Friday Comment: Watch Out My Children
Watch out my
children
By Richard Braithwaite
 |
| Caribbean School Children |
In fact one of the
hallmarks of a great calypso is its ability to deliver a message that remains
topical despite the passage of time. For instance the 1959 Road March "Run
the Gunslingers'' by Caruso sang about rising crime and that criminals were so
desperate that they would "knock you down for a green mango". If you
substitute "cellphone'' for "green mango'' it is perhaps even more
relevant today. Then there was the classic about freedom of speech in the
late1930s by King Radio who sang "they want to license we mouth, they
don't want we talk". Around the same time the Growling Tiger wrote his
famous "Money is King'' in which he noted that the wealthy could do as
they please in the society, even "commit murder and get off free".
On the humorous side
Cypher captured the Calypso King title in 1967 singing about the behaviour of
political parties and poked fun at their "manifestos only pack with
lies". More recently there was "Mr Trinidad'' by Maestro, a
marvellous insight into the national psyche while Sparrow's "Good
Citizen" dramatically highlighted the hypocrisy and injustice that still
prevails. Birdie sang that "the real traitors are all high in
society" and recent revelations coming out of the Clico/HCU Commission
suggest that he may have a point.
There are many other
calypso gems from the likes of Shadow, Kitchener, Duke, Chalkdust, Stalin,
Valentino et al. However, the one that keeps reverberating in my head is the
masterpiece by the late, great Ras Shorty I "Watch out my children".
Perhaps it is prompted by the bullying, rape and child abuse that seem to be on
the increase. Or maybe it is the appalling behaviour of adults who are supposed
to be setting examples of honesty and decency for the youth to follow.
I came across the
following statement on the Internet recently, "children are an extension
of their parents by their thoughts, words, and actions. They learn as they see
their parents responding to emotion, reacting to comments, handling circumstances
and making choices. They are sponges."
If it is true that our
children absorb the world around them like "sponges'', then I wonder what
they are soaking up as they look around at the country today. Will they absorb
the lesson of young Keshorn Walcott that discipline and humility can move
mountains or will they learn from some of our "exemplars'' that cunning,
deceit and "smartmanism'' are the secrets of success?
Ras Shorty I is
classic with a warning to "walk cautiously children, be alert because you
have an enemy that's roaming the earth". And while he referred
specifically to the dangers of cocaine, the enemy extended not only to the drug
trade but to "all the evils of life that create strife and destroy
life."
Some weeks ago CCN TV6
asked the question "do you think there are evil people holding high office
in Trinidad and Tobago?" While it was an unscientific poll, an
overwhelming 92 per cent answered in the affirmative and I suspect that viewers
did not confine their answers to politicians.
In a more recent
article Sunday Express columnist Sunity Maharaj noted that "gangsterism
dressed up in jacket and tie and high heels and lipstick is the culture of a
leadership class committed to the ideology of self above all else". Many
would agree that "the ideology of self above all else'' is the root cause
of many of the ills affecting T&T. It is reflected not only in the
unrestrained lust for money and power but also in the self-righteous arrogance
that refuses to accept or listen to other voices.
It is a type of
behaviour which often seems to border on megalomania or even narcissism. A
prominent medical encyclopaedia notes that narcissism is "a personality
disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a
deep need for admiration and praise". It goes on, "they have a
fragile self-esteem and cannot handle criticism and will often try to
compensate for this inner fragility by belittling others". Egos are
running wild throughout the country and our youth need to guard against this particular
"evil of life''.
Fortunately Ras Shorty
I offered some hope to the next generation and reminded them that their destiny
is in their hands. "Your future is ahead of you," he sang "right
or wrong, sweet or sour depends on what you do. What you feed your mind with
forms your characteristic and shades the path that you must walk tomorrow…
darkness or glow, joy or sorrow". It may be difficult in an
"eat-ah-food'' environment but the youth must "feed their minds''
with what "leads on to righteousness'' and does not bring "shame and
disgrace to the human race''.
• Richard Braithwaite
is a
management consultant
From the Trinidad Express Saturday November 10th. 2012
Click on Link below to listen to Ras Shorty I , Watch out My Children
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