Friends Fall Apart On Facebook.
Prologue.
Paul Agho
My good friend Philip, your philippic will not in any way make me to renounce my anti-establishmentarianism. As a political scientist, I am highly conscious of the connotation associated with that word and its semantic association with anarchy. Without any risk of contradicting myself, I would rightly describe my humble self as an anti-establishmentarian in anarchist clothings. It doesn't surprise me that you've decided to constitute yourself into a petty bourgeois megaphone for the powers-that-be, whoever they may be.Anarchism is not synonymous with chaos as you wrongly pointed out. Translated from Greek, it means the absence of rulers, or orders - not of rules or order. Order emanates naturally from the free cooperation of persons in community.
After 2 decades of not hearing from you, this is the most inappropriate way to say hello. I see your approach as the ne plus ultra of intellectual hubrism. Mr. Philip, have a good day.
August 23 at 12:02am ·
Paul -we've always and probably ever will sit @ opposite poles, I am a realist and believe in the here and now and also in the how to optimise the opportunities that we are given in any dispensation especially within an established system of order dispensed through political actors or state officials. Socialism or communalism have no place in modern society where the transformation and combination of the forces of production and more impotantly the articulation and disbursement of state resources must be effected by those who are most able amongst us. Enough said about this, now let's turn to your word association and phraseolgy, simple and sensible use of tenses that convey either appropriate or contextual meanings in the society in which we live means we can all achieve a simple and common understanding of the messages that are being conveyed - having to repeatedly explain your jargon and their meanings to others means one is inarticulate in our thoughts and on how these communicated
August 23 at 11:03am ·
Paul Agho
Philip, you are quite right - we are antipodes, and the differences that make both of us to traverse opposite ends of the ideological spectrum will forever remain irreconcilable until you decide to start revolving around the sun of labour which is all that we lay claims to. You hhave been quite vitriolic in your attacks on socialism way back, and now I suppose you have a morbid hatred for anybody who dons or attempts to don the toga of socialism. The kind of society in which you thrive best is one that embraces slavery and oppression. In this jet age of astro-politics, such concepts are fast turning into anachronisms. Am I therefore saying that you've not outgrown the backwardness of your political ideology? Sumthin' like that. Well, Mr. Philip, this is my wall, the little space facebook has alloted to me. And I can rightly express my views here without any fear of contradiction or being accused of inarticulation. I am also anti-clerical. Waiting for a full frontal attack now.
August 23 at 11:49am ·
Paul Agho
on second thought Philip, I have decided to refrain from joining issue with you because I see it as an absolute waste of space, time and energy. Who knows, you could be an agent provocateur intent not only on playing Judas, but also playing to the gallery. Nuff said.
August 23 at 12:23pm ·
Paul Agho
I don't trust people who after 2 decades of absence mmake a full frontal attack at the slightest opportunity on old friends with whom they are supposed to be reminiscing on memories of the past.
August 23 at 12:26pm ·
Paul - I found your ideological positions misplaced then and I still find them grossly intolerable now. As I indicated in my previous comments - society might have failed you in reconciling your ideological beliefs with practical realism which is to say that your myopic attempts @ fighting the permissible ideological affiliations other than those that shares your sympathetic affiliations beats me hollow. Whilst you might want to bask in the ignominous glory of being able to speak and write incomprehensible grammar and yet be hailed by the not so grammatically endowed, forever seeking explanation of your phrases, the reality is social progression is no longer dependent on the marxist socialist ideologies for which you were always and probably will ever be an apostle. Embrace change my brother and just probably you might yet be set free from these unendearing tentacles. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on our respective ideological persuasions - no offence meant! My greetings
August 23 at 3:36pm ·
Paul Agho
F..k dich and get off my back.
August 23 at 4:38pm ·
Paul Agho
Daniel don't mind that supercilious fellow that goes by the name Philips. Can you imagine the first thing he wrote on my wall after more than 2 decades of non contact was this bullsh.t about my political ideology. Everybody here has read about my political beliefs and none has launched an attack on me, but most guys have been rather amused and just mutter "same old Paul". But not this idiot. I think he wanted to prove a point, but I am not in the mood to be taken to school again by an all-knower.
danny stay blessed.
