How to campaign for elections in Trinidad and Tobago, an unofficial guide.
General elections have come upon us again. Political parties have begun to vie for leadership and power over our tiny nation, while some have started maybe a year or two ago, reminding us that they’re Working for Us. As the date draws closer however, things have thickened, and the fight gets harder.
If you’re considering entering the dirty game of politricks in this country, here are some things you can attempt along the way, as have been tried by our current political parties.
- Mudslinging
Ensure that your insinuations, played race cards and jabs can be accessed everywhere, the news and the radio. It’s even better if it’s on YouTube or social media. After you’ve made a blunder, everyone can screenshot it or download it, so that your feeble attempts at an apology can be made later. In this manner, you can assure your supporters you’re on of them, having the bravery to say what they were really thinking.
Also, make it a point to play the ever popular Blame Game, where you can go back as far as possible into Trinidad and Tobago’s history to find some mistake the other party might have made and somehow relate it to our present hardships. Present mishaps are good too. Previous administrations can be accused of laying down poor infrastructure, squandering of taxpayers’ dollars or even the mishandling of their own domestic situations.
The Race Card is also a good one to toss out. Racial stereotypes about rum drinking, crime and dog consumption can either be used (as subtly as possible, if you can) in your campaign to create tensions and divisions to your benefit, OR you can weed out any discreet form of racism that you can find in your opposing candidate so that you can appear as the Unifier of the Nation. Not only will it get the other party into a furore, but also the entire country. After you have divided, you can conquer.
Indulgence into mudslinging will result in no one realising you have no actual solutions to rectify any existing problems, but at least you will have gotten your hands dirty for the good of you and your party – nation! You mean nation!
- ‘Political meetings’
Political meetings are a great way for you to get into some deep and dirty mudslinging! Get on that podium and let the other party and their candidates have it. It’s important to get personal!
However, while doing that, sing a song about how strong you are, share a drink… some drinks… lots of drinks… play some soca – FÊTE!
The point of this is to get your supporters into a stupor that will result in vociferous cheering that can not only boost your ego, but make it look as though your word is godly through the lens of the news camera.
It may also help if you join in the party yourself, as your incoherent slurring can help the people feel you are one of them, after all, who is really listening anyway?
Graphic by Sello Fiende.
- Music
You want to make sure the sound is local. This way, citizens can feel as though you are a true patriot. You can either write your own song, or have someone else write it for you, but it’s important to get a really big local artiste to perform it for you.
There’s no need to wax poetic with the deeply embedded tribulations of our society. All you need is one tag line, a catchy beat and easily the song will be drilled into people’s subconscious. The pawns will be caught unawares, humming it to themselves, they’ll have no idea that they’ve been hit by the fever of the “Man” who we will want to “walk with”. Thus, the support for your party will increase through an infectious beat.
- Stick flyers and posters up everywhere.
Almost the same logic that is applied in the music move can apply here. Use a wall, or an electricity pole and stick up as many flyers as can cover said surface, whether it is 10 or 100.
On this poster you need four things: a photograph of your face accoutred with a benevolent smile; your name; your constituency; your party’s logo and one word: “VOTE”.
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or haven’t done. Your face will be so deeply entrenched in their minds that they will be incapable of putting the X by your name when they see it on the ballot.
Also, ignore any notice that says “Stick no Bills”. After all, you’re on your way to being a political leader and these silly little laws don’t apply to you.
Graphic by Sello Fiende.
Following these methods is quite possibly perhaps the seemingly surest way to represent your country. Maybe. Remember, most people will ignore any real information that’s easily accessible to them about your party’s vision and solutions for the country on the websites of the various parties. It is better to earn their die-hard loyalty than actually having to work for them.
“Tis the season to be jolly…” – Uh, yeah right.
Christmas as adopted by Christians has been around for 2000 years. In the Western world, we’re told it’s the season of giving, warmth and cheer; messages circulated and proliferated through the media via song and film. Each year, we’re excited about the prospects of the gift giving and time spent with family and friends. Then Christmas hits us like a large green and red ball squashing a bug on the floor and the glitter hits the fan.
