Onlangs bel ek die toerismekantoor van \u2019n Klein Karoo-dorpie. Die beampte verstaan nie my navraag nie en reageer met \u2018Kom weer\u2019? Ek skrik my woorde w\u00e9g \u2013 wanneer het professionele gesprekvoering sommer-so verdwyn? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verlede week laat die vreeslike monoloog van die meisie agter die kasregister van \u2019n winkel in ons hoofstraat my kop draai. Om een of ander vreemde rede wou sy graag vir my vertel dat sy nie middae n\u00e1 werk kan rus nie, want haar ma roep haar pal met take, veral \u201com die hondek@@ te gaan optel\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vyf minute in \u2019n winkel en dis die kaliber gesprekke wat \u2019n mens deesdae moet aanhoor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek moes al tillmeisies in \u2019n koswinkel vermaan om mekaar eerder later dood te maak \u2013 verkieslik n\u00e1dat hulle my gehelp het (hulle het gedreig om mekaar \u2018te l\u00e9m\u2019). En ek wonder: Wat het van opleiding en evaluering van goeie dienslewering geword? Is ons finaal oorgelewer aan die verswakking van die etiese norme wat deesdae om ons woed? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Onlangs s\u00ea \u2019n koerantberig: \u201cMatie-tokkelokke laat meisies gril\u201d. Ek lees hoe die andersins-gerespekteerde joernalis sy artikel grond op hoors\u00ea nadat \u2019n klomp meisies in klastyd \u2018afgepak het\u2019 oor enkele mans. Die skrywer was nie eens teenwoordig nie \u2013 maar skinderstories via \u2019n middelganger beland woerts as veralgemening op bladsy 2 van \u2019n prominente nuusblad. Red nou \u2019n nasie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan praat ons nie eens van Stellenbosch se Wilgenhofdebakel nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Internetbronne wys hoeveel tyd en energie bestee word om te verklaar waarom IK-tellings deesdae afneem, teenoor die vorige eeu se stygende intelligensiekwosi\u00ebnt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur IQ levels are falling, and no-one knows why\u201d, s\u00ea die skrywer Luke Kemp in \u2019n BBC Future-artikel. Kemp verwys na die historikus Arnold Toynbee se \u201chistoriese outopsie\u201d van 28 indrukwekkende samelewings wat verval het: Great civilisations are not murdered. Instead, they take their own lives<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn sekere opsigte was Toynbee reg,\u201d skryf Kemp. \u201cSamelewings is dikwels verantwoordelik vir hul eie agteruitgang. Maar gereeld ondersteun buite-faktore hierdie selfvernietiging (self-destruction is usually assisted<\/i>).\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hy verwys dan na swak leierskap, dalende waardes en drastiese klimaatsverandering as gemene delers in die verval van voorheen suksesvolle samelewings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan tuimel intelligente denke en onderhandelingsvermo\u00eb oor die afgrond weens swak konsentrasievermo\u00eb en gebrekkige selfdissipline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dalk het ons nog \u2019n effense keuse; veral as ons toesien dat diegene in ons onmiddellike omgewing aan die lees en dink bly. Maar ons moet vinnig spring, voordat daar net enkele oppervlakkige woorde soos k@@ en fo@ en \u201cso what\u201d soos verlore herfsblare deur amper le\u00eb koppe dwarrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dalk is daar nog hoop as werkgewers vasbyt en gereeld hul personeel verskerp \u2013 of ten minste begin om personeel met beter vermo\u00ebns aan te stel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anders word die oorlede geskiedskrywer Dan Sleigh se woorde bewaarheid toe hy kort voor Covid-19 verwys het na \u201cdie veronnoseliking van die samelewing\u201d. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Onlangs bel ek die toerismekantoor van \u2019n Klein Karoo-dorpie. Die beampte verstaan nie my navraag nie en reageer met \u2018Kom weer\u2019? Ek skrik my woorde w\u00e9g \u2013 wanneer het professionele gesprekvoering sommer-so verdwyn?.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":43772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"547e7962-e293-4abb-a704-409cfbb4f4ef","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Sarie Nell","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-43770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n