Why does South Africa set such low standards for everything?

[cerebus]

I work for a company that began as a startup in a house in Claremont, a few friends with laptops working crunch hours in a garage. It grew to be a market leader IT product in South Africa. It spread to some more countries. It made a key acquisition. Then another multinational IT corp with complementary products came in and acquired them. They're poised to become, if not market leader, at least the second biggest international player in their space.

So bollocks to you mate.

 

[ToxicBunny]

No, the location is important. The tech space in the US is much more advanced... let's see:

The amount of investors, the amount of money being invested, the internet infrastructure and penetration, news coverage, programming talent, the competitiveness and ambition etc.

I'm glad that everything is cutthroat there, because you'll be pushed further there than you could ever possibly be pushed here.

Ummm, tbh I work in an IT company that has recruited some of this "top" talent from the US... they're rubbish in general.

All you're doing is trying to sell to yourself that you will be successful in the States, when in all honesty you won't be.. you will be another number, you will become nothing. If you have a good idea, you have more of a chance of making it happen in this country than you do in the states.

 

[Syno]

Look at the bright side, mediocrity and lack of initiatives gives okes like you tons of opportunities to set things right by leading the way in the right direction.

 

[cguy]

Ummm, tbh I work in an IT company that has recruited some of this "top" talent from the US... they're rubbish in general.

These guys went from USA to SA?

 

[spidaman]

We are not a "first world" country. Obama's recent entourage alone is bigger than our air force.

 

[ToxicBunny]

These guys went from USA to SA?

Yes... its not unheard of you know.

 

[cguy]

Yes... its not unheard of you know.

Not unheard of, but pretty rare - the pay cut is generally pretty drastic. Factor in the fact that they're "rubbish in general", and I would expect that the bar for "top talent" is set pretty low here. I'm not trying to call you out here or anything, just pointing out that this combination of events is fairly atypical - they likely misrepresented themselves.

 

[semaj]

God, I hate people like this who moan about their circumstances without trying to make them better. This pessimistic attitude is why South Africa hasn't reached it's potential, please go to the US and be a burden on them. Developed countries are called that because they have reached the limit of their potential, South Africa and Africa as a whole are where you want to be doing business over the next 20 years.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Not unheard of, but pretty rare - the pay cut is generally pretty drastic. Factor in the fact that they're "rubbish in general", and I would expect that the bar for "top talent" is set pretty low here. I'm not trying to call you out here or anything, just pointing out that this combination of events is fairly atypical - they likely misrepresented themselves.

Without a doubt... normally you are right.. and you may even have been in this circumstance, I wasn't intimately involved in the whole thing...

 

[satanboy]

..
2. A decent music industry doesn't exist here - there are no famous festivals, there's minimal music coverage, and there isn't any creativity to music. I wish we could have bands like the Clash here in South Africa..

You clearly know nothing about the South African music industry. No we don't have a Justin Bieber, but do we want one?

 

[satanboy]

...

3. Everything culturally is just dull. It's unlike the USA, where you'll find massive subgroups of people - hipsters, hippies, etc. It's like all the defining movements of generations occur there....

wtf dude? Are you hiding in a cave or live in Oranje?

 

[satanboy]

you visit

a ANC political gathering at a stadium

or

a braai at a AWB meeting

so you think the whole country is like this...

 

[Mila]

I don't agree with your examples.
our government has set the standards so low we get exited about a road with only two pot holes.

We don't set it we have just adjusted not to be miserable people.

 

[Milano]

Both sides present a demoralising picture of SA.

Yet one thing is certain though, the US today is not the US of yesteryear. In Skytrax's definitive ranking of top international airports, the US could not manage to place one airport in the top 30 in the world. Just one of many sectors showing the cracks. Will be interesting to look again in 10, 20, 30 years, and more.

Edit: Oh, some SA airports beat the top US airports, so it can't be low standards in _everything_.

 

[Mila]

Both sides present a demoralising picture of SA.


Edit: Oh, some SA airports beat the top US airports, so it can't be low standards in _everything_.

I would also score Cpt better than LA, lord knows how much I hate to walk for miles to get to my destination.

Airports should be compared to by size. You can't compare JHB with Bankok.
I would also like JHB just going Security it is not close to that of an uSA airport.

 

[Milano]

I would also score Cpt better than LA, lord knows how much I hate to walk for miles to get to my destination.

Airports should be compared to by size. You can't compare JHB with Bankok.
I would also like JHB just going Security it is not close to that of an uSA airport.

They are compared overall and by size. There are further rating criteria across a range of categories. Skytrax know airports.

 

[Milano]

Another example of US decline is seen in CNN. Al-Jazeerah has surpassed CNN internationally both in terms of the the number of bureaus / journalists (exponentially so) as well as viewer confidence in the reports. This represents a huge decline in it's geopolitical sphere of influence, and foretells of further decline to come. Yet, the true marker of this particular decline is that the US is blissfully unaware of the global impact this will have on perceptions of the US.

 

[satanboy]

Another example of US decline is seen in CNN. Al-Jazeerah has surpassed CNN internationally both in terms of the the number of bureaus / journalists (exponentially so) as well as viewer confidence in the reports. This represents a huge decline in it's geopolitical sphere of influence, and foretells of further decline to come. Yet, the true marker of this particular decline is that the US is blissfully unaware of the global impact this will have on perceptions of the US.

and pray tell...who cares about the US?

 

[Milano]

and pray tell...who cares about the US?

..oo..donuts.

 

[satanboy]

..oo..donuts.

neva heard of them...

do they have a tamborine?