thorts of other people : Brett Fish

A few good [South] African books…

inspire-ations, positive ideas for change, South Africa, thorts of other people, what i am reading

A few good [South] African books…

Looking for great South African [and African] books to read? My friend Shelley Finch tagged me in this status on Facebook the other day: Friends, I am crowdsourcing a book list. Kind of a "recommended reading for every South African". Fiction and non-fiction. Books that will help people educate themselves on our country's history and the BIG issues we are talking about i.e. racism, corruption, land redistribution, etc. Books that are accessible to every South [...]

By brettfish|2018-02-21T08:14:13+02:00February 20th, 2018|inspire-ations, positive ideas for change, South Africa, thorts of other people, what i am reading|3 Comments

A Few Woke White Men: some thoughts from the internet

#NotOnOurWatch, inspire-ations, thorts of other people, what i am reading

A Few Woke White Men: some thoughts from the internet

Do white women wake up to racial disparity and the need for personal change and movement and a different way of thinking quicker than men? i published this piece yesterday repeating a friend's question as to why there seem to be more woke women than men when it comes to racial matters. There was some incredible conversation that happened in response to my Facebook status which was this: Black friend made a comment on another [...]

By brettfish|2018-02-07T10:07:06+02:00February 7th, 2018|#NotOnOurWatch, inspire-ations, thorts of other people, what i am reading|1 Comment

A Few Woke White Men

South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, tricky things

A Few Woke White Men

Are white women more open to becoming wokified than white men? If you're not sure what 'Woke' means in this context, a quick delve into Merriam-Webster should help you out: Stay woke became a watchword in parts of the black community for those who were self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better. But stay woke and woke became part of a wider discussion in 2014, immediately following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The word woke became [...]

By brettfish|2018-02-07T10:09:26+02:00February 6th, 2018|South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, tricky things|1 Comment

The [Cape Town] Life Aquatic: How do we go from here?

challenging thorts, change the world, inspire-ations, race vibes, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, Uncategorized

The [Cape Town] Life Aquatic: How do we go from here?

Day Zero continues its menacing approach like a menacing Sith Lord approaching with somber orchestral accompaniment in the background... Cape Town readies itself by desperately grabbing hold of any water-catching, water-containing or water-producing containers it can find... And we stand at a dry and dusty crossroads where both paths seem to lead away from any kind of aquatic-heavy future. There has already been a fair amount [...]

By brettfish|2018-02-01T08:40:41+02:00February 1st, 2018|challenging thorts, change the world, inspire-ations, race vibes, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Water we do now: a collection of helpful posts and stories

pain and Hope, South Africa, thorts of other people, tricky things

Water we do now: a collection of helpful posts and stories

Cape Town Water Day Zero approaches rapidly with April 12th being the latest prediction. And people are talking about it everywhere... and there is some really helpful stuff... and so i thought it might help if we collected a bunch of it together for easy access, you know, like 25L water bottles in that one guy's trolley! If you find any of these links helpful, please pass them on and feel free to share them [...]

By brettfish|2018-01-30T14:36:30+02:00January 30th, 2018|pain and Hope, South Africa, thorts of other people, tricky things|0 Comments

Dear South Africa – meet a privileged white woman

#NotOnOurWatch, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, what i am reading

Dear South Africa – meet a privileged white woman

Dear South Africa... This is an interesting one. i was sent this story and asked if i could share it anonymously. And only realised when i copied it in here that it was a two-parter [i had initially missed the second part]. Which adds a whole different layer to the first part of the story and i imagine different people will have different reactions to it. But at the same time it gives a glimpse [...]

By brettfish|2018-01-30T06:52:27+02:00January 30th, 2018|#NotOnOurWatch, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people, what i am reading|5 Comments

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet Shana’s realisation

inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet Shana’s realisation

Yesterday i posted a Facebook status by my sister-in-law Shana who was celebrating the fact that she had managed to combine a shower, hair wash and condition, teeth wash and leg shave all just using 5l of water. She did get some pushback as a number of people commented about how that has been their normal for as long as they can remember. And to her credit, she listened and really heard and this is [...]

By brettfish|2018-01-24T17:06:01+02:00January 24th, 2018|inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people|5 Comments

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet Shana Kreusch

inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet Shana Kreusch

i would like to introduce you to my sister-in-law Shana and her easy and doable water-saving idea combo: = = = == = = = == Guys. I did it. I brushed teeth, showered, shaved and washed and conditioned my hair, using 5L of water, and caught it all to use to flush the toilet tonight. To be honest, it was actually so easy, I'm aiming for 4L tomorrow. Here's how: 1. Measure 5L hot [...]

By brettfish|2018-01-24T17:15:20+02:00January 23rd, 2018|inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people|4 Comments

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet the Pattendens

inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people

Day Zero approaches: Water we going to do? Meet the Pattendens

Cape Town has a water crisis going on. Something like 50% of families in Cape Town have done absolutely nothing to make any effort in terms of water conservation which boggles the mind as the rest of us are standing in buckets and queueing up for water and getting all sorts of creative to try and stave off Day Zero just one more day, week, month... One of the families that has been doing some [...]

By brettfish|2018-01-23T06:59:22+02:00January 22nd, 2018|inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people|7 Comments

Dear South Africa… a letter from Jess Basson

inspire-ations, South Africa, things to wrestle with, thorts of other people

Dear South Africa… a letter from Jess Basson

Dear South Africa, Actually, dear white South Africans. My peeps. I love you but we can't have another year like 2017. Seriously. I've taken the liberty of writing a few New Year's Resolutions for us. I reckon we can do it. Learn an African language. Pay your domestic worker a living wage and stop calling her "Irene". Her name is Thobeka. Only read novels written by African authors. Get on Black Twitter. Look at black [...]