Indeed, this is delightful reading. No big words nor convoluted expressions. Perfect score. Surely, Okoampa can learn something here. And for brevity, Bokor too can learn something here. Me?
Well, as I have been arguing a ... read full comment
Indeed, this is delightful reading. No big words nor convoluted expressions. Perfect score. Surely, Okoampa can learn something here. And for brevity, Bokor too can learn something here. Me?
Well, as I have been arguing and trying to explain to Danso, it is all part of the academic, and more importantly, intellectual discourse or fisticuff. And, above all, the political adversarial game, in which you do your best to tar, feather and flog your opponent around town before booting him out of town! You have to read some of the advocacy or campaigning tracts written in the C19th and early C19th prior to WWII when democracy and capitalism were evolving, and you'd realise that these exchanges on Ghanaweb are pathetic kids stuff in comparison.
Andy-K
James Bamfo 8 years ago
Andy-K, everyone knows you very well on Ghanaweb. You bite, soothe, and disappear. Please, don't exempt yourself from this all important pathetic mess. You'll also benefit greatly from this wonderful write-up.
Andy-K, everyone knows you very well on Ghanaweb. You bite, soothe, and disappear. Please, don't exempt yourself from this all important pathetic mess. You'll also benefit greatly from this wonderful write-up.
C.Y. ANDY-K 8 years ago
James,
Been busy.
Of course, I am smart without any reservations. I earned my TK title deservedly. I can dance around you all! This writer hasn't taken and passed any methodology courses for a PhD as I had done with fly ... read full comment
James,
Been busy.
Of course, I am smart without any reservations. I earned my TK title deservedly. I can dance around you all! This writer hasn't taken and passed any methodology courses for a PhD as I had done with flying colours before dropping out. he sure doesn't known anything about what Kuhn wrote about the so-called "objective" and "unemotional" academic language. And since he is no student of politics, he has has no clue about the hot, subversive debates captured in tracts, caricatures, lampooning of politicians, etc., that happened in the West.
There's, therefore, nothing in the piece for me to pick, as I know it all already, but I still do what the occasion demands, even if that means descending into the mud-pit now and then to stick the faces of the pigs therein into the mud! Dirties my hand but it comes with the terrain! Dirty job but someone must do it! As my grandmother used to say, if you join the company of children, one has joined the company of those who flatulate on you with reckless abandon!
So, you haven't seen anything yet. Haven't even revved up to the 8th cylinder of the 12 cylinders of my Motor Mouth yet!
Andy-K
A GERSIS 8 years ago
A Gersis reporting
Felleow Ghanaians
The fart is a horse flatulence!
I am not trying to reduce the acid in their bloated egos as much as I am trying to protect the mucosa lining of their stomach. Rapid phd changes fr ... read full comment
A Gersis reporting
Felleow Ghanaians
The fart is a horse flatulence!
I am not trying to reduce the acid in their bloated egos as much as I am trying to protect the mucosa lining of their stomach. Rapid phd changes from fall & spring grass attack the lining and effect the hind gut and the phd they boast with. Now, of course I do not use it year round on them --- WHy would I? But I do use the ulcer mixture year round -- they love it and have never looked better in their primitivity!
So indeed they scratch their primitivity here on Ghanaweb with a sharp stone. What a fart! A gaint horse flatulence!
ANTONIO GERSIS
PLAZA ONE
DALLAS
Kwadwo. 8 years ago
A brilliant well written piece of life in the academia. A fat idiot like Bokor some how feels justified in spewing his garbage on Ghanaweb to justify every corrupt deal involving his beloved NDC. Only an out of touch academic ... read full comment
A brilliant well written piece of life in the academia. A fat idiot like Bokor some how feels justified in spewing his garbage on Ghanaweb to justify every corrupt deal involving his beloved NDC. Only an out of touch academic can somehow think that he can fool a segment of a society with his crap. And when another academic makes a mince meat out of some of his gibberish, he gets pompous and starts debasing his critics. I am glad he thinks teaching English at LIU makes him a genius and an opinion leader in Ghana. What a joke.
