My Dinner Last Night

Last night I had the pleasure of dining at 312 Chicago with a rather eclectic group of dining partners. There were two Americans, two Indians, one South African, and one Nigerian. The conversation did not dodge political topics or other subjects frequently considered sensitive. It made for an interesting evening.

My views comported were somewhere between those of the other American and the South African although not nearly as pessimistic as those of the South African, who lives in the United States. I think he was somewhat shocked at my awareness of history and geography.

At one point he made the observation, “I returned to South Africa from Angola to find I had lost my country. Now I’m afraid I’m losing another” to which I responded, “To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to lose one country may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two countries begins to sound like carelessness.”

1 comment… add one
  • Guarneri Link

    I happen to have some very good S African friends who have now been here for a number of years. He’s in your business. A high octane business consultant. Talk about pessimistic. They lived it. Let’s just stipulate (as they would) that apartheid was a moral horror show. But the solution has been but a minor step above.

    Its become a, to coin a phrase, shithole. Businesses have fled. Crime. Corruption.

    I don’t know what you mean by carelessness. It was the darling position of the left to rush into that. Decisions have consequences.

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