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@David
My “Software” is citing “ONLINE THREAT” when I click on the image!!!
#DidItTwice
Pls address…
Thanks TB. Another link was provided.
Too many overreact to RH’s columns. We should read and educate where we spot the opportunities.
Recycling Mr RH’s views on history
A while back there was a bumper sticker which caused some controversy in Barbados.
It said, “Stop RH littering.” This article was supposed to be published last week but it also caused some controversy, over the letters RH.
There is a columnist in the Weekend Nation with the initials RH who likes to stir up controversy. He likes to call my name in his articles sometimes. I don’t like to call his, especially when I am criticising him. I am a respectful person and I think he thinks he means well. So, I chose to just use his initials, RH instead.
Some people whose opinion I respect did not like that.
They told me to rewrite the article. I will refer to him as Mr RH out of respect. I would like to see a bumper sticker which says, “Stop littering the Weekend Nation with Mr RH’s rubbish.” The one good thing about Mr RH’s rubbish, though, is that it can be recycled and turned into something useful. So, let’s go.
“Those who think of the past have no future.” This quote was found in Mr RH’s column and was attributed to one Joe Hoad. I don’t know who Joe Hoad is but let’s contrast that quote with one from Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, who wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Pan-Africanist scholar John Henrik Clarke wrote: “History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day . . . It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be.”
But Mr RH would prefer we just forget about our past. He is in bad company. German philosopher Georg Hegel wrote: “At this point we leave Africa, not to mention it again. For it is no historical part of the World; it has no movement or development to exhibit . . . What we properly understand by Africa, is the unhistorical, undeveloped spirit.” For centuries, white supremacists have been encouraging the world to forget Africa even has a history.
Some people have no problem thinking of the past to celebrate Horatio Nelson as their hero or to lament his statue’s removal. But when it comes to thinking of the past to correct the damage done by villainous British colonialists, like one Macaulay, they take issue. Macaulay said: “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.” They were not as successful at destroying history in India as they were in Africa.
Mr RH asks in his article: “But what of our Indians in Barbados today? Landing here with virtually nothing . . . they are now major players in business.” My response: “Because they brought their history and a knowledge of their past, though.” Mr RH also wrote: “The original plantation workers in Barbados were white indentured servants.” My response: “Yes and because they were white, they were not marked for historical erasure, perpetual slavery and were still considered human.” I am enjoying recycling these comments into truth.
Bob Marley sang: “ 2000 years of history is not wiped away so easily,” and in another song, “ Four hundred years of the same philosophy and, the people, they still can’t see.” Mr RH prefers to draw for other Bob Marley quotes. Such as, “ Puss and dog, they get together, What’s wrong with you, my brother?” Despite the fact that it is all “One Love” Bob also said: “ We no know how we and dem ah go work it out.”
Not when Mr RH keeps littering the place with questions such as, “How much should we allow the past to influence our lives today? Do we accept that the past happened and move on? Or don’t we? Sound, logical, well-reasoned answers to clean up these questions have been offered several times before. These are not genuine attempts at communication. These are Mr RH’s scraps thrown out for people to bite at for controversy. Not me, I ain’t biting. I am just recycling Mr RH’s rubbish to help repair our relationship with history.
Respect to uncle Winston Small. A genius who, defied an educational culture that discriminated against him because of his African heritage, who had the wisdom to instil in his children a knowledge and respect for their African history, and the patience to be friends with a probably wellmeaning but misguided and miseducated Mr RH.
Adrian Green is a communications specialist. Email Adriangreen14@gmail.com
Source: Nation
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