Twitter Replaces The Bus

Twitter is the current town square, 500 years old trees, market place and other spaces where people used to meet and speak.

In cities, they take the bus or the train. During campaigning, it is quite evident that politicians don’t take the bus. That is why it comes as a shock when they lose certain constituencies.

Not everybody on the bus is a potential voter, but it is a tourist guide that shows an area’s metamorphosis. Oh! Pet food shop gone. It’s rented by pizza slices now. Fish and chips gone, replaced by a barber shop. Synagogue gone, replaced by a mosque. Shoe cobbler gone, replaced by a pedicure shop.

Politicians that are not slaves to Wi-Fi will take the bus and hopefully know how to ring the bell to get off. Walking six blocks is an eye-opener. It will give them valuable information that will enable their political party to tailor effective targeted messages.

Better still, that short walk gives them an opportunity to talk to ordinary people who have never had parking violations, because they’ve never owned a car. Such talks should include homeless people who cart their life around. Waste of time, they don’t vote. We don’t know that, do we?

You can’t win elections if you don’t take the bus, or walk around without your fancy car, designer clothes and army of assistants.

People who handle candidates running for office seem to forget that urban areas change all the time. What used to be a predominantly Polish area might be mainly Filipino in 2021. What used to be Caribbean might be Chinese now.

Politicians that want to win elections should take the bus, walk around in different times of the day, and learn what life is all about, outside Wi-Fi.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.