LONDON LETTER: Is this the latest limit of insanity?

THE phrase, ‘Those whom the Gods wish to destroy they first make mad’ is fast becoming a slogan for our times. At the moment we are still in the half-crazed stage, not terminally insane. But the condition is fast becoming critical.

And the halfwits at the forefront of this lunacy are groups of mainly white people who somewhat quaintly call themselves Social Justice Warriors, or SJWs. Any similarity between SJWs and real warriors is non-existent.

Real warriors are people who have protected their communities from marauding enemies since the

dawn of humankind. At first they were villagers and farmers fighting for their families, then knights or samurais or impis or commandos – they come in many forms – to the combat soldiers of today.

The evolution of SJWs is somewhat different. From juvenile student politicians to street protesters to G7 rioters to perpetually outraged backbenchers demanding we commit economic suicide, they are no more warriors than I am a rocket scientist.

Their latest crusade is against ‘cultural appropriation’. While the term was initially used to describe

the disrespectful usage of cultural items, it has been ‘appropriated’ by SJWs to mean anything a Westerner might enjoy that didn’t come from Europe.

Normally I would roll my eyes at such crud. But to my astonishment, this has actually got traction and gone right up to the United Nations.

They even have a UN committee called the ‘World Intellectual Property Organization’ with

Indigenous Advocates from 189 countries investigating ‘cultural crimes’.

If they have their way, only indigenous people will be allowed to wear, eat, or use indigenous stuff.

I’m not sure exactly what that means, but taken to its logical conclusion, it seems that whites will be banned from plaiting their hair in dreadlocks, while only Polynesians can wear gaudy Hawaiian shirts or surf baggies.

To put this in a local context, expect a bunch of SJWs with enough wire body-piercings to electrify

Babanango, arriving at Hluhluwe to inform the good women doing beautiful craft there that no non-African should be allowed to buy their beads and woven baskets.

Or a wood carver selling rhino sculptures at a N2 stall outside Mtuba being hectored by bang-on

blokes from Europe that tourists are ‘stealing his culture’. However, as with all SJW campaigns, the genuine victims are the least of their concerns.

It’s all about feeling good about themselves, and boy — have they cornered that market. Extremism But let’s for the sake of argument take this further.

Baseball caps, so beloved by the Bloods and Cripps gangs of Los Angeles, will be limited to honkies only. Except, I won’t be the one delivering that news to them. Life is short enough as it is.

On the plus side, they can still wear jeans, as that fashion statement evolved in California. Generally, the Americans will do okay in this appropriation gig.

They will still have electricity, thanks to Benjamin Franklin, but it will be a blackout for everyone

else who won’t be allowed to appropriate voltage.

They will also be able to fly, as air planes were invented by Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to take trains. Oops, amend that. Trains can only be used in

England as the locomotive was designed by George Stephenson.

Sadly, if you like Country music or Rhythm ’n Blues, you will be out of luck. Willie Nelson, George Benson and other amazing axmen will no longer be able play guitars or harmonicas, as those instruments were invented in

Spain and Germany respectively. Health wise, diabetes sufferers will have to bite the bullet, unless

they are Canadian. Insulin was invented in that country.

Also, brace yourself for another smallpox epidemic, unless you are a Brit. The vaccine that eradicated

the killer virus was manufactured by Englishman Dr Edward Jenner.

For foodies, there will be riots in the streets of Italy, as pasta was invented in China. But said

Italians may be prevented from expressing dissatisfaction as democracy is an Ancient Greek concept.

Okay, I’m labouring the point.  Especially as pedants will note that I am culturally appropriating the

word ‘appropriate’. It comes from Latin, you see. So only the Romans can use it.