August 24 at 10:00am ·
Valentine Iriketoma
Mr Philip Orumwense, first of all i hail. with all due respect to u and all d knowledge u don gather 4 life, make u slow 4 Paulo. make d man enjoy e freedom of speech.gud or bad those are his personal view,no matter how i feel about dem i still ve to respect him.THAT IS THE UNDERLINING FACT, WHY EVERYBODY HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS OUR VIEWS ON FACEBOOK.
August 24 at 1:11pm ·
Paul Agho
Valentine thanks. Why I am really peeved at this guy is that there is not only a more diplomatic way to go about attacking your friends publicly, but one should first of all warm up to a friend you've not been in touch with for more than 2 decades. Val, i understand the point he is trying to make. I don't really give a f..k if he holds a f..king doctorate degree today, but the fact remains that both of us were second class upper materials, so he couldn't have been better than me academically. Well, I have deleted him from my list. I don't regard him as a friend.
August 24 at 2:28pm ·
Ehimwenma Norense
I guess I have little to say on this cos I am ill-qualified to do so. All I can say is that regardless of what Mr Phil thinks, I love u to death and you rock!
August 26 at 6:09pm ·
Paul Agho
Norense,f..k that guy. I'm so disappointed in him. Not for criticizing me, but the way he went about it.
August 26 at 10:51pm ·
Nosa Osazuwa
Dear Paulo and Philip, if I am permitted to comment on what I can see has now fractured into a cyber-altercation and avoidable diatribe, I would like to state that as matured and highly educated mates, we should apply wisdom and respect sensitivities, while we seek to enjoy (not endure) any intellectual dialogue on issues of ideologies. On the issue of Paulo's ideological radicalism, however, I am honestly of the opinion that he has the freedom and should be allowed to brew and ventillate his views without any inhibitions. The beauty of intellectualism is in the fact that we all recognize that there is no single best method or approach to seek to understand either the scholarly or the practical perspectives of issues (especially ideological issues). I expected Philip to have, within this understanding, diagnose whatever he felt was wrong with Paulo's intellectual or ideological radicalism and then prescribe his own scholarly drugs to purge Paulo of the perceived ideological 'jaundice'
August 27 at 2:21pm ·
Nosa Osazuwa
I must conclude that we owe our generation and those behind us, the intellectual commitment, the duty and the responsibility to either walk on the path of integrity or that of indignity as we seek and share knowledge. We must remember the lines of Paul Baran (1961) that the "The desire to tell the truth always is the first condition for being and intellectual. The other is the courage, the readiness to carry on rational enquiry to wherever it may lead". I know Philip and Paulo will apply wisdom and come back on track as old school mates. Let's bring the 'cease' and the 'fire' together again and have CEASE-FIRE. Let there be peace oh my brothers.
August 27 at 2:33pm ·
Paul Agho
Nosa, you know me as a constitutional pacifist. Fredzie has been to my wall, Dan Hayble as well as a couple of other alumni. Nobody wrote anything as pungent and provocative as Mr. Philip "know-all" Orumwense. If you were to psychologically analyse the situation, he was only trying to prove a point. To assert his superiority. Look at the language he used "....society has failed to socialise me..." What moral authority does he have to proclaim such baloney.
Nosa, my brother, I was not born yesterday. Let that guy take his sh.t and eat it.
