GLOBALISATION has always been seen by me as unequal, particularly as regards African Countries and the West/ world over. While we fail to meet their standards with our goods and production, theirs are tagged the ‘ideal’ things we need to live our daily lives. Vladimir Lenin describes Imperialism as the highest form of Capitalism. I take Globalization as the highest form of Imperialism. There are numerous forms of Globalization; however, I’ll concentrate on cultural globalization. This has been going on for years by the West under planned ‘long term vision goals’ where some countries in Africa can’t even successfully carry out an election it took four years to plan. These goals most times sip into our minds through Western movies amongst many things. Many people don’t know that 80 per cent of the decisions they make today are born out of what they watched in some movie and not their own fresh idea. The ‘social export’ or if you like, ‘social Indoctrination’ or ‘social/cultural globalisation’ of/by the West has/had a trend. My observation of the trend started from the 90s with lots of movies that had to do with Gangs, the mob, organized crime, cults etc. This increased and changed the face of Cultism in Nigeria to that which was characterized by Violence, Killings and attacks.
Later in the late 90s and from early 2000, it all changed to High School freedom movies. Where teenagers were shown it was very okay to engage in vices as teens in high school, particularly sex. Movies like American Pie, part 1 to whatever best shows this and lots more. That created a breed of secondary school students who wanted to explore, party and have wild sex. The next stage which was introduced in movies which is more relatable to today’s youth are movies which show how okay it is to pop pills and take drugs. What happens is coordinated and gradual. At every stage, all movies you see has a part that shows what they are trying to portray, till it is getting general acceptance and then becomes the theme of every movie seen in circulation. The next time you are wondering why that girl smokes her weed with ease or while you as a babe takes weed, wondering where you got the courage from, just know you once saw one fragile girl who wasn’t as thick as you in a movie smoking with ease and that gave your subconscious the courage. Same as guys (apologies to feminists).
The next stage which we are seeing but will be so comfortable with the coming generation is the introduction of Homosexuality and Lesbianism. It first started with scenes of about 6seconds where a guy tries to kiss a guy and they just take it away and not show it. You also fast forward that part with a squeezed face. Over time, they flooded the movies and it was in every movie and a major scene in every movie. Till you got used to it and now when such a scene appears, you don’t squeeze your face, you just think ‘let them hurry up and finish this scene and get to the part I want to see’. Your mind/subconscious has accepted it as a norm. This is where the trend has stopped for me. As a movie addict, in following these trends, what I failed to take note of is if there has been a shift from the last stage mentioned to one that has quietly introduced suicide as a viable option or easy way out to anyone in distress. I may have to pick up movies from 2013 for research but I do not think that has been going on.
The wave of suicide seems strange to our society and ordinarily should be researched upon by practitioners in that field or different fields. It has become rampant and seen as nothing by people. Gradually, we are seeing a people who could deal with anything become people who are tagged ‘depressed’. Like every test, the word ‘depression’ has passed the test stage and is now generally accepted as a reason for the much common Suicide today. Many of these depression cases today and all those who accept it as normal are mostly youngsters. This, to me, calls for concern and serious research. However, I believe the growth process of many, has caused them later slipping into depression. While Suicide causes range from being in situations which seem insurmountable like huge debts, major causes on each lip these days or those about to commit it is they being ‘depressed’. It has been further discovered that majority of those who hinge suicidal thoughts on depression are mostly idle and alone/lonely. Suicide will very soon be a thing of great concern to the Nation as a whole. I’m foreseeing it being a national topic which the government has to put a hand in such discourse very soon with the way it is going.
Above all, we should begin to train ourselves and those coming behind us how to be our own company, how to enjoy our own company, how not to be bored being alone, how to use our thoughts when alone to create imaginative successes. Few deliberate choices of Solitude should be encouraged. As much as you may be outgoing, you must also have your moments where you can have Wild imaginations that can be fun without being destructive to the world or yourself. If only people could peep through the curtain and see what’s ahead, they would never take their own lives. Unfortunately, life’s curtain is sealed and we break the next phase each passing day till we get to the place where we should be. Lots of people who have committed suicide curse their souls for giving up when they get to the world beyond. This is because they see how things would have later turned out for them should they have waited. Don’t curse your soul, be strong. Remember, Thou shall not kill. Not yourself, not another. How tragic will it be to take one’s life here and in the afterlife be a damned soul for eternity.
You are loved.
- Omowon is Executive Director/CEO, Wide Gate Initiative for Peace and Dispute Resolution (WIPDIR).
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