THE STORY IS TOLD of a talkative Barbadian – could’ve been Ossie Moore, for all I know – who opened his dictionary searching for the meaning of the word metamorphosis. He had heard it used in connection with the four stages of Nature’s miracle in the development of a beautiful butterfly: from egg to caterpillar to pupa.
Armed with a meaning of the word, he set out for work one morning from his home in Connell Town, St Lucy. His destination was Bridgetown.
He was the first passenger on the bus and he handed the conductor a one hundred dollar bill to which the conductor replied: “I don’t have that sort-a change right now; you will have to wait until later as more people board the bus.”
The bus gradually filled with passengers all through Speightstown, The Garden, Holetown, Payne’s Bay, Fitts Village and Black Rock. At Eagle Hall, the bus, now packed to capacity – several passengers occupying “standing-up seats” in the aisle – the man from the north called out to the conductor from way in the back, in stentorian tones: “Mr Conductor, please don’t forget my metamorphosis!”
Treasure trove
It’s times like these that I miss the late teacher and social commentator Gladstone Holder. He spent much of his adult life explaining language. He died in 2003 leaving to posterity a veritable treasure trove of wisdom in the form of four publications put together from his columns in both daily newspapers.
During my brief stint on the board of directors at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, I tried without success to suggest a programme in which excerpts of Mr Holder’s work could be broadcast as part of the “education” that radio stations here pretend to put on the air.
Mr Holder never tired of railing against the simplistic notion that the meaning of words is to be found in the dictionary.
I am amazed that a number of commentators who took to the airwaves and the columns of the print media this month do not seem to realize that the meaning of words depends on context.
Sir Roy Trotman indulged in one of those reckless May Day moments when the Lord High Panjandrum of a trade union is expected to lambast an employer and threaten to close down the country. No racist intent, just some transient noise, like flatulence, which soon blows away in the winds of Easter – until next year. Barbadians have become accustomed to it.
Calls for removal of the accolade of knighthood and revocation of his seat in the Senate are silly.
Sir Roy was clearly out of order. In the Senate, Madame President would have asked him to rephrase his comment or to withdraw it. And he might have done so in gracious language. But then, there are seldom any crowds in Parliament, and those who are allowed in are “strangers”.
He should withdraw the offensive reference in the parliament of public opinion. Words make not only sounds, they also make wounds.
Better behaviour
Careless talk cannot be condoned even when it comes from the lips of “icons” and “noble knights of St Andrew”. Indeed, it is because Sir Roy Trotman is an outstanding local, regional and international trade union leader that better behaviour is expected of him. To whom much is given, much is expected.
We rush to the superlative so hastily to hoist average people on to undeserved pedestals while such folk labour equally diligently to hoist themselves with their own petards.
Diversions into religion and race create emotional fog and becloud opportunities for the resolution of disputes and improvement of industrial relations in the workplace. They set off raging firestorms and the Press gets blamed.
When giant-sized egos are involved, it’s difficult to apologize and move on. All it takes is a little humility.
I told a friend three weeks ago I hope the anti-Semitism tag doesn’t come this way. It seems as though it already has. What a pity.
• Carl Moore was the first Editor of THE NATION and is a social commentator. Email [email protected]
