Or maybe when we decided that the most important thing in life is being seen, preferably in a selfie, preferably with a caption about “blessings” next to a plate of food you can barely afford We’ve turned outrage into a national pastime We shout about corruption on Facebook and X, then turn around and pay the bribe because “that’s just how things work.” We complain about potholes but still post videos swerving around them for likes We say we want leaders with integrity, then vote for the cousin of the guy who once gave us a freecT-shirt and a Coke or Nyathi Globally, it’s not much better The whole world has become one big gossip market A war breaks out It’s a trending hashtag until the next celebrity scandal knocks it off the charts People lose their homes, their livelihoods, meanwhile we’re too busy debating whether a Hollywood couple is “still together” to notice Kindness is now something we do for the camera Helping someone quietly, without a witness Forget it If it’s not on TikTok, did it even happen Even funerals have become photo ops Smile, stand near the casket, post with a sad emoji, done If you can add a Bible verse, some bonus points for you Whatever happened to “community?” We love that word We say it with pride, like it’s still alive But try asking for help when there’s no chance of being featured in someone’s Instagram story, you’ll hear nothing back, you may as well turn around We’re united when we’re marching for a hashtag, but scattered when someone actually needs rent money or school fees The truth is, we’ve learned to live with hypocrisy the way we live with load shedding It’s annoying, it messes up our day, but we shrug, make a plan, and carry on We used to have principles Now we have coping mechanisms So, when did we sink this low Like I said, I have no idea If I were to date it, I think we finally hit rock bottom last week Not because of another scandal in government, those are now like kombis at Copacabana: always arriving, always full of noise No, we truly scraped the barrel when half the country spent 48 hours debating whether Sulumani Chimbetu had asked out Grace Mugabe Yes, that was the breaking news Never mind that it was fake Never mind that there’s a malaria and cholera outbreak ravaging the country and half the clinics have no medicine What mattered was whether Sulu had the audacity to shoot his shot at the former First Lady And the saddest part People ate it up like it was free sadza at a rally In fact, for some, it was the national conversation Forget inflation Forget teachers being paid less and less every pay cycle Forget that every week there’s a “missing” $200 million from some ministry No, the headline that gripped the nation was basically: “Musician Flirts With Former First Lady” We’ve become experts at selective outrage A cabinet minister “loses” $50 million We shake our heads, post “Aaah, Zimbabwe” with a laughing emoji, and move on But a celebrity says something cheeky, and suddenly we’re political analysts, moral guardians, and gossip columnists all rolled into one.I suspect it wasn’t one big moment It was a slow drip, small compromises, small silences, small acts of looking the other way Over time, they hollowed us out And now, here we are: live-streaming from the bottom, asking for likes, follows, and maybe a miracle Your email address will not be published Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Δ Originally published on The Zimbabwean All Zim News is a central hub for all things Zimbabwean, curating news from across the country so no story is missed Alongside aggregation, our team of nationwide reporters provides real-time, on-the-ground coverage Stay informed and connected — reach us at admin@allzimnews.com . Source: Thezimbabwean