Godd 8 years ago
Having a PhD is good and advisable. It has several advantages the most important of which is that it can get you a job and make you attain a position in the workplace. Then, especially in Ghana, it gives you a certain social ... read full comment
Having a PhD is good and advisable. It has several advantages the most important of which is that it can get you a job and make you attain a position in the workplace. Then, especially in Ghana, it gives you a certain social respect since we in Ghana adore such things. Lastly, having a PhD means you have acquired a certain amount of knowledge. How much depends on where you got the PhD and what the requirements are.
But, in the end, the most important thing is your PERSONAL TALENT. That is what marks you out as special and can make you a real achiever. A PhD is not a reflection of talent or brilliance. These are two different things. If you are a brilliant (talented) person, you may find it easy to attain your PhD but a less talented person can also work himself up to attain the same degree.
It is talent that is supreme. Of two persons with the same PhDs, the more talented person will go on to achieve more. It's just like two guys passing the same law or medical exams but one of them becoming a better lawyer or medical officer.
Many of the world's greatest achievers don't have a PhD but have lots of talent. This is easily seen in the literary world. Even today, the greatest writers are not PhD holders. Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie and lots of great literary Prize Winners never worked towards a PhD.
Another contemporary case is in the tech world. Elon Musk, the founders of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc do not have PhDs. But they are brilliant persons who could easily have had PhDs. But their brilliance superseded that. Bill Gates didn't finish a first degree, yet today, Microsoft alone employs more than 850 PhD holders worldwide. And these are all crack PhDs not in English, Communication studies, History or something called African Area Studies.
So let us put things in perspective. The title of PhD should not be disparaged but we should not go on as if it is really all that matters.
K Boye 8 years ago
If having a PhD is good and advisable, then Ghanaian PhD holders must use theirs to create change and solve our problems. In my experience, half of those I've met have not done much other than dictating notes in lecture rooms ... read full comment
If having a PhD is good and advisable, then Ghanaian PhD holders must use theirs to create change and solve our problems. In my experience, half of those I've met have not done much other than dictating notes in lecture rooms.
There you go!
Paa 8 years ago
While PhDs can go on to do other things besides teaching and research, that is what they are essentially trained for: to teach and research. Those who go into the practical professions are the ones supposed to solve the probl ... read full comment
While PhDs can go on to do other things besides teaching and research, that is what they are essentially trained for: to teach and research. Those who go into the practical professions are the ones supposed to solve the problems of society using the knowledge and ideas produced the teaching and research activities of PhDs. To be sure, there are lazy academics in Ghana. But there are also lazy professionals.
Elsewhere, other professionals use the ideas generated by PhDs and the research community in general to create new things in the practical world of business. It is a division of labour that has propelled global capitalism.
So, K Boye, stop being a prick and go solve a problem with the knowledge you gained from your education facilitated by all the teachers who taught you.
Godd 8 years ago
K. Boye, you say half of those you've met have not done much other than dictating lecture notes. That leaves the other half who may have done something worth their PhDs because they are brilliant.
The point I am trying to ... read full comment
K. Boye, you say half of those you've met have not done much other than dictating lecture notes. That leaves the other half who may have done something worth their PhDs because they are brilliant.
The point I am trying to stress is that it is one thing getting a PhD and quite a different thing showing yourself as a brilliant and achieving individual. Talent goes beyond achieving a PhD degree.
Okoampa has a PhD and likes to pass himself off as a brilliant creative writer. The present writer says he likes his poems. But the problem is that Okoampa is not an acknowledged writer worldwide. None of his novels are set as literature texts in WAEC. He has not been nominated for a Booker which he may have a right to as a Ghanaian. Neither has any of his works been nominated for the major US prizes. But younger writers from Africa who went to the US a few years ago have had such distinctions. You can name Chimamanda (who can be Okoampa's daughter), Teju Cole (who was at the same seminar in Nairobi where Kofi Awoonor was killed), NoViolet Bulawayo, the young Zimbabwean, whose novel was shortlisted for the Booker in 2013, Taiye Selasie's Ghana Must Go, acclaimed by many critics, and just last year, The Fishermen, by Chigozie Obioma - a young Nigerian. And I have left many others from Africa and elsewhere.