Every year, while shopping and running errands, I am told that I need to remember the reason for the season. Well, no offence to Christians, but Jesus Christ isn’t really the reason for the season. If you didn’t know this already, Jesus Christ wasn’t born December 25th. Around the 17th to the 25th of December the pagan festival of Saturnalia was usually celebrated, and in the 4th century Christians adopted the festival in the (successful) hopes that they could attract pagans to their religion. There was nothing particularly Christian about Saturnalia (though some practices such as widespread intoxication and going from house to house singing have prevailed – maybe the other acts of debauchery made it too), thus it was declared to be the birthday of Jesus. The ‘reason for the season’ also seems to remind some individuals (like me) of our religious duty of attending Sunday mass and cause overcrowding in our otherwise estranged places of worship. Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Christmas in my experience is not usually an image cut from an encouraging Christmas card. In the days that lead up to Christmas, groceries and malls are jam-packed with last minute Christmas shoppers. The effect, of course are long lines, increased prices on goods and items, reduced patience, reduced manners and ever increasing flares of temper. How often have we been held up in a general store, carting two items at most by an individual with a wide selection of Christmas goodies who just can’t decide if she wants her gift paper to be gold with bells, or gold with ribbons? The streets are worse – most towns experience the slowest crawling traffic imaginable, forcing people to take risks on the road they wouldn’t usually take since that ****** wouldn’t give them a chance to pass. Horns now blare more than bells are rung, wishes that aren’t warm and gestures that don’t signify peace are then exchanged. Fa la la la la, la la la la…?
Added to all this Christmas hustle and bustle, intoxicated drivers (yay Saturnalia?) satiate the roads even further as alcohol is shared more generously than Christmas cheer. Maybe this is the warmth we’re supposed to experience? Then we are shown news stories of all those who will face tragedy for their Christmas; and without batting an eyelid we go ahead and continue on the same path as those faced misfortune before us. The season is also famous for increased crime rates: escalated shopping → escalated goods on the road → escalated money being exchanged → escalated greed. The upsurge in tight crowds also means that pockets can be easily picked and purses easily snatched by Christmas ghosts that walk in our midst. Follow me in merry measure?
Lastly, it’s the season to buy EVERYTHING! Replace our perfectly good rugs, curtains, bed sheets and everything else we don’t need because we simply must partake in that ‘bargain’ and show our guests our lovely homes, since the warmth of the Christmas season is measured in things. We purchase gifts without thinking about whether or not the receiver would like it (it was cheap, who cares?), we receive gifts wondering how much the giver paid for it, and grouch over the fact that we gave them a slightly more expensive gift that they hardly seem worthy of. In all of this, we fail to remember those who are less fortunate and are never surprised to see an image of the Ebenezer Scrooge staring right back at us in the mirror. Deck the halls with boughs of holly.
Despite all this, despite our guiltiness in all of this coldness, we should also remember that Christmas is also about believing, whether or not Christianity is your faith. We should strive to believe that we can actually create a jolly Christmas, and with that, I sincerely hope that your Christmas is truly merry.
Nelson Mandela, 1918–2013: Remembering an Icon of Freedom
“In many ways, the image of Nelson Mandela has become a kind of fairy tale: he is the last noble man, a figure of heroic achievement.”
I care that Paul Walker died. Sue me.
Whenever a celebrity dies, the Internet goes crazy with extremes of emotion: there are those who feel sorrow for a celebrity lost; there are those who jump on the bandwagon of sorrow; those who feel the need to sound clever by making derogatory marks about individuals who care about celebrities and those who think that everyone should care about the people rioting and dying all around the world for more earth-shattering tragedies.
Somehow, I think everybody in this turmoil of opinion is right.
Most times, I can be quite contemptuous of news coverage that involves a celebrity’s haircut, it’s true. I can’t understand why it makes headlines in the first place. Yet my derision falters when someone passes away.
The most recent and popular incident is the sudden death of Paul Walker, star of the Fast and the Furious franchise. The irony, of course, was his death was the means in which he became popular – a car crash due to speeding, with which he was the passenger in his friend’s Porsche.
Here’s something: I actually felt a pang of sadness.
Did I know Paul Walker personally?
Nope.
Did he affect me in some life-altering manner?
Probably not.
In fact, I am not even a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise.
