#BTColumn – Wickham’s comment about Reifer insulting

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Dr. Derek Alleyne

I once had occasion to listen to a complaint from Peter Wickham following an article submitted by the Douglas Leopold Philip’s column of the DLP. The anger expressed in his complaint dissuaded me from commenting on anything he said or wrote.

That notwithstanding, I feel moved to respond to a comment he made about Floyd Reifer’s political entry.

The political scientist is reported to have said that Mr. Reifer will have to convince voters that he is more than just a cricketer.

I tried to find the context in which this statement was made and could not so I respond to the comment standing on its own.

I don’t know Mr. Wickham’s intention but the comment suggests to me that being a cricketer places Mr. Reifer in some inferior status.

In my estimation a cricketer is as noble as any other profession and while it is not uncommon for unlearned people to classify jobs that hitherto were considered non-professional as inferior to the old professions, one would have thought that a learned professional like Wickham would have been less discriminatory.

It would serve Wickham well to get a copy of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-8) and update his thinking.