Is there a lack of intellectualism in our community?

[TheMightyNomad]

Thats why on some level I respect the Jews (non Israeli Jews). They circle the wagons. They do business with each other so that their money circulates in Jewish hands. And on top of that they teach their kids Jewish identity (whatever that means for them). They promote Jewish interests and values.

We should take a page out of their book.

i have some respect for the jews in terms of how they were able to rebound out of their spot. but their past issues seem incomparable to us im afraid, we cant adopt their methods and compare them to us. We are nothing alike.

Again its not a matter of not teaching their kids their identity, as many somalis are fucked upside down and shaken from civil war. If i were to compare the somalis observed from when i was a tiny kid in the late 90s or early 2000s to now its like you wouldnt recognize them in terms of thinking behavior circumstance etc.

like rooble noted & pointed on the first page

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Change has to occur back home first, the core. It's like the root of a tree. Diasporans are just fallen leaves....

this is true and pluss we cant hold our parents generation to it they are literally handicapped, the youth need to mobilize themselves our future which is at risk. We cannot do that because many are preoccupied by foreign ideologies and concepts alien to our people and grabbed by the balls by foreigners.

Some are actively trying follow the lead of Reer Talo Xume and finish their battles.

[RoobleAlWaliid]

Never have i claimed anything about somali superiority never use the word nigger or negro. The only thing i wish was that somali youth would regain the sense of self they have lost due to war and for us to promote & uphold somali values and interests & world view.
To have that authentic love for being somali.

Sadly all i see in somali youth is dad wareersan, people full of self pity and self loathing. They consipire to attack everything of what it means to be a somali.

A people so devoid of the flaming glittering Somali Spirit.

True bro, but I personally have no problem if they criticize themselves and their community and give feedback to each other, so to develope themselves and their community. What's very disturbing is when they uplift other ethnic groups, whilst degrading and ridiculing their own.

Feedback and critique is very important, especially when one wants to stay on the top of the game, in this case, Somali's and their country.

[Hyperactive]

no, God gave us enought to life way better lives.

we happen not to use it and take easier road to follow war lords.

[Adali]

Seriously, the amount of people who are Somali and who are (even casually) interested in science, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics, economics etc. I have met in my life I can count on one hand. 50% of discussion is qabyaalad, the remaining 50% is split between sports, politics and religion (of which they know virtually nothing about).

It's gotten to the point where they just bore me now and I'd rather read a book than have a conversation.

Bro just find people with similar interest in you, I agree we need to find something to fill the massive hole in our chest, space formerly occupied by our nationalism and pride in ethnicity LOL.

[Methylamine]

There are many intellectuals in our community, you just have to look around. One thing I've noticed is that many well-educated Somalis tend to have a superiority complex, and a lot of them choose not to contribute their knowledge to benefit the wider community. People like Nuruddin Farah and Ahmed Samatar come to mind

[Basra-]

Yah, I'd say a serious absence.

[TheCadaanGuy]

I see way more educated Somalis than Ethiopians, Eritreans, Kenyans, and other east Africans.

You guys don't see them much because they don't mix with general Somali population. They're all either busy studying, married and living in "middle class" area or living with parents and not going out much.

There are some Somalis at my uni. I think all of them are reading a science based degree. I saw a Somali female going to engineering classes, that's quite an achievement. The other one was a postgraduate, I've been in her class once. Very good teacher if you ask me.

This uni is notoriously difficult to get in, and also difficult to commute if you live in an area with large Somali population. Somalis can be very dedicated.

Anyway, they absolutely do exist if you know where to find them.

[TheMightyNomad]

People like Nuruddin Farah and Ahmed Samatar come to mind

of all the people you could have mentioned you choose Wannabe westerners and Psuedo intellectuals.

Nurrudin Farah said:

somali society is cruel ..we are very cruel to one another…we do not understand kindness to others because no-one has been kind to us. I am often kind to others because people have been kind to me. Were as many somalis life is very difficult. The family is unkind the husband is unkind the father is unkind and there for cruelty becomes the currency of exchange.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02v0l2 ... ow_twitter

and

Ahmed Samatar said:

AS:
Deliberativeness is the word; we don’t have that. And third, I think we are also very vain people. Think of Anglo-Saxon pragmatism. A
pragmatism expressed in words like, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This is crude pragmatism that enabled the Anglo-Saxons to conquer the world. On the other hand, with the Somali even the smallest of a slight will provoke him into violence, even into murder and mayhem.


