#BTColumn – Our double standards abound

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY. 

by Leslie Lett Jr

No doubt, such scenes disgust and infuriate us! As they should! And yet, quite ironically, many of the people who are rightfully disgusted and infuriated at such illegal dumping; many of the people who will articulately lecture on the grave dangers of such, and offer worthwhile solutions; many of the people who vociferously demand the perpetrators of this disgrace be prosecuted to the full extent of the law – yes, many of these same people now will act as if the wholesale rubbising of the mask-wearing directive, such as that which was allowed to transpire at Kensington Oval during the just-concluded T20I series between England and the West Indies, is “no big deal”; some of these same people will now choose only to chortle and rub their hands over the spend of tourists on the island (and this is in no way to diminish the importance of that spend!); some of these same people will now only speak of how much “fun” it was to attend the matches.

(Let me make it clear, I am not so naïve as not to be acutely aware of the vital importance of tourism to our National Project.
But surely that importance cannot give licence for the disregard of our rules and laws any more than my important support of local industry by “buying local” gives me licence to pelt the packaging of the purchased product in a gully!)

The blatant disrespect and flagrant flouting of our established directives and protocols which was allowed to transpire at Kensington Oval, and the apparent preferential policing and selective enforcement of the same – are these any less grievously undermining of our National Project than the indiscriminate and illegal dumping in our gullies? By what has been allowed to be perpetrated, loudly and clearly it has been telegraphed to the youths of this country that rules and laws are mere playthings to be disregarded and flouted when inconvenient – that adherence to them is secondary to the indulgence in activities for personal convenience, pleasure and/or advancement; and that rules and laws are to be policed and enforced with selectivity and preference.

If these are not extremely dangerous messages I do not know what are! They are watching, and they are storing these lessons in their hearts, and in their minds.

And if/when they act on this new information … the crying of tears will be long, the gnashing to teeth will be raucous, the rending of garments will be theatrical … the hypocrisy will be rife as we ask, in all performative bewilderment: “Is this who we are?”
God, grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change…

Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference.
[Reinhold Neibuhr]

This column was offered as a Letter to the Editor.