August 27 at 3:19pm ·
Nobody can imagine the depths of my euphoria the day I finally crawled out of my cocoon of apathy to a titillating embrace of Facebook. This move may have been egged on unconsciously by my burning desire to recapture the camaraderie in which I basked during my secondary and post-secondary education. The whole time I was inside that time capsule was like living in a widowed state and my effort at reestablishing contact with old friends whose brother's keeper mentality I can vouch for, was like getting remarried without the option of divorce. My psyche had for a long time been plagued and overcrowded by images of these worthy comrades with whom I once dined and drank, fought and reconciled, cried and laughed, climbed the highest mountain and plunged into the valley of juvenile delinquency together. These same people or a majority of them were the faces I saw when I peeked into the pages of Facebook for the first time. Just one person was enough to give me links that snowballed into a network within 30 minutes. I saw pictures of my friends, many of whom if I had come across somewhere I wouldn't have been able to recognize. We have all sowed our wild oats and are now family men with one means of livelihood or the other. We remininsce over memories of the past every passing day and still refer to each other by our pet names. This is the past on which my psyche had always dwelled and sought refuge in. My nostalgia has been technologically cured thanks to Facebook. I have come back to something of myself I once lost and everyday I indulge myself effusively in the ritual of bonding and connecting with my friends all over the world.
I have given out certain personal information pertaining to my religious and political beliefs, as well as marital status on the wall of my facebook profile. I am anti-establishmentarian. I am anti-clerical. I am in a complicated relationship. The hundreds of traffickers to my wall have seen and read these pieces of information without batting an eyelid. That is, until a certain conceited fellow from my days at the University of Benin came along to stir up a hornet's nest. My fellow mates in the village square of public opinion, what follows is a transcript of our correspondence. I have decided to bring this to your attention in the firm belief that at the end of the day without intentionally currying your favour or incurring your disfavour, I shall be told in no ambiguous terms whether I handled the matter very well or over-reacted.
The Correspondence.
Philip Orumwense
Daniel Hayble likes this.
Philip OrumwensePaul - surprisingly you still have your wit, charm and colloqual eloquence after so many decades. This is either a great testament to the excellence that was imbibed in you earlier in your formation years @ Uniben or more critically a failed attempt by society to socialise you into more acceptable social parlance. Either way something does not appear to be enitirely right especially your references to "anti - establishmentarianism". "Anti-establishment" in any guise presupposes chaos and as you well know chaos in turn breeds anarchy. Systems, Social Systems and any communities of people must have a clearly delineated establishment that attempts to provide order, this way our identities becomes fully defined as members of that establishment be it nation states, a civil society or membership of a social or political group. Mal-appropriate use of terms or more accurately a misrepresentation of your political ideology springs to mind in the way you've described your political views August 22 at 9:31pm ·
Daniel Hayble likes this.
Paul Agho
My good friend Philip, your philippic will not in any way make me to renounce my anti-establishmentarianism. As a political scientist, I am highly conscious of the connotation associated with that word and its semantic association with anarchy. Without any risk of contradicting myself, I would rightly describe my humble self as an anti-establishmentarian in anarchist clothings. It doesn't surprise me that you've decided to constitute yourself into a petty bourgeois megaphone for the powers-that-be, whoever they may be.Anarchism is not synonymous with chaos as you wrongly pointed out. Translated from Greek, it means the absence of rulers, or orders - not of rules or order. Order emanates naturally from the free cooperation of persons in community.
After 2 decades of not hearing from you, this is the most inappropriate way to say hello. I see your approach as the ne plus ultra of intellectual hubrism. Mr. Philip, have a good day.
