They call a cultured person Reer Magaal!

[NGONGE]

When a reer magaal gives someone a gift, he usually wraps it in something. This is normally done with the use of some elaborate and designer wrapping or, in the Somali tradition, the gift is hidden under some new macawis or scarf. To pass the gift with no covering is a badow trait that is very vulgar.

 

Likewise with speech; a compliment is usually circuitous and longwinded. One cannot praise a man by calling him “fariid” as if he’s talking to a child. Nor could one praise a woman with the simple line of “waad qorox badantahay” as if he himself is an overawed child.

 

There is a certain eloquence to the speech of the grown up, the cultured; in short: the reer magaal. It’s hands off, slightly uninvolved with a touch of dignified haughtiness. It compels the receiver to listen and attempt to absorb the direction, feel and aim of the words in the same way that someone receiving a gift hurries to unwrap it and see what valuables are contained within.

 

The reer magaal way of fighting shares similar qualities to his way of gift giving. For where the badow would rush in and reveal his aim and the process with which he plans to achieve it before a single punch has been landed, the reer magaal uses subtlety and would gift wrap his unexpected uppercut with a distracting jab or feint.

 

Even insults acquire a certain beauty when they’re gift wrapped. It is why people admire poetic insults as opposed to those uttered by an angry kid. In fact, even the target of such an insult may often be seen chuckling at the beauty of the delivery of such an insult. I am yet to see anyone chuckling at vulgar “hoyadaa waxa ku samay” nonsense.

 

This brings me to the recent discussion about clans that we’ve been having on this site of late. Personally, and since I have been peddling the C is E mantra for a long time, I suppose I could be blamed for encouraging such vulgar practices on SOL. However, it was never my intention to encourage the slipping of standards or the vulgarity of expression that has been sweeping the site recently.

 

The dullness of open terms such as HAG, Uunka, pirates and the like does not compare to the guru's poetic introductions of the memorable “defeated lot”, “looters inc” or even Mooge’s “qoslaaye”. These bon mots, though intended to wound, were still appreciated for their cleverness and ability to raise a chuckle or two.

 

Alas, today we are overwhelmed with robotic scripts that excel in being plain, brash and vulgar. Xaaji X used to be the only one to deal in such things in the past and we loved having the novelty of the wicked Xaaji as a counterbalance to the seriousness of the rest of the site. Yet today, all the scripts are attempting to imitate Mr X and the interactions are starting to resemble those found in a school’s play area!

 

Worse still, many of those that were conversant with "gift-giving" have abandoned the age old practices of the past and decided to join the scripts in this new habit of naked communication.

 

Now I am not going to come out and call any of you a badow, lakin cagihiinaan qaawan halkan aan ka arka.

 

Bahasha wax ku laaba ya naas.

[NGONGE]

^^ You and your empty posturing.

 

Straight talking is only handy when face-to-face with someone (or on twitter and the like). It is dull on discussion forums. Wax fahan.

[Cambuulo iyo bun]

Kutuuf sheekh NGONGE

[Abtigiis]

Ngonge, thank you. You have raised a very important and timely discussion.

 

Personally, I have been one of those who used to peddle clan jingoism in this forum, almost always for self-amusement and to enliven the political section with humoruos and often stereotypical brickbats. To my utter dismay, I have discovered that what we do here for fun, others are actually doing for real. The level of clanish vitroil and preoccupation with the latest interest of the Tolka is distressing. Now, what do you call Gabbal's "I am for Jubaland, but if so and so clan is to be the head, I am not for it". What do you call the craze with which Xinnfanin is ululating for a Jubbaland, a Jubbaland that he wants at all cost, even at the expense of the the disintegration of the central government!

 

Having finished all I could say in the General section (and having reached a milestone where it is no longer possible for me to utter carnal nonesense without risking my progeny reading it on SOL), the politics section would have been the only place to ventilate humour. But it is turned into a section that summarizes all the gibberish rer heberl Vs rer hebel baloney that the likes of Puntlandi and Kismaayonews are running day in, day out.

