol.