Somali Intellectuals: Very demeaning term!

[waryaa]

Somali news sites, radio and TV stations often report on "waxgardka so and so" (clan hbel intellectuals, somali intellectuals, etc, etc). I think this is an insult to Somali people because it implies Somalis are not intellectual people by nature. To see if my disgust has any ground, I headed google and did some keyword searches:

"Somali Intellectuals": About 22,800 results

our neighbors
"Ethiopian Intellectuals" (five times larger country): About 7,580 results
"Kenyan Intellectuals" (another much larger country): About 3,790 results

Afghanistan (another civilwar ravaged nation)
"Afghani intellectuals": About 55 results
"Afghanistan Intellectuals": About 366 results

When a society is said to have a group intellectuals it means the rest have no intellect of their own. Another surprise was when I tried to see how the so called Somali intellectuals look like and saw similarly dressed middle aged men. It is normal to see a news article about Somali elders, women and intellectuals. Don't we have elder or women intellectuals?

[quark]

They are very rare 20 plus yrs of chaos and madness over petty things is all the prove u need.

[ToughGong]

So you're saying Somalsi tend to use that term more as it impresses them.Even though there are less of them (interlectuals) within the population.

[BlackVelvet]

You have understood it as "Somalis who are Intellectuals" however it could also mean "Intellectuals who are Somali" i.e. there are a lot of Intellectuals in the world but we are talking specifically about our Somali intellectuals and in that sense it is more arrogant than demeaning. Given then that Somalis are generally arrogant I think this is what they mean.

[waryaa]

I mean this term is used excessively when talking about Somalis. It is used by Somalis and not somalis alike. It is also fake. Let's say u wanna organize a meeting for the bright and intellectually superior folks. How do you know who is and who is not? I mean what are the criteria? Using this term on somali society so excessively is absurd. For instance, look @ how many pages on "Afghani intellectuals" google found. That term has been used so little when talking about Afgani, Ethiopian and Kenyan ppl because these societies don't call some of their own more or less superior intellectually.

When you are comfortable with the notion that a group of intellectuals exist in the society, you basically admit that most members of your society have no intelligence capabilities. That's an insult in my books

[AhlulbaytSoldier]

When looking at somali criteria for being intellectual then it doesnt need much to become one.
Even busdriver dr.ex-donkeydriver is by definition "intellectual".


Infact all those socalled intellectuals are waxmagarad.

[waryaa]

lol - hutu.. my tirade was toward ppl who pass as "intellectuals" on meetings and conferences and the ones who accommodate them. A nomadic man who's never seen a motorized vehicle in his entire life can be more inclined mentally than many folks with multiple western passports who come on TV/Radio shows speaking on behalf of Somalis and calling themselves "intellectuals"... fck shirka wxgaradka

[BlackVelvet]

Waryaa is this because you didn't get an invite?

[waryaa]

Waryaa is this because you didn't get an invite?

loool @ bv would go accept if you were approached and asked to attend a meeting for intellectually superior somalis?

[Hyperactive]

lol@shirka wxgaradka , they mean any one who talks too much in every topic and gives opinion. cause many real intellectuals keep low profiles and dont talk much.

[BlackVelvet]

Would you decline?

What should they call it instead? Shirka dadka hadalka jecel?

[arabmtu]

Given then that Somalis are generally arrogant

How did you reach that conclusion?

[abdisamad3]

any idiot with grey beard and cimaamad can call him self an intellectual in Somalia and claim to represent or speak for a clan or a religious faction.

[BlackVelvet]

Given then that Somalis are generally arrogant

How did you reach that conclusion?

Observation.

[Shirwac_1]

Sxb ur point wont hold no water.Somalia and Somalis have no state, until then we should remain silent as Somalis. what u think?