A GUY'S VIEW
There have been tremendous efforts in recent times to destabilise Barbados. What almost guarantees that these efforts will be successful is that they are coming from within.
We have all experienced or heard stories of how our regional neighbours view us. If we were in the dark on this, the light would have come now that our economy is experiencing challenges. Our country has been described as a fallen angel, and that is kind to compare with what some say when there is a personal encounter.
However, none of this is new. Those sentiments are like water off a duck’s back for most of us. What is different about the recent efforts of derogation is that Barbadians are engaged in deliberate efforts to destroy Barbados.
It is one thing for political rhetoric to be negative. Most of us expect this to be the case. What is most troubling is the transmutation and migration of negative language from the political arena to destructive behaviour by Barbadians in the normal course of their lives.
The spreading of negative fake news has become almost common. It is important to question convenient stories that seem to bear a kernel of truth, but which cannot be independently verified. The police have publicly stated that a number of the scary stories which are now circulating on social media are nothing more than stories.
These hot stories sound sensational and are instantly circulated by well-meaning persons the moment they are received. In this way, they spread fear and perpetuate the air of uneasiness which some are trying to create. Acceptance of these messages without discrimination and circulating them serves to undermine the society’s stability, even if inadvertently.
It also creates the potentially dangerous situation that when there is in fact a case for concern, the requisite response may not be forthcoming. When we cry wolf when there is no wolf, we may be left without assistance when the wolf truly comes. And the wolf will come one day, for our lies often turn into self-fulfilled prophecies.
Last week a politician reported that he encountered garbage bags in a road leading to his home. The bags were said to be located not far from the private business office of the Leader of the Opposition. An event of this nature should be seen as a matter of national concern, but I have heard no one express alarm or even a little concern about it. When the great consternation expressed was in questioning what has happened to the country over the last nine years, the unfortunate message that is being sent is that nothing like this would have happened before the current administration came to office, nine years ago.
Given the approaching silly season and the inability of some political aspirants to separate politics from anything else, this political sniping may be forgiven, even if disapproved. What is important is that if this is not a contrived event in keeping with the current onslaught of fake news, it is a matter that should concern all of us. Threats to the safety of all persons on our shores must always be taken seriously and responded to in the strongest possible manner. They should not be lost in the preponderance of other events.
A vehicle, stationary in traffic, was destroyed by another vehicle which ran into it. The occupants in the stationary vehicle were seriously injured. In fact, the person sitting in the front passenger seat was killed on the spot.
A day or two later, a verbal message was circulated on social media making a case for the driver of the weaponized vehicle. According to the voice in that message, a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital informed him that the driver of the killer vehicle could not have been driving fast because he had suffered only minor injuries. The nature of these messages is such that there is no possibility of interaction, hence no one could ask the speaker to step back from his defence of the killer and think about what he had said.
One should not be surprised when ignorant people speak ignorantly, but ignorance is multiplied when ignorant statements are repeated. One may not be sure why the nurse who was quoted would conclude that the driver of a vehicle was travelling slowly without knowing the circumstances of the collision he caused, but for her unfortunate statement to be repeated is amazing.
It may be that the speaker on the social media message was one of the persons who was in the party of racers coming from Bushy Park on that fateful evening and was seeking to justify himself and his friends. What is known is that he spoke foolishly. However, that is further evidence of reasonableness being blinded by personal interest.
This case makes the argument for as much emphasis to be placed on road safety as is engaged in crime fighting. The challenges are different but the consequences may be equally deadly. At today’s date, more persons have died on our roads than have died in acts of criminal violence.
We seem not to be unduly concerned when authorities turn a blind eye to minor matters. Traffic matters always seem to fall into the minor category. However, careful consideration may reveal that ignoring these matters may be the breeding ground for more serious incidents.
It may be easy to regard non-accident traffic manoeuvres as unimportant as no one may have been hurt at that time, but not taking action against the drivers who engage in this behaviour tells them that they are free to continue disregarding our traffic laws and endangering the lives of other road users.
While all of this may be true, one cannot underestimate the fact that the persons who enforce our laws are also Barbadians who share the same values as the rest of the society. They are not robots who will write tickets or take other enforcement action independently of the influence of their environment. In a way, this ensures some parity between the written law and the accepted norms of the society. While laws should reflect the societal norms, this is not always the case.
A few days ago there was a report of the unfortunate death of a child who was left alone in a house. What seemed like a female voice was heard on social media giving an account of what had happened. That account included the information that the police had the parents of the child in custody. It was later discovered that this information was false. At the time of writing, the police were still carrying out their investigations and had not arrested any person.
A few months ago, Barbados experienced flooding in some low-lying areas. WhatsApp was flooded with pictures of scenes of devastation. Later, it was discovered that some of those scenes were not even in Barbados.
One could go on. What is important is that we should leave alternative facts to the political platform. We have a great country that we must work to preserve. Building is hard work, but destruction is easy. One calypsonian proposed that we could “brek up and buy back”, but one doubts that he was referring to a country.