It is amazing how people does be making their own rules, setting up their own scenes, expecting you and me tuh live by dem, and then duh does turn around and break dem. Like the very same things they tell you not tuh do they turn around and do? I suppose it is a case of “do as I say and not as I do”.Leh we start wid the highest office and take for example what continues tuh happen in the House of Assembly week after week wid the politicians from both sides, doing a whole lot o’ foolishness.Now the way how things going, it is very sad tuh see that not one o’ dem politicians – old or young, green or stalwart – cahn tell the other one tuh come back and evah one o’ dem out tuh all like pop kites. But mind you, duh laying down rules of discipline fuh evahthing and evahbody including the PSV people, the vendors, the schoolchildren and the bus system; as I said, evah single thing, but all o’ dem doing as they very well like, when they like and how they like. Now dat is so sad.And what about the people who call demselves parents, people who God trusted with children tuh nurture and guide and help dem tuh grow and develop into good decent grounded and rounded individuals; wha’ bout these people?While they have some who take this role of parenting seriously and continue tuh lead and live their lives as examples for not only theirs but other people children tuh follow, there are the ones, pon the other hand, who doan seem tuh understand the true role of a parent.Sometimes it looks tuh me like some o’ dem doan even seem tuh understand dat these are the same children who ain’t gine stan’ small but gine grow into adults wid everything dat parents, good or bad deposit in dem.Double standards Then duh gine do the same exact thing dat we parents taught dem, and since you me and evahbody else will be old by then, they bless we or cut we tail wid it.And why not? Wha’ we adults are the ones who laying down the rules, setting the tone and pace, wid all kinds o’ double standards and expecting evahbody, especially the younger generation, tuh follow. We allowing all kinds o’ cultures like scarfs, cellphones, short skirts, elaborate hair styles, and teachers not allowed tuh discipline on the spot tuh subtly filter in tuh the schools and the system.We adopting all kinds o’ garbage covered up wid glitter and allowing it tuh take root; then when it starts tuh take off and spread like love vine, we start back tracking, trying tuh set other rules tuh cover up or undo these rules, and more often than nought, try tuh blame somebody else fuh the damage.I like dat cartoon in the Saturday paper wid the caption, How The Youth Get So? How ya mean how duh get so? We put duh so, dem ain’t born so, dem learn it from we, dem come along and see and hear it from we. How many years I was writing this column now? I know dat for as long as I have been writing it, I have been saying dat our leaders, be it B, D or N, have always allowed the horse tuh bolt outta the stable before dem playing dem running gine tuh shut a door Hello! The horse done gone long a’ready, the damage done do.How I could shut out Mavado and Vybes Kartel and doing the same thing in the house dat dem preaching? How I could tell my child not tuh get a tattoo when I got my whole body scrawl up? How I could tell you tuh go tuh school and get a good education, get a good job and become a model citizen when I sitting pon my tail day in and day out wasting time? How I could tell my girl child tuh keep she self tuh she self, take her time and wait fuh the right person who will love and respect her tuh come along but all she seeing is you dressing in the tightest latest clothes and weaves, going out fêteing every weekend and bringing in all kinds o’ undesirables including the ones who gine interfere wid her and destroy her innocence while you turn a blind eye just fuh the money?And we continue tuh make the rules and then break the rules but fuhget that these same double standards gine come back tuh cut we tail eventually; which is happening all like now so.• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans and has an opinion on everything.
