Submitted by the Owner
Hooliganism, Bullying, Intimidation, Moral Decay
All of the above, in my opinion aptly describe an experience I had recently. I remember in my youth and even to this day hearing persons muse about the fact that Barbadians are a docile people. One of the favourite things we like to say in times of despair is “if Bajans were like Jamaicans, the things that happen here, would not happen”. I assume that by quoting this statement, we are implying that we are a more tolerant society. Ask persons who have been victims of intolerance, if this is so and I guarantee they would not agree.
The moral decay that is endemic in our society, is not a new phenomenon. There have been incidents of violence, hooliganism, bullying, and intimidation for decades. What we are brilliant at, is sweeping it under the carpet or applying a band-aid on an open sore and hoping it would heal.
One of my favourite quotes is “All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing”. I live by this principle and one other, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. These are lessons learnt as a young impressionable child and they have stuck with me for 35years.
I own and operate a Boutique in Speightstown, St. Peter. On the morning of December 16th, 2013, while assisting a client, a ‘Lady’ entered the store and asked, “Is this Josephine’s Boutique?” I replied in the affirmative and she informed me that she had a delivery for me. I finalized the transaction with my client, all the while oblivious the other activity going on in the store.
I finally had a chance to speak to the ’Lady’, who was waiting on me in the store, this time accompanied by another ‘gentleman’, so I approached them to find out about said delivery. I was greeted by a HUGE box of garbage, with Josephine’s Boutique written on the outside. I immediately recognized the box, since I had put it in the garbage disposal area at the mall where I work the previous week and it had been collected on Thursday of same week. After my initial shock, I asked both of them, why did they bring a box of garbage and put it in my store. The ‘Lady’ responded in a sneering tone, “it was on my property so I brought it back”. They wanted no explanation or had any more time to converse with me. Their mission was completed and they huffed and puffed, got in their vehicles and drove off.
Again, their behaviour can only be described in the terms I listed at the beginning of this letter. Common sense, rational thought, decency, professionalism, respect, morals, principles all went south for the winter in this situation. Garbage is collected from one location, it obviously falls of the truck at another location and instead of reacting rationally, this ‘Lady’ and two ‘thugs’, drive to my store in Speightstown and dump the HUGE box of filthy garbage, in my store because the box says ‘Josephine’s Boutique’ on the outside. Bear in mind, everyone else in the mall has thrown garbage in the box since it was the biggest one in the disposal area.
This is an open sore, and no amount of band-aids will heal it. Who does such things, unless they feel that they can get away with it because we Bajans are ‘docile’ and we like to sweep things under the carpet? No more!!!! It takes a tiny pebble to start a big ripple in the ocean. I am that pebble.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.