But there it is. I felt sad. I won’t deny it. As a teenager, I had a crush on his conventionally boyish good looks. I have enjoyed some of his films outside of the Fast and Furious franchise, such as Joyride and Running Scared, but other than that, my sorrow was inexplicable.
I tweeted #RIPPaulWalker. I tweeted articles on his death, and then I saw the cynical comments pouring in:
Nice to know Paul Walker was so close to everyone’s heart…
Y’all wasn’t sad when Jesus died.
Little girl was battered in Maloney and no one bats an eye. Paul Walker dies and everyone loses their minds!
Of course it made me doubt myself. Was I wrong to care that Paul Walker died? Does me posting up how I felt make me inconsiderate when compared to the millions of unfair deaths around the world? Does it mean that I don’t care about everyone else whose lives were stolen?
Of course it doesn’t.
Paul Walker was a public persona. We don’t have to know him personally, but we were given forays into bits of his life that we aren’t granted by everyone else in the world. I think this is the single difference. Paul Walker, whether we like it or not, influenced others; he made an impact. It may not be the strongest all of the time, but if we feel nothing for people who have affected us in some way, why should we feel anything for people who’ve never affected us at all?
In fact, shouldn’t we at least be thankful that our exponential growth of an otherwise numb population actually feel something?
Somehow, I feel that those who cared about Paul Walker’s death do have a one-up on the cynics this time. I mean, what are these detractors doing anyway? How hard are they agitating for justice for Keyana Cumberbatch? When I check some of their Facebook walls, I see none of it, so who are they really fooling? The sarcasm of these folk brings me to lose more hope in humanity than an individual mourning the loss of a celebrity.
It can’t be honorable to mock someone who is grieving.
Someone went on further to say that all of these differences don’t even matter, because they would be forgotten in a week. Also true, but at the same time, why not discuss? It would open train for thought faster than selfies and memes not so?
I think in the end, maybe we should just try to respect life. All of it is important, whether it is a celebrity or a vagrant on the street, and the unfair loss of life is always unfortunate. Let’s not knock one another for giving a damn.
Help! Help! Save me from the vicious… Human?!
I love dogs. I like my dogs more than most people. I’m not ashamed.
I love the fact that they have different personalities.
I love their loyalty.
I love their innocence.
That said, I want a law that protects both human and animal life in this country.
About now, I really despise the abounding ignorance that currently exists in Trinidad and Tobago about dogs.
It’s not the first time I’ve documented my thoughts on this matter, but since people persist in expounding the same old misinformation and myths, I feel the need to write about it again.
On the 26th of August, 2013 an elderly woman was attacked by a pit bull at her residence. She was bitten several times and the animal “locked his jaws” on to her body and refused to let go.
Initial reports state that the animal was shot nine times by the police on their arrival. Other reports say it was shot six times and others, eleven. With Trinidad and Tobago’s excellent media sources, who can be sure any more?
But let us examine what transpired in this case. The owner of the dog has nine other pit bulls. He was breeding them for commercial purposes. He fed the animals steroids and gave them aggression training. He did all of this in a residential area. He did not familiarise the dogs with this “grandmother,” as the media calls her, though her relationship with the dogs’ owner has not been clarified.
Currently there are no laws in Trinidad that state that what he was doing was wrong. Of course, he walked away from the incident with no charges pressed against him.
Reading over the specifics of this incident, I wonder how human beings can say that it was the animal’s fault. However, the anti-pit bull out cry ignores all these facts.
Why did this man breed pit bulls and give them aggression training in a residential area?
Why did he pump them with steroids to make them more aggressive in his own home?
Why did he not think it wasn’t important to get the dogs familiar with this “grandmother” or try to control their behaviour in her presence? It’s not the first time she was attacked.
However, good sense does not prevail in this country.
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan responded to the attack with this remark:
I feel very strongly about this matter that dog-specific legislation is a must. The idea that we should have dog control for all dogs, from pompek and pothound to Pit Bull is something that I don’t subscribe to.
Because the laws of this country are dependent on the AG’s strong feelings. Not so?
But then, being that he said “dog-specific” and not “breed-specific,” maybe he wants to ban all dogs.