These are essentially baseless claims.Slander and assertions being made & legitimized under guise of intellectualism while they simultaneously promote and incorporate european Reality and world view on somalis.

These are foreign Western products and most importantly a product of the somali civil war which has birthed out a Self hating Generation of people. You can see how their views & perceptions and their works radically changed after the war.

The reason for their lack of contribution is widely known and understood. Self hate or hate of any kind have a hard time in being beneficial for anyone or any group. instead of contributing by giving a fair understanding of the somali reality in academia and also uphold somali values. They rather ponder to eurocentric beliefs and later demonize their own people and self identify with civil war and our present day circumstance as representative of the Somali people.

If You dont share their self hating views you should try other somali scholars and academics particularly before the war, i could list some for you.

[SiennaEarth]

Honestly LiquidHydrogen I get what you mean, whenever I discuss important shxt with my friends like politics or science or the world around us or the state of our economy they all get bored, and they all find me boring if I'm not talking about the usual stuff. It's not just Somalis it's a lot of people, especially the younger generation.

[Rambie]

Yeah, I feel you.
Many of whom I grow up with
were interesting and enlightened, sadly most
of them left. I don't like sitting with elders too
all they talk about is qabiil, jokes and gossiping on other people.

Somali people like to
talk as they know everything, but in reality
they don't know shit. Young and old would try to
make a joke on you or change the subject whenever
you debate 'em seriously and they get cornered. Very sad.

[gurey25]

Liquidhydrogen you have the example of an intellectual here called gedogurl..

the intellect is strong in this one...

[PrinceDaadi]

I see way more educated Somalis than Ethiopians, Eritreans, Kenyans, and other east Africans.

.

??????

[TheMightyNomad]

I see way more educated Somalis than Ethiopians, Eritreans, Kenyans, and other east Africans.

.

??????

It could be that he doesnt know any kenyans saaxiib!

[LiquidHYDROGEN]

LiquidHydrogen, I agree with studying the sciences more widely, it has a greater effect on our minds and economic development than philosophy does, philosophy just helps you understand others (its good for business). Very few philosophical ideas have yet to penetrate reality any way, they shaped people's cultures, but its not ours so we'll always be followers and they'll be ten steps ahead. We need a great thinker to figure out how we can push forward our own philosophies (old or new) and way of life into the modern world. Islam used gold as a currency, and its still a reserve currency...why don't we have a think about Islamic banking in the financial markets of today? Tell me one thing philosophy taught you about the world?

So you are a utilitarian?

BTW, I'm not advocating we copy other people's culture. In fact, I want the opposite. I want an indigenous Somali cultural Renaissance. I don't want us to perform Shakespeare, I want us to perform Hadraawi. I don't want a Einstein, I want a Somali theoretical physicist. I don't want Michael Angelo, I want a Somali sculpture and architect who uses traditional Somali design and architecture. The problem is we don't have a Somali equivalent of Plato or Mozart because we don't value abstract philosophy or orchestrated music. I don't want us to copy, I want us to be at the forefront of cultural and technological innovation. Unfortunately, we aren't even at the level of pre-industrial Europe, we're so far behind the rest of the world.

Liquidhydrogen you have the example of an intellectual here called gedogurl..

the intellect is strong in this one...

What do you mean?

[Kaafiye]

There are a lot of Somalis who studied the sciences and work in science related fields. Philosophy is psuedointellectual, I studied some weird ideas at uni and all I had to say was...its either an explanation of atheism or heavily based on white culture. Black philosophy is also just the struggles of a black man in his own thoughts. Nothing special about the subject. Economics is not that difficult to understand, but there is so little data about our region that it rarely makes it here. The recent IMF report could have been written by a two year old. The IMF report in 2100 might be a slight head scratcher and so on, the more industries we have, the more we can discuss. And the news does all our thinking for us.

Who needs Socrates and his ramblings when you have the coherent sources in Islam. Our people could be great lawmakers and leaders under the right environment.

It's that sort of lack of curiosity that leads to a stagnated nation. The gaalo are ahead of us because they are curious about everything. From the bottom of the ocean to the most distant part of the universe and space, they document and study everything. Philosophy isn't "white culture" since some of the greatest thinkers ever came from China, India and Persia. I'm not saying everyone should study philosophy, but the shear lack of interest in anything outside fadhikudirir and sports is baffling.

LiquidHYDROGEN

I completely agree bro. We need to have more scientific inquiry within our Somali community. We need to study the works of everyone from Ibn Taymiyah to Socrates to Adam Smith. But the general population is bored by these writers and would prefer to watch a soccer game. SMH