Driving along one of Cape Town’s life threateningly clogged arteries last week I noticed a factory or warehouse for a local company called “Pozzi.” Now while I have no idea what it is that “Pozzi” are responsible for, the name reminded me of some of the horrendous, yet warmly accepted and veraciously used slang that was rampant during my high school years. Here follows a conversation that would typically have taken place during register period every morning. Obviously a fair amount of expletives have been removed, not that it helps in the understanding of what was said!
Scott: Howzit bru!
Greg: Howzit! I’m hungry. Whats on today?
Scott: Naught bru, leave my samies alone!
Greg: Aag come on man! Ops us one!
Scott: Naught bru! I’ve got a long trap home today.
Greg: Chill bru, just asking. Score us a section of your naartjie then!
Scott: Aah shot hey, now you wanna score my fruit too?
Greg: Naught! Score me a samie and I’ll score you a durry at break!
Scott: Kif, check you then!
Joey: Hey Shel, you’re in my posi!
Sheldon: Don’t be a chop! This is my posi I got here first!
Joey: You think you lank cool parking in posi hey?
Sheldon: So what you gonna do about it? You wanna wrought?
Joey: I’ll rumble anytime.
Greg: Chill okes!
I don't know if the quality of high school conversations have improved with time, but my guess is that while the choice of colloquialisms have changed, the absurdity of it all hasn't.
Thursday 15 February 2007
Thursday 1 February 2007
Spiderman and the Environment
As far back as I can remember I have always been a fan of DC and Marvel superheroes. In my formative years of the late 1970’s, and those fashion disaster years of the 1980’s, I remember being fascinated by the superhero collectable trading cards that you could buy and then swap amongst you your mates. I would save all my pocket money (or alternatively nag my mother for the duration of an entire shopping expedition, that it was imperative that I get a pack of these cards as everyone else would have them and I didn’t want to be left out!) and at the first available opportunity head on down to the nearest CNA to buy a little pack of cards. There was always much nervous excitement involved in doing this as you would never know which cards you would be getting. Would you get repeats of the minor heroes such as Robin, Dare Devil or Supergirl, or would it be a rare valued commodity of the likes of Captain America, Spiderman or Thor? I have one particularly fond memory of trying to convince one of my erstwhile Std 2 peers that it would be to his advantage to swap his Thor card for my Robin card. To sweeten the deal I would also give him my really valuable, and extremely rare Green Lantern card (of which I had two, but business is business.) He must have thought the deal lucrative as I ended up with the much treasured Thor card.
As a youngster these super strong, ultra quick, sharp witted and very often bullet proof beings provided a shining example of choosing sides in the fight between right and wrong, the battle between good and evil, and the desperate need of many superheroes to get a fashion consultant. Men in tights? Often with their underpants on the outside? What were they thinking?
Which brings me to my point. Spiderman has always been amongst my preferred superheroes. I have no idea why I took a liking to him, but his wall-crawling, web throwing, agile abilities mesmerised me. However as an adult, with images from the Toby Maguire Spiderman films, and a matured sense of environmentalism, I came to ask myself the following; whatever happens to the webs that are left hanging from lamp posts and windowsills as Spidey makes his way hastily across town to aid some damsel in distress, or battle some incarnation of The Goblin? Do they simply disintegrate? Or would we find that if the camera was to pan back as he swung by, that some innocent bystanders simply going about htheir daily business, were caught up in the trails of his extra sticky string? I am not sure of the chemical make-up of the arachnid-like man's webs but do they present an environmental threat? Do the mini fibres that may come loose from his web-sprays affect the lungs of developing children? Are they flammable? What would the consequences of a carelessly discarded cigarette butt landing on a forgotten spider-strand be?
Maybe its just me, but this Spiderman adoring boy believes that Marvel Comics need to consider the environmentally damaging actions one of their prime heroes.
;-)
As a youngster these super strong, ultra quick, sharp witted and very often bullet proof beings provided a shining example of choosing sides in the fight between right and wrong, the battle between good and evil, and the desperate need of many superheroes to get a fashion consultant. Men in tights? Often with their underpants on the outside? What were they thinking?
Which brings me to my point. Spiderman has always been amongst my preferred superheroes. I have no idea why I took a liking to him, but his wall-crawling, web throwing, agile abilities mesmerised me. However as an adult, with images from the Toby Maguire Spiderman films, and a matured sense of environmentalism, I came to ask myself the following; whatever happens to the webs that are left hanging from lamp posts and windowsills as Spidey makes his way hastily across town to aid some damsel in distress, or battle some incarnation of The Goblin? Do they simply disintegrate? Or would we find that if the camera was to pan back as he swung by, that some innocent bystanders simply going about htheir daily business, were caught up in the trails of his extra sticky string? I am not sure of the chemical make-up of the arachnid-like man's webs but do they present an environmental threat? Do the mini fibres that may come loose from his web-sprays affect the lungs of developing children? Are they flammable? What would the consequences of a carelessly discarded cigarette butt landing on a forgotten spider-strand be?
Maybe its just me, but this Spiderman adoring boy believes that Marvel Comics need to consider the environmentally damaging actions one of their prime heroes.
;-)
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