Bokor also says he has written a novel but who knows of that novel?
If Bokor and Okoampa are claiming that they are thaaaaaat much, why are we not hearing of them in these circles? Why are they boasting of their achievements on ghanaweb?
Not all PhDs are the same!!! And a PhD, in and of itself, is not an indicator of genius or talent or "specialness". That's all what I am trying to say even though I agree that a PhD is a good thing to have.
Paa 8 years ago
Godd's comment on "crack PhD" versus PhD in English or Communication reveals a certain silliness in our thinking. In the UK, I met people who studied Classics and English and are crack investment bankers. There are people who ... read full comment
Godd's comment on "crack PhD" versus PhD in English or Communication reveals a certain silliness in our thinking. In the UK, I met people who studied Classics and English and are crack investment bankers. There are people who studied linguistics and became speech therapists and experts in artificial intelligence.
I've also read about an ex-Catholic monk who is making use of his skills in calligraphy in the hi-tech world of Silicon Valley. We seem to be so ignorant of the interactions between the humanities, social sciences and the IT world that we seem to think someone with a degree in business, for example, will necessarily do better in the corporate world than someone with degrees in the humanities or engineering.
Steve Jobs may not have not liked college very much and dropped out. But he took great interest in calligraphy and continued to attend a class on it even after he had dropped out of college. Years later he would give several lectures on how this supposedly useless calligraphy class turned him into a genius in the hi-tech world.
Here is Steve Jobs himself in a commencement address at Stanford University:
"I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to [learn calligraphy]. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful. Historical. Artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture. And I found it fascinating. None of this had any hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would never have multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's that no personal computer would have them.”
Godd 8 years ago
Paa, let's face the facts. PhDs in English and Communication are not bad in themselves and they can be employed even in IT and other production lines. But take the balance and you will see that only a few of these PhDs will b ... read full comment
Paa, let's face the facts. PhDs in English and Communication are not bad in themselves and they can be employed even in IT and other production lines. But take the balance and you will see that only a few of these PhDs will be needed in the tech industry. On the other hand, MOST of those needed in the hot fields will be PhDs from other fields. A few of Microsoft's 850 PhDs will be from Linguistics, English, Philosophy, etc but MOST will be from Engineering and Computer Science.
In today's world the balance is not in favour of PhDs in the Arts or even Humanities. Most of the Arts PhDs in Banking may not be doing things directly related to the theses they wrote.
Paa 8 years ago
"Most of the Arts PhDs in Banking may not be doing things directly related to the theses they wrote."
The same is true of most PhDs in engineering who join management consulting, banking, insurance, IT, and other industrie ... read full comment
"Most of the Arts PhDs in Banking may not be doing things directly related to the theses they wrote."
The same is true of most PhDs in engineering who join management consulting, banking, insurance, IT, and other industries. This is part of our problem- we don't understand the purpose of education in general and PhD in particular. PhDs come with analytical and problem-solving skills that are useful in various endeavours beyond their narrow specialisation.
Godd 8 years ago
Paa, you're right about PhDs being employed more for their general analytical abilities than their narrow areas of specialization. But let's not miss the general thrust of my initial argument. It is that PhDs are good (but th ... read full comment
Paa, you're right about PhDs being employed more for their general analytical abilities than their narrow areas of specialization. But let's not miss the general thrust of my initial argument. It is that PhDs are good (but there's something even better). And I never said PhDs in English/Communication are useless. The word "useless" was your choice, not mine. But it is clear that some PhDs are more sought after than others...
Kojo T 8 years ago
Well ä PHD is one who knows a lot about little, and little about a lot" That is why we have okoampa
Well ä PHD is one who knows a lot about little, and little about a lot" That is why we have okoampa
Danso 8 years ago
I agree, the gentleman has done a good job. You see, he censures Bokor and Ahoofe, albeit courteously. You can rebut furiously without appearing somehow offensive. Whether you like it or not, Bokor and Ahoofe stooped so low b ... read full comment
I agree, the gentleman has done a good job. You see, he censures Bokor and Ahoofe, albeit courteously. You can rebut furiously without appearing somehow offensive. Whether you like it or not, Bokor and Ahoofe stooped so low by hurling insults to each other.
