Tough words, aren’t they? Given the tough times we’re in tough words shouldn’t raise any eyebrows; don’t you think? Anyways, I borrowed this title from a rather old book of American politics. It is about gossip and the like within the country’s politics and though a little too distant it’s an interesting read. So such things didn’t just blow up during the times of the gentleman from New York! (Uninformed conclusion, you might say.) Reading some of the gossip said and written over the years about current presidents or other top politicians no wonder the title is biting.
Now back to business; that’s exactly the title we need back here. ‘Scorpion Tongues!’ You don’t have to go into the details even to get the vibe. It’s all there for the taking. You can say about someone “He’s scorpion-tongued and that would be equal to a thousand-page book. These days the scorpion tongues seem in a sort of full-speed-ahead mode. From the morons to the loonies, from the evil-hearted to the innocent preys, from the lowest of the lowest to the polished and well-heeled, believe me it has become a kind of pandemic. Why? I really can’t say. Not that such behavior is anything new. No. It has been around for quite a while and some seem to have developed it into a sort of ‘new art.’
I hope like me many would like to know the why. But there doesn’t seem to be any easy answer around. We repeatedly say it’s sad that we are not that serious making researches. It is like we are sitting back with “What is the idea of wasting our breath when every research seems to be done elsewhere. Yes, but what about us? What about the things that concern us and us only? Why should we rely on researches done by others far-separated from everything that’s us while there seem to be hundreds able to do the work? (Wait a minute; wait just a minute! that’s not what I started talking about!) One thing I can imagine is if we made researches about scorpion-tongues and wrote some book about it we’d probably have crushed every bestseller lists. Yes, it is that bad.
Well I don’t have to tell you about what is written on the social media about this country and what’s supposedly going on all around. Even if you don’t consciously open this or that site you’ sure are to stumble across a few of them. The titles of many are so bizarre you can’t help quizzing yourself, “Are these guys reading too much of ‘News of The World’ sort of stuff?” And we say that we don’t have creative writers who could break into global stardom; we have, and lots of them, too. The unfortunate part isn’t only that we don’t know it, but that they, too, don’t know it! there is highly tempting market out there for ‘scorpion tongues’ and they are wasting all that ‘creativity’ on social media ‘likes’ and ‘shares!’ Ha!
An admirer of the bizarre and the strange might corner you with, “Are you saying the title ‘The World to End in Six Months’ time’ is fake?” (Believe it or not I’ve read a couple of predictions to that tune!)
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that it is the most horrendous of stories I heard since I started growing facial hair.” ha! That’s when the admirers of the lot of nonsense try to make you feel like you’re the last dumb guy walking the earth.
Anyways you come across products of scorpion tongues all over the place;
“Did you hear about that guy who bought a ten million birr car?”
“What about him? Don’t tell him someone kidnapped him and are demanding ransom.”
“No it is not that; the ten million birr is dirty. He got it through bribery.”
“Really! Never thought of that. And how do you know that?”
“My friends told me.”
“That’s it and you believe them?”
“Yes, of course; they’re my best friends! Why shouldn’t I believe them?”
“Well, I have been told the guy is the nicest soul around and he secretly gives millions to the needy.”
“And I don’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I neither believe them nor doubt them. These days there are at least two dozen versions of the same news. Did I ever tell you we’ve more than our share of scorpion tongues around?”
“Are you trying to tell me my friends are scorpion-tongued?”
That’s how our ‘small talk’ goes these days. Sad! You think you’re talking some sense, maybe delighted to find someone who listens without being judgmental and what happens? The simplest of sentences is twisted into the most complex conspiracy theory!
“No, I’m not! Me trying to accuse your friend! How could you ever think like that?”
“The problem with you guys is you think you’re the smartest,…”
“Hey! Hey! Cool down! No one is talking about smart and dumb here. You asked me if I was saying your friends were scorpion-tongued and I said no. why are you creating stories…”
“Creating stories! Now you’re calling me…”
“Cut it out!” Friendship be damned! You’re not going to take it anymore. But I can assure you can walk away from such dudes but your name can’t ‘walk away’ from their tongues! Ha! Now the nice guy I’m trying to be I didn’t want to delve into the more serious and damaging things of these dudes. But unless someone, by some act close to a miracle manages to extract the poison from scorpion tongues everything wouldn’t be a walk in the park! There’d be many bumps and stumbles.
Ephrem Endale
The Ethiopian Herald 5 June 2022