The fact is the Dangerous Dog Act is more harmful than helpful. Yet those in power wish to push it forward as indicated by the AG’s response. Added to this, media pages are crawling with comments from those who believe that pit bulls should be poisoned and that dogs on the whole should not be trusted, to those who recognise that the Act is bound to fail and that dogs, if properly socialised are indeed loving, playful and trustworthy.
Those who wish to have dogs killed and pit bulls eradicated are the ones who know the least about dogs, dog behaviour or compassion. They’ve never owned one but presume to advise what should be done about them. They certainly do not seem to respect life as a whole, probably because their religious doctrine teaches that dogs do not have souls. However, if they really thought that human life was so important and that the life of a dog was minor in comparison, they would want a comprehensive law that covers the basics and everything in between.
Detractors of the Bill are quickly stigmatised as citizens and organisations who are not interested in the welfare of humans. They have to battle with a population who refuses to listen to their arguments and are written off as sentimental animal lovers. Humanitarians are interested in the protection of both humans and animals and the Bill, as it stands, can protect neither.
The Dangerous Dog Act is a poorly adapted bill from Canadian law books where in certain areas such as Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Province of Ontario the Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) has failed.
The Bill attempts to class dogs into two categories: Class A which consists of dogs that “are defined as Pitbull Terriers or any dog bred from the Pitbull Terrier; Fila Brasileiros, or any dog bred from the Fila Brasileiro; and Japanese Tosas, or any dog bred from the Japanese Tosa” and Class B dogs which includes all other dogs.
How many Fila Brasileiros and Japanese Tosas have you heard about in Trinidad? When was the last time you’ve heard of people being assaulted by them in the news? Earlier this year a child was mauled by a Rottweiler. Another was killed by an Akita. There was also an incident where a woman was killed by a pack of an unidentified dog breed who were initially irresponsibly labelled by the media as pit bulls. In the past Dobermans, German Shepherds and Rottweilers were considered dangerous dogs, yet they are not part of this bill. Why not? If this law is really about protecting human life why aren’t all these dogs here?
Some time ago, a horse bit off a boy’s hand. Should all horses be exterminated as well? What about humans? In Trinidad, our murder toll is in the hundreds. We should ban humans from breeding also, not so?
Moving on. The Bill mentions in several sections that dogs are supposed to be properly secured at all times. And while effective in some cases, where is the subsection that states that dogs cannot be kept confined for long periods of time? That they need regular exercise to keep them healthy and balanced. Ever took a trip to the zoo? Saw the animals pacing up and down? Saw the otter swimming in circles? They’re going insane. Keep an animal restrained and restricted for extended time periods and the animal’s behaviour will be affected. If you’ve ever watched The Dog Whisperer hosted by dog behaviourist, Cesar Milan, you’d see one of his recommendations in dealing with aggressive dogs is to give the animal regular exercise by taking it out for a walk and giving it a chance to be playful. So how precisely will securing a dog alone help? What happens when a frustrated animal breaks free?
The law also states that people cannot abandon “Class A” dogs, yet how is this preventative when dogs haven’t been registered yet? Can’t an owner who is unwilling to take out that exorbitant insurance bill simply abandon the dog as soon as the Bill becomes law? But wait – it’s already happening!
Speaking of registering dogs, The Trinidad and Tobago Veterinarians Association (TTVA) have professed that they are unqualified to sign certificates that define the difference between a Class A and Class B dog and thus refuse to comply with this law if it comes to fruition. Furthermore, the Association of Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Companies (ATTIC) claim that the insurance policies that currently exist do not distinguish between dog breeds. Too many gaping holes in this Act. Too many.
Seeing how, in this dog attack case on August 26th, the owner applied poor breeding practises, what does the Bill say about the practise of rearing “dangerous dogs” in Trinidad? What’s that? It says nothing? So you tell me, if not for a pit bull, why not pump a Rottweiler with steroids and see what happens? Why not a regular pothound? Why doesn’t the Bill account for proper and safe breeding practises? Why not humane ones where pit bull bitches aren’t simply used as machines birthing one litter of pups after the next? The bill doesn’t cater for those who breed dogs simply for profit. So what or who will control the improper breeding of ferocious animals? Also, who will monitor the training of these so called dangerous animals? Why isn’t the section about training both Class A and Class B properly defined? Where is the section of the Bill that deals with animals being bred to fight, being bred to be weapons?