In answering your query last time: It does not matter where one teaches, what matters is ones pedagogical prowess. And so it is needless for individuals with transcendent perceptual powers of mind to engage in such debate. Of course, they can engage in wrathful debates without resorting to petty insults.
Soomui 8 years ago
First of all Im not a student of the English language and I wouldnt know how to describe or in what academic category to place Papa Appiahs style but needless to say, it clearly stands out as one of the most appealing pieces ... read full comment
First of all Im not a student of the English language and I wouldnt know how to describe or in what academic category to place Papa Appiahs style but needless to say, it clearly stands out as one of the most appealing pieces of prose that I have encountered on this forum - or for that matter anywhere else around the world including the over-rated and bigoted western journals who should know better but, they dont.
I am only a little saddened by the fact that he did not have the heart or perhaps the necessary ammunition to spice it up with the obligatory and tempting need to appropriately slap some invective on those two pieces of raw pork (Borkor & Okoampa) whose pedigree of contributions on Ghanaweb, daily remind us of the painful failure of the Ghanaian academic.
I will continue to refer to this write-up from time to time even if only just for mental - or is it literary masturbation (I hope this turn of phrase is acceptable to the literary prudes).
Now this point takes me to Mr Danso. I like your "...he censures Bokor and Ahoofe, albeit courteously." This reminds of what I am told of the Akyem people who I understand are able to frontally offend, without let or hindrance, and apologize to an adversary in the same breath. An example being "me pa wu kyew pii, ne wu nyimiahara" (??). Or "tafratse, wu ye aboa papa".
In the public school of hard knocks which I attended in the chaotic and dog-bite-dog terrain of Ghanaian society, we have been cultured not to hesitate to prescribe the necessary dosage of diatribe to promptly 'cure' an offending aggressor not only to keep such a person at bay but also as a form of shock therapy against any future offensive thought, intention or conduct. Insinuations do not work for us and as it is said, 'justice delayed is justice denied'.
And we must understand that unless one is as insipid, insensitive or as bland as an intellectual of the kind described by Papa Appiah as his wifes Professor, it becomes almost impossible not to appropriately respond in equal measure to mere opinions which are completely devoid of the remotest trace of literary invective but whose venomous substance may amount to something akin to mass genocide.
All said and done, good job Papa Appiah and it would be nice to read more of your kind of perspective.
MARCUS AMPADU 8 years ago
To me the word flatulence is a big word. I will rather use , "passing wind".
And Papa Appiah, it is a normal biological process, like breathing, perspiring, or burping.
I read somewhere that the average human being pass ... read full comment
To me the word flatulence is a big word. I will rather use , "passing wind".
And Papa Appiah, it is a normal biological process, like breathing, perspiring, or burping.
I read somewhere that the average human being passes wind about 15 times a day.
Ph Ds and people who have earned their doctorates have really worked hard and need to be admired & praised, and not be subjected to crude satirical jokes.
KWASI IN EUROPE 8 years ago
Nice article but I also know lecturers with PhDs who become uncomfortable with brilliant students. On campus, one Maths student knew a smarter way to solve a problem much to the annoyance of the AFRICAN professor. At exams ti ... read full comment
Nice article but I also know lecturers with PhDs who become uncomfortable with brilliant students. On campus, one Maths student knew a smarter way to solve a problem much to the annoyance of the AFRICAN professor. At exams time, this student mysteriouslly "failed" the Prof's paper only to pass when the Prof was made to mark the paper again. Forget about these so-called PhDs or rather these "Pull him Down" people.
G. K. Berko 8 years ago
Come on, Marcus, a little of bantering doesn't hurt. I prefer Papa Appiah's calling out the PhDs. on their endurance of flatulence from their Profs to the cruel, life-altering hazard of undercutting each other.
What do ... read full comment
Come on, Marcus, a little of bantering doesn't hurt. I prefer Papa Appiah's calling out the PhDs. on their endurance of flatulence from their Profs to the cruel, life-altering hazard of undercutting each other.