August 23 at 12:02am ·
Paul -we've always and probably ever will sit @ opposite poles, I am a realist and believe in the here and now and also in the how to optimise the opportunities that we are given in any dispensation especially within an established system of order dispensed through political actors or state officials. Socialism or communalism have no place in modern society where the transformation and combination of the forces of production and more impotantly the articulation and disbursement of state resources must be effected by those who are most able amongst us. Enough said about this, now let's turn to your word association and phraseolgy, simple and sensible use of tenses that convey either appropriate or contextual meanings in the society in which we live means we can all achieve a simple and common understanding of the messages that are being conveyed - having to repeatedly explain your jargon and their meanings to others means one is inarticulate in our thoughts and on how these communicated
August 23 at 11:03am ·
Paul Agho
Philip, you are quite right - we are antipodes, and the differences that make both of us to traverse opposite ends of the ideological spectrum will forever remain irreconcilable until you decide to start revolving around the sun of labour which is all that we lay claims to. You hhave been quite vitriolic in your attacks on socialism way back, and now I suppose you have a morbid hatred for anybody who dons or attempts to don the toga of socialism. The kind of society in which you thrive best is one that embraces slavery and oppression. In this jet age of astro-politics, such concepts are fast turning into anachronisms. Am I therefore saying that you've not outgrown the backwardness of your political ideology? Sumthin' like that. Well, Mr. Philip, this is my wall, the little space facebook has alloted to me. And I can rightly express my views here without any fear of contradiction or being accused of inarticulation. I am also anti-clerical. Waiting for a full frontal attack now.
August 23 at 11:49am ·
Paul Agho
on second thought Philip, I have decided to refrain from joining issue with you because I see it as an absolute waste of space, time and energy. Who knows, you could be an agent provocateur intent not only on playing Judas, but also playing to the gallery. Nuff said.
August 23 at 12:23pm ·
Paul Agho
I don't trust people who after 2 decades of absence mmake a full frontal attack at the slightest opportunity on old friends with whom they are supposed to be reminiscing on memories of the past.
August 23 at 12:26pm ·
Paul - I found your ideological positions misplaced then and I still find them grossly intolerable now. As I indicated in my previous comments - society might have failed you in reconciling your ideological beliefs with practical realism which is to say that your myopic attempts @ fighting the permissible ideological affiliations other than those that shares your sympathetic affiliations beats me hollow. Whilst you might want to bask in the ignominous glory of being able to speak and write incomprehensible grammar and yet be hailed by the not so grammatically endowed, forever seeking explanation of your phrases, the reality is social progression is no longer dependent on the marxist socialist ideologies for which you were always and probably will ever be an apostle. Embrace change my brother and just probably you might yet be set free from these unendearing tentacles. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on our respective ideological persuasions - no offence meant! My greetings
August 23 at 3:36pm ·
Paul Agho
F..k dich and get off my back.
August 23 at 4:38pm ·
Paul Agho
Daniel don't mind that supercilious fellow that goes by the name Philips. Can you imagine the first thing he wrote on my wall after more than 2 decades of non contact was this bullsh.t about my political ideology. Everybody here has read about my political beliefs and none has launched an attack on me, but most guys have been rather amused and just mutter "same old Paul". But not this idiot. I think he wanted to prove a point, but I am not in the mood to be taken to school again by an all-knower.
danny stay blessed.
August 24 at 10:00am ·
Valentine Iriketoma
Mr Philip Orumwense, first of all i hail. with all due respect to u and all d knowledge u don gather 4 life, make u slow 4 Paulo. make d man enjoy e freedom of speech.gud or bad those are his personal view,no matter how i feel about dem i still ve to respect him.THAT IS THE UNDERLINING FACT, WHY EVERYBODY HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS OUR VIEWS ON FACEBOOK.
August 24 at 1:11pm ·
Paul Agho
Valentine thanks. Why I am really peeved at this guy is that there is not only a more diplomatic way to go about attacking your friends publicly, but one should first of all warm up to a friend you've not been in touch with for more than 2 decades. Val, i understand the point he is trying to make. I don't really give a f..k if he holds a f..king doctorate degree today, but the fact remains that both of us were second class upper materials, so he couldn't have been better than me academically. Well, I have deleted him from my list. I don't regard him as a friend.
August 24 at 2:28pm ·
Ehimwenma Norense
I guess I have little to say on this cos I am ill-qualified to do so. All I can say is that regardless of what Mr Phil thinks, I love u to death and you rock!
August 26 at 6:09pm ·
Paul Agho
Norense,f..k that guy. I'm so disappointed in him. Not for criticizing me, but the way he went about it.
