Can anything positive come out of children in Barbados having cellular phones?
Many of us would have said no without blinking an eye less than a week ago, but after the uploading of a cellphone video recording of a bullying incident on Facebook led to a public outcry and a subsequent apology by the bully, we now have to look at this double-edged sword more closely.
On the one hand, a cellphone used irresponsibly as a “weapon” can cause utter pain, embarrassment, violence and almost anything that falls under the ambit of societal evil; but on the other hand a cellphone can be a security tool, a cry for help, a source of knowledge, and a veritable catalyst for society’s vigilance if used by responsible citizens.
Now I’m not urging the Ministry of Education to renege on, or even rethink, its stand against cellphones in school, nor am I encouraging students of Barbados to break the rules; but it is clear that some good has indeed come about as a result of simply having a cellphone at the right place and time.
And this is not the first occasion, since we have seen in recent years uploaded videos of sex among students in classrooms, bad behaviour on public service vehicles, reckless driving by minibus operators, and skin-out competitions in St Lucy.
In fact, the recent bullying incident, like other episodes filmed around school precincts and uploaded to social networks, has made this society more watchful than before – arguably more vigilant than ever.
Today, the ubiquity of a cellphone camera and multimedia technology – used clandestinely or otherwise – dictate that you can no longer do and say whatever you like.
Many parents and others, who either buried their hands in the sand and said “not my son” or simply did not know what their charges were up to, are now being forced to step up to their responsibility.
The words of the mother in the last WEEKEND NATION’s lead story spoke volumes, for it was clear she did not have a clue what her errant son had been doing, but after the calls came in following the Facebook expose, she showed the decisiveness that is oft considered old-fashioned in an era when parental authority is a joke and parents are considered little more than their children’s “friends”.
“I?understand the ramifications of what my child has done,” she was quoted as saying. “The same way that they could post something so negative on Facebook, the same way he can come forward and do something positive and publicly apologise. He has to learn from this. It came to light for a reason.”
If not for a cellphone in the “wrong” place and Facebook, a youngster who had been bullied and was in turn bullying another now had to turn to his mother to make this regrettable incident “a stepping stone to clean up his act”.
There is hope, and this development can only build the character of the young man.
We have to admit that nowadays, though many modern-day parents want to be their kids’ “buddies”, teenagers will not come home and tell adults all that is going on in the classroom or bathroom, nor will they share their vulgar music or secret lingo.
But thanks to this little tool/weapon that we call a cellphone, parents are more aware of the battles children, especially teens, face daily in the school environment, on the bus and on the streets where wanton sex and thug life are rapidly rising from being subcultural nuisances to being part and parcel of mainstream Barbadian culture.
We are quick to decry children having cellphones because, admittedly, many of them are irresponsible; but adults are probably more guilty of their misuse.
And isn’t that human nature, anyway?
Guns are misused daily even though they are a source of protection for those who enforce the law and for some private individuals. Knives can also be used to inflict fatal harm, but their use as utensils far outweighs the negative aspect.
The same may be true for cellphones, and their efficiency has begun to span areas like citizen journalism and court evidence in some jurisdictions.
Worldwide, incidents like the Iran crisis and recent uprisings across the Middle East have, via the use of cellphones, showed the value of social networks in uniting people and helping them communicate even in the face of censorship by governments. These in turn force serious discussion of Middle Eastern issues by people who were previously “worlds” away from Tunisia and Jordan, and create a kind of world citizen whose digital tools make him/her an immediate witness of history.
Furthermore, cellphones and other multimedia devices are becoming tremendous on-the-ground complements to journalists, especially when teamed with YouTube, TwitPic and other video streaming sites.
And while there may be concerns about average citizens not being professional reporters nor having the training to verify sources and quote people responsibly, media organizations have already realised that these other players in the business of news are worthy partners or competitors.
Even so, the average citizen, including the school child, is only holding in his hand an extension of what authorities have long been doing in the name of security: using surveillance cameras and closed-circuit television in public and private places.
Big Brother is watching, and sadly our privacy is being sacrificed and our freedoms eroded; but aren’t we far better informed?