What do we gain from pulling each other down with the elusive goal of enhancing our own Academic importance?
I would like to refer you to the ironic recouping of eminence Appiah's satire earns for the efforts of the prospective PhDs, with that flatulence joke. By that, he acknowledged what they have to endure to attain their degrees.
Not many of us would like to take up that challenge to suck in all the fumigating acrid odor for that long so as to attain that high degree. LOL!!
Long Live Ghana!!!
kwasi oduro 8 years ago
Papa, maybe it's modesty, maybe you just can't suffer flatulence in all its forms, but I'll bet my last cedi, your writing is music, it's poetry, regardless of everything you say to the contrary. As for the dueling writing ... read full comment
Papa, maybe it's modesty, maybe you just can't suffer flatulence in all its forms, but I'll bet my last cedi, your writing is music, it's poetry, regardless of everything you say to the contrary. As for the dueling writing experts ...
Kwobia (Toronto) 8 years ago
In this Internet age opinion piece writers are just that.PHD or no PHD you too can post one.
The content of the article is what counts.
In this Internet age opinion piece writers are just that.PHD or no PHD you too can post one.
The content of the article is what counts.
ghanaman 8 years ago
For every PhD, there is an equal an opposite PhD! Pure and simply true. So, enjoy your life brother.
For every PhD, there is an equal an opposite PhD! Pure and simply true. So, enjoy your life brother.
Paa 8 years ago
So your riting is impressive and I share your distaste for the purveyors of tribal and political bigotry on Ghana Web. But your sweeping caricature of PhDs is rather unfortunate. One is left also wondering exactly what so man ... read full comment
So your riting is impressive and I share your distaste for the purveyors of tribal and political bigotry on Ghana Web. But your sweeping caricature of PhDs is rather unfortunate. One is left also wondering exactly what so many other professionals also contribute to civilisation.
Take bankers, for example. I've come across so many with oversized egos. But their contribution to society is often to themselves: cheap loans to buy cars and houses. Yet, they feel on top of the moon.
In contrast, the academic's greatest boast is his commitment to lifelong learning and research and the impartation of the knowledge acquired to the next generation. I'd like to think that's a great contribution to human civilisation.
That academics also get paid a pittance relative to their qualifications, the reason they're often so disrespected by the very people they train to become professionals in other areas like banking, makes academia, like medicine, a sacrificial service to society.
Finally, a warning to anyone now going into academia. All the hours, days, weeks, months and years Papa Appiah's wife is spending on getting a PhD could have been spent making money to buy property, etc. Bcos society sees worldly treasures and pleasures as a sign of success, she is likely to feel less successful than even less qualified friends who entered the moneyed professions. This can stir deep feelings of disillusionment and anxiety.
If her husband is the type that values people by how much they earn (I don't suggest this is the case with Papa Appiah), she is likely to begin to feel worthless from constant disrespect and abuse from her spouse. This psychological state is likely to be worse if it's the man who is doing the PhD and the wife in a moneyed profession like banking.
So many brilliant PhD candidates and academics have been destroyed by such marriages.My simple advice to young PhD candidates ism if possible, postpone marriage until after the PhD. If the man or the woman you intend to marry cannot wait, s/he is probably not the type to marry an academic. Bear in mind that even after the PhD you'll still spend hours in isolation doing research for publications that only enhance your professional profile but adds almost nothing to the family's finances. Your spouse may not understand why what you do is a worthy cause if it doesn't increase the family's bank account. Soon you may be asked by your spouse to focus your energies on all manner of schemes to make money rather than on research. PhDs, beware who you marry!
Paa 8 years ago
Typos in first line acknowledged.
Typos in first line acknowledged.
Emmanuel Bombande 8 years ago
what a nice piece
what a nice piece
kutsii 8 years ago
Okoampa has chronic constipation and this allows bacteria to act on the stinking and putrefied shit of McOkoampa. Mr. Appiah shd therefore forgive the stinking flatulence of McOkoampa.