Where is the clause in this Act where it states that pit bulls and other dogs must be properly socialised to exist peacefully among humans and “Class B” dogs?
This is the Bill you want to have passed?
As mentioned before, Breed Specific Legislations have largely been found lacking. So why is the government pushing for this draconian thing to be passed? Is it simply for the masses to believe they’re doing something? They can’t clamp down on the criminal elements of this country, nor protect people from human-human violence, so why not victimise those who do not have a voice right?
Incidentally, it is interesting to note that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) have stated that a pit bull is not an easily defined breed.
Depending on whom you ask, it can refer to just a couple of breeds or to as many as five—and all mixes of these breeds. The most narrow and perhaps most accurate definition of the term “pit bull” refers to just two breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff). Some people include the Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog in this group because these breeds share similar head shapes and body types. However, they are distinct from the APBT and the AmStaff.
Because of the vagueness of the “pit bull” label, many people may have trouble recognizing a pit bull when they see one. Multiple breeds are commonly mistaken for pit bulls, including the Boxer, the Presa Canario, the Cane Corso, the Dogo Argentino, the Tosa Inu, the Bullmastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog and the Olde English Bulldogge.
How then are we expected to single out and curb a lineage that is so difficult to clarify? Looking at the pit bull’s history it is noted that they were bred by humans to fight large animals such as bears and bulls. When this was banned, humans then pitted the dogs against each other. Still, we want to hold no responsibility for the monsters that we have created.
I wonder, with 500,000 pit bulls in Trinidad (nearly a half of the population) and a minimum of five attacks for the year (some not even from pit bulls) compared to one million people living in Trinidad with hundreds of murders being committed, who is the more vicious animal?
The media jumps on every opportunity to label the pit bull as a diabolical creature, and sure some of them are. Yet how can it not be the onus of a reckless owner? Consider another aspect of the pit bull’s history where they were considered nannies to children due to their loyal, friendly and non-human-aggressive traits. Isn’t it important to ask what happened in between?
What happens to pit bulls who have saved the life of humans? Are they and their owners to be punished due to the poor judgements of negligent individuals? For every article you show me about a pit bull attacking someone, I can show you an article about a pit bull saving someone.
Advocates of BSLs have also neglected to do their research, as they cannot seem to acknowledge that any dog can be trained to be aggressive. A pompek (a Pekingese and Pomeranian cross) can be just as vicious as a pit bull. But a pompek is “cute” so when it barks and rushes your neighbour it’s okay because it’s tiny. But how would you feel about that ferocious pompek if it attacks a child? It’s not impossible. So why are we targeting one breed?
Cesar Milan put it very aptly when he said:
When will they blame humans?
What does this quote even mean, you ask? Simply what I mentioned before, that any dog can be trained to be dangerous. You’ve banned the pit bulls? The pothounds could be next, pompeks could follow and then we might ban the mosquito? How is this Act long term?
The irony is that humans created dogs to be loyal companions. In fact all purebreds were created to serve some kind of function for humans. Dogs are entirely dependent on us for their survival. They love without prejudice, without condition. Yet what do we do in return? Kill, maim, breed them to be aggressive, torture, beat and starve them. We think it is nothing to clip their ears, and cut off their tails, but they can’t hurt us in retaliation.
Why is there no attempt to update the current laws of animal cruelty in Trinidad and Tobago? The penalty for animal cruelty here is $400. Pocket change these days. And who is enforcing these laws against animal cruelty? The police? The ones entering your yards and shooting harmless family pets?
Yes, I care about human welfare, but when we consider ourselves to be so superior that our lives are the only ones worth protecting, I have to wonder if it is not the same arrogance hundreds of years ago that purported Earth to be the centre of the universe.
Though I suppose asking for us to give a damn about dogs is far too much, when we hardly seem to care about our own kind. Our concern for each other is superficial, we say, “To hell with those pit bulls!” because they are voiceless, but where is our vociferation against criminals, murderers and child abusers?
