Schoolmen and schoolwomen
Frankly Speaking... By A.A. Fenty
Stabroek News
December 5, 2003
Even as I suspect I had used this caption and theme several years ago, I concede now that today's issue is a strange one to explore in this, the beginning of the season of Peace and Goodwill to all men.
In my pre-teens and teenage days we had school-boys and school-girls, pupils and students. Because of both the "adult" knowledge and gross conduct of some school-going youths observed some years ago, my driver-friend dubbed them schoolmen and schoolwomen.
My own perception of today's Guyana school-boys and girls fills me with foreboding, disappointment and disgust; many times with fear, outrage and revulsion, but the Pandora's Box of gross behaviour and deteriorating morals among the nation's school population, once opened, will reveal an embarrassing array of causes, reasons, examples and perpetrators. Those youths, after all, are but reflections of the more adult (irresponsible) society.
So far, consistently I have heaped much blame on the adult society for the status, moral standards and behaviour of any country's younger generation. The reason is obvious. Good or bad behaviour or standards is mostly learned behaviour. The young learn from the not-so-young and as has been stated so often before; it's not the youth who produce porn, liquor or lewd sex toys or music; it's not the youth who manufacture guns and bombs and reasons for war. And younger folks don't establish groups or governments which preach or preside over corruption, discrimination and nepotism. Many a time the young are recruited later.
But having recorded the immediate foregoing, I have to admit that I'm altering my view on that slowly. Though the adult members and manipulators of society influence the good or gross behaviours of the youth, I now contend that most of today's savvy, streetwise, educated youth - especially between 14 and 18 - understand what's right from what's wrong but seem to prefer what's unacceptable, anti-social and, most times, illegal.
In Guyana, I suggest that the real overall deterioration of moral values, virtues, integrity and desirable old-fashion behaviour began around the 1962-1964 period, when the first real "modern-day" politics of protests, demonstrations, racism, murder and mayhem began here. As an innocent teenager I then experienced my first mighty acts of arson, bombings and executions - followed by racial/ethnic divisions.
Criminality assumed frightening proportions as houses had to have grills and the youth became traumatised. With the wholesale stealing of the people's political will - elections - from 1968, the country's youth then had some dubious examples at, the very pinnacle of this society.
I seem to recall that, by the early eighties, there were already calls for some moral and spiritual revival. Oftimes by the same "leaders" who had initiated the decay. The end results, however, is today's decadence. How come?
Frankly speaking, today's under-40 parents come out of those periods between 62 and the post-Republican 1970's. They had seen both legitimacy loaned to wrong-doing and relatively upright, law-abiding, citizens being made criminals by the laws and economic deprivation. They learnt few parenting/parenthood skills so many of their offspring today are socially, morally and spiritually rudderless. The "new" church-groups, ironically with all the modern gimmickry intended to attract and keep the young, have failed the young parents and society miserably. Adulterated religious precepts, preached by too many phony but entertaining televangelists preachers, make no impression on the youth now more addicted to - or victims of - feisty television, drug-trafficking, illegal immigration, money-laundering, in-cest, rape and promiscuity, other crimes, political stagnation hopelessness and death.
Young teachers, young parents, more church-going improved electronic technology, all equal what? More one-parent families, scared governance, and threatening social disintegration.
I'm not normally a prophet-of-doom type. But when I witness the demeanour speech and general conduct of today's Croal Street schoolmen and schoolwomen, and see the three-four-times-a-week fights at South Road and King Streets, in George-town, I despair. Perhaps next week, you can advise on "what is to be done."
Overseas mash
So you need a non-political, non-stress subject - in the midst of the renewed crime-oriented period? Well, here are two aspects of Mashramani 2004, to lighten the daily burden that beset our lives.
One, the Mashramani planners are pleased at the Regions' alacrity in planning their own Republic Celebra-tions around Guyana. Firm, cohesive programmes have already been submitted, replete with some budgets and it seems that Mash is evidently largely decentralised. Because, besides the Ministry locating many events in far-off interior and coastal regions, local administrations have also earmarked their own "preliminary" events often with solid pledges of support from their own local private sector.
I trust Mash can somehow be a catalyst to unify (?)
Secondly, I sense the thrill of the central organisers as they receive entries for the calypso, road march and soca national competitions, especially. Many have now come in from Guyanese entertainers in the USA and the Caribbean. I've heard some pretty good songs. Guyana-based singers, composers, arrangers and bands will have to "dig up". I predict an improved Calypso/Soca Season!
Ah well...
1) Just imagine! I've read the names of (15) Guyanese, which were submitted, for one position or the other, with respect to settling our teachers' salaries negotiations. None could have been appointed because of objections or unavailability. So much for the acceptability of our people! (?)
2) Again class, consider then write a brief - no less than two thousand words - on Guyana's economy without cocaine.
3) Then submit one dozen suggestions for getting the guns from the communities.
Be careful and safe `til next week!