McOkoampa has metamorphosed from a be ... read full comment
Okoampa has chronic constipation and this allows bacteria to act on the stinking and putrefied shit of McOkoampa. Mr. Appiah shd therefore forgive the stinking flatulence of McOkoampa.
McOkoampa has metamorphosed from a beast to a monster, bcos of his tribal love for an old evil certifcateless dwarf who wants to be Ghana's President. Tooo tiiii puooooh tuuuueiih !!! Nonsense.
AKPE 8 years ago
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN STUDYING HARD.IT IS GOOD TO AIM HIGH,GHANAIANS, INSTEAD OF AVERAGE LIFESTYLE ALL THE TIME.DO NOT ENVY THOSE WITH PhD.
MR APPIAH SHOULD ALSO TRY TO BE A BIT DECENT IN HIS ARTICLE AND STOP USING THE ... read full comment
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN STUDYING HARD.IT IS GOOD TO AIM HIGH,GHANAIANS, INSTEAD OF AVERAGE LIFESTYLE ALL THE TIME.DO NOT ENVY THOSE WITH PhD.
MR APPIAH SHOULD ALSO TRY TO BE A BIT DECENT IN HIS ARTICLE AND STOP USING THE WORD 'FLATULENCE'. WE ARE IN THE 21st CENTURY AND HE SHOULD BE A BIT CIVILIZED. DON'T ALWAYS SOUND STUPID AND FOOLISH.TRY TO GROW UP, BLACK MAN WITH BLACK MIND.
OBUOM 8 years ago
YOUR ARTICLE SEEMS GOOD AND CONSTRUCTIVE BUT THE USE OF THE WORD 'FLATULENCE' MAKES IT DISGUSTING TO READ. WHY CAN'T MR APPIAH BE A BIT ENLIGHTENED AND CIVILISED IN HIS WRITING. PLEASE,PLEASE, YOU ARE NOT A CHILD AND SO BE DE ... read full comment
YOUR ARTICLE SEEMS GOOD AND CONSTRUCTIVE BUT THE USE OF THE WORD 'FLATULENCE' MAKES IT DISGUSTING TO READ. WHY CAN'T MR APPIAH BE A BIT ENLIGHTENED AND CIVILISED IN HIS WRITING. PLEASE,PLEASE, YOU ARE NOT A CHILD AND SO BE DECENT,CULTURED AND WELL MANNERED.
kutsii 8 years ago
OBUOM, What is wrong calling Okoampa a flatulating flatuler of stinking flatulence? Call a spade a spade and not a flatula. Some people flatulate through their anus and others like Okoamoa through their already stinking mouth ... read full comment
OBUOM, What is wrong calling Okoampa a flatulating flatuler of stinking flatulence? Call a spade a spade and not a flatula. Some people flatulate through their anus and others like Okoamoa through their already stinking mouth. OBUOM, u can decide not to flatulate again by keeping the flatulence and see the consequent explosion of shit and flatulence. Nonsense
Okai 8 years ago
You wish you could do a PhD! Your anti-intellectualism is burdening you.
You wish you could do a PhD! Your anti-intellectualism is burdening you.
Kofi 8 years ago
SILLY WORDS. BE PROFESSIONAL AND WRITE INTELLIGENTLY INSTEAD OF STUPID WORDS LIKE 'FARTS' AND 'FLATULENCE'. DR OKOAMPA AND BOKOR DON'T USE SUCH WORDS. WHEN WILL SOME GHANAIANS LEARN TO BEHAVE NOT AS ANIMALS BUT AS CREATURES I ... read full comment
SILLY WORDS. BE PROFESSIONAL AND WRITE INTELLIGENTLY INSTEAD OF STUPID WORDS LIKE 'FARTS' AND 'FLATULENCE'. DR OKOAMPA AND BOKOR DON'T USE SUCH WORDS. WHEN WILL SOME GHANAIANS LEARN TO BEHAVE NOT AS ANIMALS BUT AS CREATURES IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Osofo 8 years ago
PhD has nothing to do with peoples' stupidity and bloated egos
PhD has nothing to do with peoples' stupidity and bloated egos
G. K. Berko 8 years ago
I see your point on all the headaches and, sometimes, our deflated egos that the Ph.Ds like Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. and Dr. Bokor drag us through.