If you really want effective dog handling look at cases of human cruelty towards animals. You want to keep an animal confined for long periods of time and not expect it to be frustrated? You want to starve the animal and not expect it to be hungry? You want to keep an animal tethered in the blazing heat without water and not expect it to suffer? You want to beat dogs and then sell them to hapless owners without a thought that dogs are psychological beings just like us and are capable of reacting and overreacting?
Nobody is begging you to like dogs, but if you really care about human life, seek thorough laws that protects both humans and animals. Instead of applying a fly-by-night law that has little to do with the conditions in our country, why not look at the Antigua and Barbuda Dog Registration and Control Act which accounts for various aspects of human and dog interaction?
If you really care about human life, advocate a proactive law rather than a reactive one.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
References:
Dangerous acts
World-Wide Failure of Breed Specific Legislation
The Truth About Pit Bulls
Pitbulls Used to Be Considered the Perfect “Nanny Dogs” for Children — Until the Media Turned Them Into Monsters
An Overview of Pit Bull Breeding
Are Breed-Specific Laws Effective?
Are we the change we want to see in the world?
I didn’t really intend to discuss politics in this blog, but in light of the recent by-election I couldn’t help but have some of my own thoughts.
My Facebook page was rampant with all sorts of political analyses from every extreme. People either supported Jack Warner, supported the People’s Partnership, supported the People’s National Movement (PNM) and predicted the present government’s downfall, or none of the above: it doesn’t matter who is in charge, we’re all screwed anyway.
There was a point in my life when I fell into the category “None of the above: It Doesn’t Matter who’s in Charge, We’re All Screwed Anyway.” That changed when I attended university and grew interested in politics. I even considered changing my BA to an LLB.
Since then I’ve returned to “None of the above: It Doesn’t Matter who’s in Charge, We’re All Screwed Anyway” status.
Why? It’s because I’ve come to realise is that we blame the politicians for the failings of the country. Every time a politician fails us we point our fingers and curse them. To be sure, politicians are not without liability. Yet when we consider their repeated failures; when we consider the continued division of race, class and culture and when we consider the rampant corruption that persists regardless of every turning tide of government, isn’t it time to ask ourselves whether or not something is intrinsically wrong?
Our political system follows that of the Westminster system, a vestige of our colonial heritage. Its detractors believe that it merely imitates British parliament, and as such cannot serve and function in the Caribbean at its best capacity. It’s been criticised that its two-party system does not bode well for a country with a conflicting racial undertow. This coupled with the prejudiced legacy left by our former colonists it is hardly any wonder that our national and civic progress is being hindered.
If the system is indeed failing us, then why aren’t we doing anything about it? All that exists is discussion of Constitutional Reform; something that I don’t trust will come into fruition in the near future. Even if proper research needs to be completed for successful constitutional reform, in a country where we place bandages on our wounds without treating them for future infection, a country of quick fixes how can we expect to exact any kind of change?
Nota bene: I’m not talking about the type of change we were promised three years ago.
We have to look at the Black Power riots of the 1970s to show that our country isn’t incapable of tenacity, but now it seems that our determination for fair play has been reduced to paltry marches for higher wages. When we also see the one-man stands of Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh and Tony Leavitt we can deduce that the grit the country once had is dwindling away. And sometimes in the face of such resolution we as Trinidadians scoff and ridicule. Perhaps V.S. Naipaul is right to say that we deny ourselves heroes.
There are those who condemn such undertakings of activism, those who believe that peaceful discourse is the only way. Maybe they’re right.
But how can we just talk when it seems that no one is listening?
We can look maybe to the poet Martin Carter (1927-1997) who not merely wrote about social injustice in Guyana but acted – fought for his people and his communist beliefs. Maybe it’s about balance, not being rash, thinking before acting.
I imagine we can only measure how effective this is if we were to systematically measure his successes.
Yet I too am guilty of just talking, just writing, not acting enough.
Perhaps because like so many others in this country, I am merely trying to get by.
Whining alone gets us nowhere.
Things to remember when you leave your cave.
Many people in this world are a-holes. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it.
Yet I am cursed with naïveté. Inconsideration never fails to shock and anger me.
