THINK ABOUT A PIECE OF FABRIC that has been folded neatly and placed in a drawer. The occasional glance suggests that the fabric is in good condition. Why not? Look how neatly folded it remains. And if it seems that the colour is changing, that may be nothing more than a trick of the light; what else could it be? Then one day the fabric is unfolded and not only is it badly faded or discoloured, but there are enough holes to make the fabric seem almost beyond repair.
A simple metaphor to describe what I think is happening to our Barbadian society. And what is worse, the weavers are asleep at the wheel.
It will be assumed that my comment above refers to politicians. Not necessarily. I hold fast to the view that Barbados is primarily a society before it is an economy or any other entity, for that matter. Who we are, or what we understand ourselves to be, precedes all else. Granted, there are external forces that may influence our behaviour, but what we do generally reflects who we are.
And that is the question: who have we become as Barbadians? Although I would prefer not to dabble in politics, it seems clear to me that the dreadful affliction named party allegiance is robbing Barbadians of basic common sense, not to mention personal integrity. The party faithful believe what the party purports to be the truth, even if the lie stares individuals in the face. The result is the retardation of social and economic progress on this small island.
Moreover, party polarization creates the fissures and gaps through which politicians may easily slip and dodge. Why should politicians pay heed to a moral imperative when the people in their mistaken loyalties encourage its absence?
In his article Losing Ground (SUNDAY SUN, October 27), Ralph Jemmott draws an analogy between the lifeguard who, it is claimed, saw no urgency in saving a man’s life, and the “persons in positions of responsibility” who failed to respond quickly to the looming disaster over the country. We may widen the parameters to include the general Barbadian populace in terms of its ostrich-like behaviour.
We simply do not see what we do not wish to see.
In this regard I refer to the many Barbadians who would refuse to admit any relationship between the two images in the SATURDAY SUN of October 26: one on the front and the other on the back page of the same newspaper. On the front page is a Colossus-size photo of our Barbadian sex-selling symbol and on the back, the sex-scene involving two 14-year-olds. Try telling young people that the norm for them is different from that of the Barbadian pop star and you’re wasting time.
What the young see and hear is what influences their behaviour. Am I laying all the blame for the rampant sexuality among our young on Rihanna?
That would be absurd. I am simply pointing out the blatant contradiction of awestruck Barbadians who sing the praises of the pop star using every rationalization for her graphic and outrageously sexualized behaviour, while condemning these two young students, particularly the girl. I am talking about influence here.
Finally, I sympathize with Mr Bizzy Williams and other individuals who are calling for Barbadians to present a positive image of our country to all who may be looking on; we must be careful not to scare away investors, among other reasons. I wish I could be optimistic enough to believe that this effort at positive image-building will occur anytime soon.
Things are falling apart at the seams and we have to wake up to that fact.
We are naked. And something called moral leadership, for which each one of us is responsible, is asleep at the wheel.
•Esther Phillips is an educator, poet and editor of BIM: Arts For The 21st Century; email eephillips7@hotmail.com