But we cannot really do without them, even if we wanted to, because they ... read full comment
I see your point on all the headaches and, sometimes, our deflated egos that the Ph.Ds like Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. and Dr. Bokor drag us through.
But we cannot really do without them, even if we wanted to, because they represent a certain unbreakable link in our Historical educational conveyor belt. The link that used to emphasize to us the importance of higher education and eloquence in the Queen's English.
It used to be the expectation that the more fluent one spoke the English Language, spiced with the kind of obscure big words that these Ph.Ds often dump on us to make us run to look for our Dictionaries, or google for their meanings to relieve our headaches a bit, the more intelligent and erudite one was.
We now, however, have come to realize that while the second part of our expectation mentioned above was largely true, the first part wasn't so much the case.
Nevertheless, that must not take anything away from the great efforts these Ph.Ds put into making their, as you put it, 'flatulent' Professors approve of their Theses.
It is, however, worrying to me that they spend more of their time pummeling each other and undermining their opponents' prestige than really argue issues out with facts to enrich the minds of their readers. Often, egregious insults at anyone who dare disagrees with them characterize their submissions. I would prefer some bantering, instead, if necessary at all.
And talking about the conduct of Borkor's for attempting to get Okoampa-Ahoofe into trouble with the latter's employees, Okoampa-Ahoofe had himself much earlier on led in that despicable "Pull-Him-Down (PHD)" behavior when he allegedly wrote to the Employees of Dr. SAS to get him fired because he thought Dr. SAS was misrepresenting his Academic prowess.
So, you are right in denouncing the behavior. But you misfired by citing only Dr. Borkor for that shameful behavior for which you said the perpetrator deserves the hangman's rope. If that were practically possible, Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. would have long gone to the other side of life before Dr. Borkor could ever attempt to copy his misbehavior.
I hope we all learn to tolerate each other, even if we cannot admire one another's achievements.
Indeed, this is delightful reading. No big words nor convoluted expressions. Perfect score. Surely, Okoampa can learn something here. And for brevity, Bokor too can learn something here. Me?
Well, as I have been arguing a ...
read full comment
Andy-K, everyone knows you very well on Ghanaweb. You bite, soothe, and disappear. Please, don't exempt yourself from this all important pathetic mess. You'll also benefit greatly from this wonderful write-up.
James,
Been busy.
Of course, I am smart without any reservations. I earned my TK title deservedly. I can dance around you all! This writer hasn't taken and passed any methodology courses for a PhD as I had done with fly ...
read full comment
A Gersis reporting
Felleow Ghanaians
The fart is a horse flatulence!
I am not trying to reduce the acid in their bloated egos as much as I am trying to protect the mucosa lining of their stomach. Rapid phd changes fr ...
read full comment
A brilliant well written piece of life in the academia. A fat idiot like Bokor some how feels justified in spewing his garbage on Ghanaweb to justify every corrupt deal involving his beloved NDC. Only an out of touch academic ...
read full comment
Having a PhD is good and advisable. It has several advantages the most important of which is that it can get you a job and make you attain a position in the workplace. Then, especially in Ghana, it gives you a certain social ...
read full comment
If having a PhD is good and advisable, then Ghanaian PhD holders must use theirs to create change and solve our problems. In my experience, half of those I've met have not done much other than dictating notes in lecture rooms ...
read full comment
While PhDs can go on to do other things besides teaching and research, that is what they are essentially trained for: to teach and research. Those who go into the practical professions are the ones supposed to solve the probl ...
read full comment
K. Boye, you say half of those you've met have not done much other than dictating lecture notes. That leaves the other half who may have done something worth their PhDs because they are brilliant.
The point I am trying to ...
read full comment
Godd's comment on "crack PhD" versus PhD in English or Communication reveals a certain silliness in our thinking. In the UK, I met people who studied Classics and English and are crack investment bankers. There are people who ...
read full comment
Paa, let's face the facts. PhDs in English and Communication are not bad in themselves and they can be employed even in IT and other production lines. But take the balance and you will see that only a few of these PhDs will b ...
read full comment
"Most of the Arts PhDs in Banking may not be doing things directly related to the theses they wrote."