However I’m not talking about run-of-the-mill acts of discourtesy that we complain about everyday. This is not about the jerk who nearly ran us over at the intersection while quacking on his cell phone, it’s not about the mulish youth who thinks that everyone should listen to his favourite chutney/soca/hip-hop song of the week whether we want to or not while it blasts from his car, nor is it about the hoggish individual who cut in front of us in the grocery line.
I want to talk about the little things – things that are so mundane to me I can’t even understand how others fail to realise they’re being thoughtless.
One thing that really irks me is how disgusting public toilets are. I’m not a fan of using them, but when I have to I will venture into the realm of abominations for relief. Still, a single whiff of rancid air is enough to make me risk a bladder infection. Don’t leave toilet paper on the floor; stop splashing water (God I hope it’s water) around and for goodness’ sake, flush the damn toilet! Ladies, if you just used an automatic loo and it didn’t flush, please note there is usually a button or lever than you can use to flush the toilet manually, just look around. If it didn’t flush the first time, try again! Rome wasn’t built in a day! Nobody, and I mean nobody wants to see your stale piss. People, you don’t know when the cleaning lady will arrive, so don’t just assume someone will clean up after you. We all know that you don’t leave your bathroom at home like this (I hope) and that you think that you will only have to visit it once, but seriously.
Think.
Think of the person who has to use it next. You don’t want to have to see their business, what on earth makes you think they want to see yours? So please don’t leave us wondering how on earth that got there!
Yesterday, I was having lunch in a cafeteria. The guy across from my friend and I was impeccably dressed and eating his meal with a knife and fork exuding a level of class that most people weren’t displaying in there. Come to think of it, where did he get his knife and fork? Anyway, I really didn’t pay him any mind until he departed. I noticed then that he left his tray of leftover food behind without even a thought of throwing it in the trash and putting away his tray.
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| Now I know what I want for lunch! |
This isn’t merely about there being additional work for the cleaners in the cafeteria.
I don’t know about you, but I sincerely hate to see half-eaten food lying exposed to flies and germs. It’s even more repulsive to think that someone might have been chewing on bones and bits of meat, and their saliva is mingling in that leftover meal. Not only that, but someone else probably wants to find a table to sit on, and more than likely they aren’t going to sit anywhere near your slobber-flavoured former meal.
Again, it’s the expectation that someone else will clean up after you.
Another thoughtless act I wanted to discuss is the matter of people walking in and out of air-conditioned places and leaving the door open. This really irritates me. Unless your hands are full, I see no reason for you to neglect this simple action. I’ve actually closed doors to air-conditioned public places just because I was walking by.
Or maybe I’m OCD.
Though when you really think about it, leaving a door open when the air-conditioning is running is wasting energy.
Simply because it isn’t your house and somebody else is paying for it suddenly makes it okay for you to waste it right? Then you complain that mall prices are way too high. Well they are compensating for the costs you’re incurring genius!
The last and biggest of these little things is the issue of manners. I know what you’re thinking. Having manners is an everyday thing. Maybe, but I don’t think most people realise how far something so seemingly insignificant can go. Five years ago I was the third car down the line at a gas station. The female gas attendant seemed bored at her job, pumping gas with no words being exchanged between herself or the drivers beyond finding out how much they want, super or premium. When it was my turn, I wished the woman good morning and asked for how much gas I wanted, super, please. I gave her my money, she gave me my change, I said, ‘Thank you,” and then something unusual happened: the woman leaned down, looked at me in the eye and said, “You have a great day today.”
I was floored. And I certainly never will forget it.
When you accidentally bump into someone, just apologise, when you’ve been bumped into, accept the person’s apology. You’re certain to meet people who will ignore your attempt at civility with dogged indifference, but never falter; you will meet someone who’ll give a damn. Maybe, as a society, we’re becoming so insensate that these things mean nothing even if we are on the receiving end of courtesy.
Sometimes I wonder if people still live in caves.
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| So easy? |
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not perfect, and I certainly am not the paradigm of a moral hero. There are times when I forget to be gracious, but I think that at least I try and that I hope will make a lot of difference to somebody else.
The Thirst
The Stush Network
Artsy Fartsy
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“Art is of the people, by the people, but not for the people” – Me.
Anarch 