Recent public protests in the United States in response to perceived police brutality should give onlookers pause for thought. Many may disagree about the reasons that have brought the societal tension to the fore, however, BU is sure an erosion of practices in the community which call for citizens to work together and in the process value cultural and ethnic diversity while showing respect is missing. What we have is a modern world which defines progress based mainly on economic considerations. Closer to home we all recall the village policeman who walked or bicycled his way through the lines in the villages on a frequent basis. He was not seen as just the enforcer of the laws but an essential actor in esprit de corps of the community.
There was the village doctor who was expected – and felt obligated – to make house calls as part of a social responsibility. The politician was usually from the area and had earned a record of community service, most oft than not it was a prerequisite to serve. The teacher, priest, pastor, there was always an intrinsic link to the community that was part of the rubric.
For the sake of progress we have had to dismantle the practices was the undergirding of the gregarious communities of the recent past. Our citizens earn more and enjoy a higher standard living if we measure by a material standard. The trade off is that we have shifted closer to being a more impersonal lot on the social index. Scary is the fact we [Barbadians] appear to have no issue with wanting to arrest the ‘drift’. Day by day the traditional values our forefathers laboured to define the brand Barbadian is being eroded and replaced by what?
The definition of the modern Barbadian is one who is or aspires to have a degree or equivalent accreditation, qualify for a $400,000 to $500,000 mortgage in a built up area, is able to travel with the family at least once every two years and have a car or two in the driveway. The same Barbadian is unlikely to be a member of a community group or some other civic group motivated by a desire to give back to the community. The inability to repel the ‘drift’ which has overpowered our tiny society should be part of a national narrative. Who we want to be as a people must inform all the other decisions. The ease with which we become consumed with the minutiae belies our investment in education.
Those of us who subscribe to nationalistic views are condemned as being dinosaur in outlook, jingoistic or some other uncharitable characterization. Those of us who want to preserve what is Barbadian like to believe we still live in a democracy that encourages freedom of expression and thought.
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