Coloow Posted September 29, 2003 salaama somalis; Very often we tend to neglect simple issues that are perhaps the root cause of somalia's problems: For starters why do we Somalis love titles? Listening to the BBC; reading websites one is confronted by titles such as "Dr"; Engineer;Duuliye; General; Captain etc. I have been living in the western hemisphere for the past 15 years and throughout those years I have only seen a few people that are addressed by their academic or military qualification. You seldom find a man or woman using; engineer, a pilot or captain, colonel or general in the western world. In fact, at most universities in the Scandinavian countries to which I have been attached to, many professors, lecturers etc shy away from being called Dr. I know several Somalis who are called "DR", and it is rather surprising that many of them have only basic degrees; college diplomas etc. For the Italian system the term "Doktoro" is used to address anyone who achieved a bachelor's degree. Talking to some Italian friends, I have been informed that this is disappearing in Italy. apparently it is a legacy that was inherited from the fascist government of the forties. A ninetieth century European traveller was reported to have written a book about the Somali mentality. I can't remember the name of this dude but he wrote that the Somalis were a proud people, who believed that they were the most intelligent people on earth. This "explorer" was reported to have shown some somali pastrolists the picture of a car; his aim was to reveal to them that there were other "intelligent" people; on viewing the pictures most of them retorted "Waxaad na tuseeysid ma tumaalo bir tumay". The present day Somalis are what one would term as members of the "waan daadshe" nation. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit a Somali mall in North America, where I met several Somalis, who are opinionated in everything from politics, medicine; economics, relationships, you name it! I don't think this is unique for Somalis in N:A and the same attitude could be found in Stockholm, London or Rome. A Somali saying that I love is "Gaalka dil gartiisana si". The "gaalos" that I meet have the tendency to say "I don't know". They use this sentence not because they are ignorant but because they are afraid to discuss issues that they can't defend. The Somali though is quick to discuss, analyse and judge events that lie beyond our sphere. We have strong opinions about wars(Tjetjenia; Bosnia, Africa), medical breakthroughs; economic and political issues. I think most Somalis sound as if they have a PhD in politics! My question is ; why is it hard for Somalis to say "I don't know"? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valenteenah. Posted September 29, 2003 My question is ; why is it hard for Somalis to say "I don't know"? Hmmm...I really don't know. I'm not sure if I agree with you on everything, but there is an element of truth in your arguments. Maybe it's just in our culture to behave in such a way? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paragon Posted September 29, 2003 Coz we know people who know things, get my drift? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coloow Posted September 29, 2003 Bee? Holly dameer what has happened to abundance? An element of truth? well, MI NO RAAYT LAAYS! Everything I wrote above is nothing but the truth. these are based on my observations of the waandaadshe nation! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coloow Posted September 29, 2003 geedi-murux LOl.... some kind of collective nickname change excercise on SOL? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valenteenah. Posted September 29, 2003 Originally posted by Entrepreneur: An element of truth? well, MI NO RAAYT LAAYS! Everything I wrote above is nothing but the truth. these are based on my observations of the waandaadshe nation! Hehehehe...I thought writing 'an element of truth' was more diplomatic than writing 'U ARE DEAD WRONG E'. Anyways, I didn't mean to imply that ur observations are untrue, I'm jus careful about generalisations. Oh and abundance is still here, she's just taking a lil breaky. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Macalin Posted September 29, 2003 "Waxaad na tuseeysid ma tumaalo bir tumay".---this is by far the best of the BEST!..lol Waan daadshe ideaology is in our genes sxb. Marka sxb...just watch soms in a place and u will see all of them KNOW some. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted September 29, 2003 loooooooooooooool walahi i laughed so long for this: This "explorer" was reported to have shown some somali pastrolists the picture of a car; his aim was to reveal to them that there were other "intelligent" people; on viewing the pictures most of them retorted "Waxaad na tuseeysid ma tumaalo bir tumay". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Che -Guevara Posted September 29, 2003 Entrepreneur.... Before i could answer your question. I must say that personal observations don't count as concrete scientific theory. One must conduct a rigorious research to identify and confirm any social behavior in any unit. The so called truth is just your reflection on the somali people's outward behavior, and as such it is a mere perception, a bit removed from the reality. Besides, how do you ever reach the stage where you think that you have reached the truth. I think it is fair to say that no one ever kows the real truth. We could only predict the probabality of something being true, but we can't predict the truth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baashi Posted September 30, 2003 My question is ; why is it hard for Somalis to say "I don't know"? To answer ur question: I don’t know! There it is u see most of us do say ‘I don’t know’ after all! Entrepreneur, sxb not all Somalis lie about their credentials nor do they act as experts on matters beyond their reach. Yes Somalis (if I can generalize) are assertive, confident, and bit opinionated. Even if ur observation is widespread phenomena, still it is not a malady per se but a blessing in some corners. There are instances where conveying this perception “Waan daadshe” and “ I’m somebody” attitude get u ahead. In fact, that’s what is being taught in employment search classes: don’t ever give the impression of inaptitude. Nomads are doing subconsciously what motivational speakers preach to their audiences: believe in yourselves and always have high self-esteem. In job interviews, for instance, where your task is to answer the questions in a way that convinces the potential employer that you are the right person for the job or to sell yourself as the best candidate for the job, “waan daadshe” attitude comes handy. In any event, I agree your premise that “I don’t know” is what we supposed to say when we are asked the subjects we have no knowledge whatsoever. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coloow Posted September 30, 2003 Salaama, Baashi; I agree 100%. The waan daadshe attitude is not neccessarily a bad thing. Afterall somalis are generally enlighted in world affairs. I have also "capitalised" on the waan daadshe mechanism on several occasions with a huge pay off! Che-gevara; saaxib, I don't want to engage in the age long debate on what is universal "truth". My aim with this piece was not to debate the epistemelogical metaphysics of "truth". You probably misintepreted my response to Bee when I said "observation" (it was a joke). By the way CHE, saaxib, I get this feeling that you love western idealism of "high science". I am not a follower of the weird world of western philosophy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Che -Guevara Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by Entrepreneur: By the way CHE, saaxib, I get this feeling that you love western idealism of "high science". I am not a follower of the weird world of western philosophy [/QB] Wow......Some big assumption on your part walaal...You conclude all that from my above post. I guess you pass judgements on others way too quickly...lol Ok let me rephrase what i said then, " Stop the sweeping generalisations!!"....You have no any real facts to back them up. n I wasn't going for any universal truth here, just dissecting what you wrote, claiming that "Very often we (somalis) tend to neglect simple issues that are perhaps the root cause of somalia's problems". Now i think you would agree that one has to be good at "observing" things to find out the root cause of any problem. I give you a credit though for using the word "perhaps" in your opening sentence. A bit of uncertainty huh.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coloow Posted October 3, 2003 Dr. Che (not from bolivia but from somalia) waan gartay! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rokko Posted October 4, 2003 Entre, saxib good post. I like how ya joked about you having all "truth" which is itself a typical "WAAN DAADSHEY" Somali style. lol But have you ever observed the INDIANS and PAKISTANIS? You wouldn't be making this comment if ya were fully aware of how these communities worship status and titles. Saxib, my point is that we are just like everyone else na'mean. Even though we don't have many professionals in our community compared to others, it is not a big deal if a Somali prefers to be called a "doctor" or a "sheikh". They worked hard for the title. Let them enjoy it. lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nephissa Posted October 6, 2003 None of us like to admit ignorance. The "I don't know" part isn't just for the Somalis, it goes for the Gaalo people too. Have you ever asked for directions or instructions? They'll never tell you they don't know! As for the titles it indicates very high self confidence/esteem. Let them be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
