Boo, boo shame on patrons

FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT, the 32nd president of the United States, once described the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour as a date “which will live in infamy”.Well, the events that unfolded on July 25, 2010, at Bushy Park, St Philip, would not have produced the same devastating results, but should go down in Barbados as a date “which will live in shame”.Barbados is rumoured to have a high literacy rate, but the derisive response by hundreds at Bushy Park to TC’s winning of the Sweet Soca crown suggests that literacy figure in the 90 plus percentage might be greatly exaggerated.One does not have to dwell on the fact that TC was the best performer in the competition and deserving of the victory, but that she was subjected to uncharitable boos of patrons indicated they did not appreciate there was a judging process in place over which TC had no control or influence.And to add salt to wounds that are unlikely to ever heal, minutes after loudly booing TC, the same crowd was vociferously cheering Trinbagonians Bunji Garland and Fay-Anne Lyons. But one should not be surprised. This is a country where Barbadians once booed Corey Collymore after he dismissed Carl Hooper in a regional cricket match at Kensington Oval.One is not suggesting that people should applaud mediocrity along nationalistic lines, but it would be interesting to have those that booed, to objectively and dispassionately reveal what criteria they believe TC did not fulfil to merit her victory.One must respect her decision not to return to compete in the Soca Royale before the rabble-rousers who booed her, for fear of her safety and that of her dancers. National Cultural Foundation security boss Louis Sealy said there was never a question of any danger for the artistes. But that was public relations talking. Unless he had a divine whisper in the ear, he could not have given that assurance to anyone.With an overall crowd of 15 000 and the several hundreds that were jeering wildly, security forces that included a mere 130 police officers, a few soldiers and some private security, would have to depend on the intelligence and common sense of the crowd to ensure that nothing more unsavoury occurred. And the behaviour exhibited suggests there were quite a few idiots in the crowd.TC and all those performers and musicians who perform during the Crop-Over season do so because they love the art form and want to make a contribution to culture in the island. They often do so at great personal expense and inconvenience. Often, their contributions go with negligible reward, if any at all.They do not deserve to be victims of the type of asinine behaviour displayed last Sunday.On another note, Kid Site is crying that he is finished with the Pic-O-De-Crop competition because he didn’t make the finals and due to what he calls “favouritism”. Balderdash!He has won four crowns, made the semis 18 times, the finals on 17 occasions, and is still complaining as though he has a God-given right to be in the finals every year. Give us a break, Site! See you next year in Bacchanal Time.• Off The Chest is written by a WE Magazine insider.