"I wonder how it feels being a person who’s just not socially, politically or economically abreast" A Declaration By Sinoxolo Duma Mthombeni.

As a Masters Candidate and self-proclaimed bookworm, Mthombeni has the potential to inspire and empower others in their pursuit of knowledge. However, she might find greater success by practicing empathy, understanding, and patience rather than judgment and condemnation.

"I wonder how it feels being a person who’s just not socially, politically or economically abreast. You just exist. You don’t follow current affairs unless it involves the lives of celebrities. You don’t watch or read hard news stories. You don’t read, you don’t own books, you don’t own a library card. You don’t write. You’re silent in discussions pertaining to social justice/socio-economic issues but you love having weird opinions when people who are learned on these subjects write posts. All you do is swear because you cannot make a constructive argument. The best thing you can cram are song lyrics and even with those songs you can’t identify any underlying ideologies. Your role model is a Facebook influencer and you spend 8 hours defending them whenever they’re being attacked. You’re just…a cocomelon of an adult."

~Sinoxolo Duma Mthombeni, via Facebook.

This statement made by Sinoxolo Duma Mthombeni on Facebook is a bold and passionate expression of frustration towards individuals who, in her opinion, choose to remain ignorant and uninformed about significant social, political, and economic issues. 

Her viewpoint holds some merit and serves as a challenge for people to actively engage with relevant issues, the delivery and generalizations may detract from the core message.

Starting with the positives, Mthombeni highlights the importance of being knowledgeable in various facets of life, such as current affairs, social justice, and socioeconomic issues. She emphasizes the need for individuals to engage in constructive discussions on these matters and learn from those with expertise in these fields.

Her statement also sheds light on the potential pitfalls of idolizing individuals who might not provide any substantial value or guidance to their followers.

However, the statement might come across as harsh or judgmental. By making broad assumptions and stereotyping a group of people, Mthombeni inadvertently creates a divide between those she considers to be enlightened and those she perceives as ignorant. 

This divisive approach risks alienating the very people she hopes to encourage to be more engaged and informed citizens.

In her passionate call for greater social awareness, Mthombeni arguably ignores the fact that everyone has their own unique challenges and circumstances. Not everyone has equal access to education, resources, or opportunities to engage in intellectual pursuits. By overlooking these systemic inequalities, the statement fails to fully address the root causes of the issues she is concerned about.

while Sinoxolo's statement raises some valid points about the importance of being well-informed and actively engaged in societal issues, her approach could be perceived as elitist and dismissive of people's individual struggles.