 

I will be lying if I don't say finding many Somali live friends have also partially reduced my appetite for virtual banter. :D Afterall, I joined this site when I was Zimbabwe and when hearing one Somali joke meant the sky and the earth for me.

[NGONGE]

^^ That's temporary, saaxib. Once you get them to fit into your timetable, you'll find time for us again.

[Abtigiis]

:D NG, caruurta baratay sida loo akhriyo SOLna sidee laga yeeli. My son asks me these days you are not opening the "camelthreads..whatever!" to quote him?

 

We share the computer at times...markaa wuu nacay meeshan i mashquulisa!! :D

 

Gheele iyo rag baa ii muqda ee aan salaamo asxaabta.

[Tallaabo]

Abtigiis;936283 wrote:

:D

NG, caruurta baratay sida loo akhriyo SOLna sidee laga yeeli. My son asks me these days you are not opening the "camelthreads..whatever!" to quote him?

 

We share the computer at times...markaa wuu nacay meeshan i mashquulisa!!

:D

 

Gheele iyo rag baa ii muqda ee aan salaamo asxaabta.

Abtigiis you should celebrate your children’s coming of age and their new ability to read SOL. Just like a parent in the West teaches his or her progeny how to wear a condom or use the morning-after bill, you should explain to your kids what the terms HAG, defeated lot, looters inc, etc mean when they see it here and then ask you about their meaning. Just like sex, SOL is for all generations;)

[Gheelle.T]

Abtigiis, welcome back horta, saaxiib.

While you were away, NG's C is E mantra has taken a toll on so many SOLers, hence the decline of the quality of some discussions you see in the political section. But honestly speaking, I don't think if the usage of the clan names (Pirates,HAG,Mirqaan and what not) is the problem, but rather it's the angry more militant like newbies or scripts if you like, who literately take one's banter as a threat to his clan and would retaliated with vulgar.

 

Dont get me wrong, having a heated discussion with anyone including the scrips is a good think, and that's why we are here, but ya jameec, tone down the clan bravado for the sake of the site...

[Baashi]

Classic Ngonge He is more concerned with the delivery than say...the bigotery, or let's say hmmm the undercurrent clanish motive that drives some of the discourses folks are having here.

 

The take away from Ngonge’s write-up is that all insults and clannish underhand digs are not same. Some are more “poetic” refined and music to his ears than others. He found Oodweyne’s “Defeated Lot” and “Looted Inc.” to be eloquent and more refined. Our resident Ustaad Oodweyne qualifies the coveted class of Reer Magaal

 

So much of Nogonge's conception of Reer Magaal

 

P.S.: -- the forum has lately become little bit toxic and nomads sometimes take things personal are question poster's motive ahem! than the content of the post.

[xiinfaniin]

^^ :D

 

Baashi waad haysaa : delivery & catch paraphrases over substance

[NGONGE]

Baashi,

 

I'm a practical man, saaxib. That Somalis have clan troubles is a fact that I know and realise can't be changed by writing about it in here. What I can hope to change however is the tone and delivery of the discourse. Do you believe you can make the guru change his mind about "the defeated lot", can you make Xiin abandon his "tent"? Neither can I. Wax fahan.

[Baashi]

Ngonge awoowe you are absolutely correct about clan and clan-leaning emotions among folks being a fact. I was just poking fun at your taste of what insult is more refined and qualifies to be added to the coveted status of Reer Magaal. That's all

 

By the way your write-up will change the discourse of the forum, I hope.

[NGONGE]

^^ You have the ability to do it Apo and it's usually brillaint. Shame that we have to get Alpha to irritate you first.

[xiinfaniin]

I am disappointed that NGONGE forget my aptly phrased dig at his ilk: grieve-stricken lot, which had been in use for the last 5 years or so in this fora

[NGONGE]

^^ Your caravan blocks the sun out, saaxib. Never mind simple expressions that you may have used. It is what almost everyone on this site associates you with. And, since it wasn't a putdown, I couldn't include it there. Wax fahan.

 

Edit:

 

I see the General (Duke) is reading this page. Ileen anaad i wada sugayseen!