The same is true of most PhDs in engineering who join management consulting, banking, insurance, IT, and other industrie ...
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Paa, you're right about PhDs being employed more for their general analytical abilities than their narrow areas of specialization. But let's not miss the general thrust of my initial argument. It is that PhDs are good (but th ...
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Well ä PHD is one who knows a lot about little, and little about a lot" That is why we have okoampa
I agree, the gentleman has done a good job. You see, he censures Bokor and Ahoofe, albeit courteously. You can rebut furiously without appearing somehow offensive. Whether you like it or not, Bokor and Ahoofe stooped so low b ...
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First of all Im not a student of the English language and I wouldnt know how to describe or in what academic category to place Papa Appiahs style but needless to say, it clearly stands out as one of the most appealing pieces ...
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To me the word flatulence is a big word. I will rather use , "passing wind".
And Papa Appiah, it is a normal biological process, like breathing, perspiring, or burping.
I read somewhere that the average human being pass ...
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Nice article but I also know lecturers with PhDs who become uncomfortable with brilliant students. On campus, one Maths student knew a smarter way to solve a problem much to the annoyance of the AFRICAN professor. At exams ti ...
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Come on, Marcus, a little of bantering doesn't hurt. I prefer Papa Appiah's calling out the PhDs. on their endurance of flatulence from their Profs to the cruel, life-altering hazard of undercutting each other.
What do ...
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Papa, maybe it's modesty, maybe you just can't suffer flatulence in all its forms, but I'll bet my last cedi, your writing is music, it's poetry, regardless of everything you say to the contrary. As for the dueling writing ...
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In this Internet age opinion piece writers are just that.PHD or no PHD you too can post one.
The content of the article is what counts.
For every PhD, there is an equal an opposite PhD! Pure and simply true. So, enjoy your life brother.
So your riting is impressive and I share your distaste for the purveyors of tribal and political bigotry on Ghana Web. But your sweeping caricature of PhDs is rather unfortunate. One is left also wondering exactly what so man ...
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Typos in first line acknowledged.
what a nice piece
Okoampa has chronic constipation and this allows bacteria to act on the stinking and putrefied shit of McOkoampa. Mr. Appiah shd therefore forgive the stinking flatulence of McOkoampa.
McOkoampa has metamorphosed from a be ...
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THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN STUDYING HARD.IT IS GOOD TO AIM HIGH,GHANAIANS, INSTEAD OF AVERAGE LIFESTYLE ALL THE TIME.DO NOT ENVY THOSE WITH PhD.
MR APPIAH SHOULD ALSO TRY TO BE A BIT DECENT IN HIS ARTICLE AND STOP USING THE ...
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YOUR ARTICLE SEEMS GOOD AND CONSTRUCTIVE BUT THE USE OF THE WORD 'FLATULENCE' MAKES IT DISGUSTING TO READ. WHY CAN'T MR APPIAH BE A BIT ENLIGHTENED AND CIVILISED IN HIS WRITING. PLEASE,PLEASE, YOU ARE NOT A CHILD AND SO BE DE ...
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OBUOM, What is wrong calling Okoampa a flatulating flatuler of stinking flatulence? Call a spade a spade and not a flatula. Some people flatulate through their anus and others like Okoamoa through their already stinking mouth ...
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You wish you could do a PhD! Your anti-intellectualism is burdening you.
SILLY WORDS. BE PROFESSIONAL AND WRITE INTELLIGENTLY INSTEAD OF STUPID WORDS LIKE 'FARTS' AND 'FLATULENCE'. DR OKOAMPA AND BOKOR DON'T USE SUCH WORDS. WHEN WILL SOME GHANAIANS LEARN TO BEHAVE NOT AS ANIMALS BUT AS CREATURES I ...
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PhD has nothing to do with peoples' stupidity and bloated egos
I see your point on all the headaches and, sometimes, our deflated egos that the Ph.Ds like Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. and Dr. Bokor drag us through.
But we cannot really do without them, even if we wanted to, because they ...
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