Archive for October, 2008

Limited Thinking

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

So I’m line waiting to pay my phone bill when two elderly, middle-class gentlemen join the queue and begin to chat.

Fellow #1: So how are you? You good?
Fellow #2: Good, man.
#1: You keeping healthy? Exercising?
#2: I getting plenty exercise dealing with the illiterates in this country. (Proceeds to refer to specific government agencies that are not providing him with his preferred level of service).

The conversation meanders somewhat, turning to politics, the state of the country and eventually, statistics that were apparently released (I say “apparently” because I have not seen these statistics myself) on the poor academic performance of secondary school students. (It was a long line).

#2: Do you know that X percent of students are failing Maths and English? Maths and English! (He repeats himself for emphasis). The two most important subjects there are. (Then, somewhat derogatively…) Not Art, not History, not Cooking! This is why this country will never go anywhere.

Uh-huh. So the solution to Trinidad and Tobago’s downward spiral is to create a society of people who excel in Maths and English. As a people we apparently don’t need a creative outlet (tell that to the thousands who play Carnival every year); we have no need for history because we already know where we’re heading (nowhere fast) and we can survive by eating our very carefully pronounced words. It’s not that I don’t recognise the importance of those two subjects in daily life, but I do not accept that everyone must excel academically in order to add value as a citizen. Is there no room for the artist? The musician? The chef? The welder? The craftsman? The farmer?

I was just about to say to Gentleman #2 that this kind of limited thinking does much more to contribute to our lack of direction as a society than an insufficient grasp of Maths and English – but being an average mathematician, I quickly worked out the equation in my mind:

New perspective + Ignorance = Waste of Time.

And being an English speaker, when the cashier said, “Next!”, I proceeded to move forward and pay my bill.

Posted in Art, Carnival, Trinidad & Tobago | 6 Comments »

That US Presidential Race

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

So we all know that politics is a game. But bear with me for a moment and let’s compare politics with sports. You’re a swimmer. Or a track and field sprinter. You’re in the home stretch. The finish line is so close you can almost touch it. What do you do? A smart athlete – a well-trained one – would keep his eyes on the prize and concentrate on running his own race. But what is McCain doing? He’s continuously looking over at the other lane, more concerned about the competition than he is about raising the level of his own performance. Such a tactic not only demonstrates a lack of self-confidence, it loses races. Athletic and presidential.

Besides which, McCain’s questioning of “whether this (Barack Obama) is a man who has what it takes to protect America from Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the other great threats in the world” is probably not the most advisable political path to follow. W, to whom McCain lent his support the overwhelming majority of the time, leaves, as part of his dubious legacy, the fallout from the 9-11 attacks on America. Can anyone forget how he continued to listen to that students’ reading for what seemed like forever after hearing the news of the attacks? And then waged war on Iraq, despite repeated confirmation from UN weapons inspectors that there were no “weapons of mass destruction” to be found and that Saddam Hussein’s regime had nothing to do with September 11. And to add insult to injury, never managed to find the real perpetrator of the attacks, despite threats of “smoking him out” from his cave. Followed, quite fittingly, by McCain’s promises to “follow Bin Laden to the gates of Hell.” So, really – who’s the candidate that Americans should be more concerned about when it comes to homeland security? The “experienced” maverick who can’t catch the outlaw despite two terms of his party being in office, or the “green” senator who intends to tackle foreign relations the smart way – by sitting down and discussing things?

If I could vote, you know where I’d be casting my ballot.

Posted in Current Affairs, The Americas | 2 Comments »

When Television was Television

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

The local television industry has lost one of its founding fathers. God speed, Uncle John. It was a pleasure to have known you.
John Trevor Barsotti: October 24 1937 – October 24 2008.

Posted in Trinidad & Tobago | 5 Comments »

Flashback

Friday, October 24th, 2008

The air is different this morning. It’s not the still, humid, slightly oppressive atmosphere we’ve become accustomed to during this long, intense rainy season. Which is not to say that the wet season hasn’t brought its usual abundant blessings. The hills are emerald green, lush with possibility. Wet season is the harbinger of hope that leaves you awestruck by the simplest of miracles – a ripe tomato on a stem, or the glimpse of a butterfly as it flits through flowering hibiscus. Rain, especially the kind of loud, large droplets that are the signature of tropical climes, is beautiful to me: the entire landscape is suddenly covered in a silver gauze that cleanses and makes new. But grey skies coupled with dim newspaper headlines can weigh a little heavy over time.

I’m not sure whether Trinbagonians notice the change in the social climate; it’s crept up on us rather surreptitiously. We are a warier people, slower to offer a helping hand or even a casual “good morning”. We’ve almost become the antithesis of all things “Trini”. We’re less spontaneous, less friendly, more cynical. And sadly, we’re becoming accustomed to the winds of change.

But not this morning. Today, there’s a crisp coolness in the breeze, a lightness of being, almost. It’s fresh and friendly. Like “long-time” Trinidad. The craftsmen working on our neighbour’s gate gave me a “hail out” as I passed, as did our friend from next door. The sky is a distinctive shade of Caribbean blue. Birds are chirping. Orange butterflies chase each other through the bushes. I keep my eyes peeled for a majestic Blue Emperor; I know it’s there, hiding behind places we don’t think to look. I want my country to wake up to her own beauty. The audacity of hope.

Posted in Nature and Environment, Trinidad & Tobago | 5 Comments »