Why logic falls on Thabo's deaf ears

Why logic falls on Thabo's deaf ears

Scientists in America have uncovered proof for something that pretty much all South Africans – with the exception of Thabo Mbeki and his cabinet – have known for years: when people feel powerful, they ignore new opinions and ideas. The study, by Ohio State University's Richard Petty and Pablo Briñol, reveals that, the more powerful any individual feels, the less likely they are to listen to anything, regardless of the quality of the argument. You don't say.

According to Petty, the research indicates that power, rather than corrupting those who hold it, actually leads people to unquestionably believe their own thoughts. Consequently, despite the fact that anyone can have negative thoughts, those feeling powerful are more likely to act on them without listening to counter opinion. “Powerful people are more likely to act on what they are thinking...without second guessing themselves,” says Petty.

To be fair, you can level the accusation of deafness at just about any government on the planet, but what makes this particularly interesting is what it might say about Mr. President's post-Polokwane interest in “reaching out” to the people in what must be one of the most shameless demonstrations of too little, too late in political history. It seems it took the victory of another man incapable of appreciating the cogency of the arguments for why he may not be fit to govern to clear a bit of the Presidential ear wax. One can only assume that our health minister is either glued to her iPod or is as oblivious to the implications of Polokwane as she seems to be to the reality of the HIV/AIDS situation here....