Capetonians

Being the total geek perfectionist that I am, I wanted to contextually link my bio to a page describing the typical Capetonian, but was stumped by the complete lack of any definition for one on the WWW. Even Urban Dictionary returned nothing beside the generic etymological definition, “Someone from Cape Town”.

So, in my efforts to link to something more substantial, I decided to write a post describing the typical Capetonian myself.

Yes, I hear your grunts and gripes about there being no such thing as a “typical” Capetonian because none of us like to be pigeon-holed. But stereotyping is unavoidable and inevitable in contemporary society; a society which is inundated with a constant overload of information. We have to label things based on general conception in order to simply cope and to manage our perceptions. And so, with the help of some Tweeps (see below), I managed to compile some of the characteristics of a typical Capetonian. Yes, Capetonians are diverse, but, for the most part, there are some qualities we tend to share (in no particular order):

• Laid back\Unpressured – Being surrounded by beautiful beaches brings out the surfer in all of us.
• Always late – Capetonians are notorious for working on Cape Town time. Phrases such as “now, now” and “just now” confound visitors. “Arrive at 7pm” generally translates to “come some time after 7.30pm or not”. Cape Town offices are open from Monday to Friday in theory, but try and get something accomplished in Cape Town after Thursday and you’ll be in for a surprise.
• Always lus for a Braai, Beer and/or Surf – Enough said.
• Geographically Snobby – Capetonians tend to think their City is the best, especially within South Africa. And why shouldn’t we?
• Aloof – Perhaps related to the above, or by our sense of independence from the rest of the South Africa, Capetonians tend to have an air of superiority.
• Cliquey – Newcomers to Cape Town sometimes find it difficult to break into Cape Town’s social cliques. These cliques are often formed during a stint at an elite private school.
• Accepting – In spite of the above, Capetonians can also be warm and accepting and are usually quick to react to aid in another’s plight.

This list is, naturally, incomplete so please go ahead and add your views and opinions on Cape Town’s inhabitants in the comments below.

Props to the following Tweeple who replied to my plea on Twitter: @CapeTown, @DeborahCarrao, @mirfaan, @allyphint, @mishkatjie, @rethavs and @Leeontwitta. Shot!

For good measure, I’ve also added a YouTube video below which I created while homesick in Brazil. It showcases pictures of South Africa (mostly Cape Town) with a local music backtrack. Enjoy my shameless self-promotion.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tubZE-i05Dk