August 26 at 10:51pm ·
Nosa Osazuwa
Dear Paulo and Philip, if I am permitted to comment on what I can see has now fractured into a cyber-altercation and avoidable diatribe, I would like to state that as matured and highly educated mates, we should apply wisdom and respect sensitivities, while we seek to enjoy (not endure) any intellectual dialogue on issues of ideologies. On the issue of Paulo's ideological radicalism, however, I am honestly of the opinion that he has the freedom and should be allowed to brew and ventillate his views without any inhibitions. The beauty of intellectualism is in the fact that we all recognize that there is no single best method or approach to seek to understand either the scholarly or the practical perspectives of issues (especially ideological issues). I expected Philip to have, within this understanding, diagnose whatever he felt was wrong with Paulo's intellectual or ideological radicalism and then prescribe his own scholarly drugs to purge Paulo of the perceived ideological 'jaundice'
August 27 at 2:21pm ·
Nosa Osazuwa
I must conclude that we owe our generation and those behind us, the intellectual commitment, the duty and the responsibility to either walk on the path of integrity or that of indignity as we seek and share knowledge. We must remember the lines of Paul Baran (1961) that the "The desire to tell the truth always is the first condition for being and intellectual. The other is the courage, the readiness to carry on rational enquiry to wherever it may lead". I know Philip and Paulo will apply wisdom and come back on track as old school mates. Let's bring the 'cease' and the 'fire' together again and have CEASE-FIRE. Let there be peace oh my brothers.
August 27 at 2:33pm ·
Paul Agho
Nosa, you know me as a constitutional pacifist. Fredzie has been to my wall, Dan Hayble as well as a couple of other alumni. Nobody wrote anything as pungent and provocative as Mr. Philip "know-all" Orumwense. If you were to psychologically analyse the situation, he was only trying to prove a point. To assert his superiority. Look at the language he used "....society has failed to socialise me..." What moral authority does he have to proclaim such baloney.
Nosa, my brother, I was not born yesterday. Let that guy take his sh.t and eat it.
August 27 at 3:19pm ·
Matters Arising.
This is not exactly like washing one's dirty linen in public; it is a matter of two erstwhile "friends" whose divergent paths seemed like heading for a head-on collision unless tact, commonsense and diplomatic restraint were applied. The first salvo was launched by Philip on my own turf. Where else could he have done that? When sensible people choose to write on their friends' walls, they don't write nonsense that is meant to hurt sensibilities. Not after such a protracted period of non-contact spanning across two decades. The casus belli that set off this tinderbox was just a little phrase I injected into my profile under political views. Nobody would even notice this harmless phrase unless the prying eyes of the theoretical man who, not content with considering himself as the only reality, goes further to indulge in a mendacious presentation and representation of that reality.
My omniscient "friend" accuses me among other things of ignorance, intellectual stagnation, vainglory, lawlessness, malapropism, grandiloquence, social leprosy and in the process, because he lost his head in a frenzy, confuses communism with communalism. He is not omniscient afterall. A man who claims to be so learned and all knowing as Mr. Philip ought to immerse himself in diplomatic waters and be able to tell somebody to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip. But he is not. He is brash, rash, and harsh. A ranting ant. A crying baby. On my own part, I do not think I helped matters by paying him back in his own coin. My fellow villagers, this is a matter of honour, protecting your honour. Nobody can come to your house to desecrate your family and goes away scot-free. You take whatever weapon is available and deal such an intruder lethal blows and even if you have to suffer the consequences of your action, whenever such an opportunity presents itself again, do it without thinking twice.
Epilogue.
I have received two private messages from friends who claimed they didn't like Philip Orumwense's tone and attitude and that they were quite happy with the way I returned fire for fire. I know that Hugo Chavez once went to America and called George Bush "devil." He wasn't expelled from the comity of nations. Well, I am not George Bush. I am Paul Agho, and I have deleted Philip Orumwense from my list of friends in order to put an end to the barrage of verbal missiles which could go on and on and eventually spiral into a world war.
posted by omoghare @ 11:10 AM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home