Third World

Update Numbah 2 John McAfee Dishes Up More Crap 05-11-12

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John McAfee

So remember in the interview with Jeff Wise, John McAfee said that he was trying to apply his knowledge of computer viruses to figuring out viruses that plague us human beings? Remember how he proudly showed Mr. Wise his “lab” and his leading research scientist  on quorum sensing? Well according to the San Pedro Sun, he was manufacturing “antiseptics” not “antibiotics“. WOW. I am like stunned because this man really believes that we are that dumb as to not know the difference as well as it was in his own words that he said he was trying to develop antibiotics using quorum sensing or did I read it wrong and misinterpreted what he meant? So he was really trying to make antiseptics using bacteria??? uhmmmm…ok but I think I will stick to Clorox bleach….

For the full interview in the San Pedro Sun: http://www.sanpedrosun.com/crime-and-violence/2012/05/10/john-mcafee-demands-an-apology-for-gsu-raid/

For the previous articles on John McAfee: https://twocanview.com/2012/05/04/just-how-nutz-is-this-nut-who-is-john-mcafee-by-fayemarie-anderson-carter/

And the previous update on that article: https://twocanview.com/2012/05/08/update-just-how-nutz-is-this-nut-who-is-john-mcafee-by-fayemarie-anderson-carter-2/

Daily Dingleberry 05-02-12 Snake in Our Garden

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Yesterday, I was the recipient of some pretty hateful speech and I want to share it with you because at first, it may seem personal but trust me it is very political and relevant.

My husband posted what seemed an innocuous status on his Facebook page about it being time to find out what I wanted to do for my birthday week…(he has decided to give me a whole week this year cuz I’m awesome)…

His friend responded with “your money“…I was immediately taken aback and insulted but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and took it as an example of just a joke gone awry…as my husband answered, it became clear he was not joking as he then went on to insult my intelligence.

So I said…in Creole, “sorry fi you” which you know in real Creole would be way less English than that…to which he then responded with wth does it mean and I explained “Sorry for you” making me wonder about his intelligence ‘cuz really, how hard was that to decipher?

He then attacked my immigrant status saying he is sorry if I can’t speak the language of the country in which I live…I put it in proper grammatical form so you can read it…anyway I knew what he was saying so I said less than eloquently: “Anyway, f*ck you” because by this time it was obvious he was not joking, he really was going there and he was going to just go on…

He then went on to explore his point even further by asking about what kind of money I bring in and even if I bring in any it’s so little that I don’t pay taxes…blah, blah blah…I removed my previous three comments, hoping he would notice that I no longer wished to communicate and discuss my marriage, employment etc. But he didn’t notice or didn’t care so he went on to say that my husband could do much better and that bc of my social work background, I was holding him back and that all I wanted him was for his money and proof is that I, as an immigrant, couldn’t possibly bring my own food to the table and that democrats like me would miss him when he died because he pays for everything I have…hmmmmmmmm.

SO MANY MESSAGES HERE

So what do I take away from this…besides the jealousy displayed towards my husband, our marriage, me and my beauty (he compared me to Marilyn Monroe and Jim as the Kennedys LOL)? He hates Obama, immigrants, social programs,women, democrats, and goodness knows what else….

He is an example of the worst kind of Republican…believing that everyone is out to get him and that anything with a hint of social interest is someone trying to get something for nothing: zero sum mentality…immigrants want free ish from the government; poor people are poor because they choose to be and don’t work hard enough, women get married so they can use men for their money; Obama is ruining the economy and this country and what it stands for….OMG

So what does this have to do with Belize? Plenty….we look to America for precedents in law, social policies, education…you name it. We want American investors to come to Belize and develop industry. We want Americans to come as tourists and explore our beauty whilst giving us a living. We look to America to send volunteers to help us set up clinics, school programmes, sports scholarships etc.

Is what he thinks what they all  think of people like us? Unfortunately, some of them do and from the fury of the Republicans and the nuts in the Tea Party, this sort of hatred seems to be escalating.  We need to make sure who we let into our country, giving them concessions and leases to our land…selling them everything down to we ass and wi chambah. We better be careful that soon nuff we don’t become second class citizens in our own country because we chasing the almighty dollah.

Not only am I asking us as Belizeans to be careful of who we invite into our garden, I also want us to use my story as a cautionary tale. We must NOT act like this. We have our own immigration issues. We treat them badly. We give them the worst jobs and don’t care how they live. We complain about our tax dollars paying for school for “them”, and medical for “them” and worry about how they sell their votes to get their papers fixed. How ugly is hatred. Let’s try to remember that behind every “issue” are real people. He is someone’s father,brother,son. She is someone’s mother, sister,daughter. While we treat them like dirt, they are someone’s heroes.

So what I am saying is: if someone can think I am a piece of dirt and treat me as such…I, who have never committed a crime; I, who paid my way through school with scholarships and grants by working hard; I, who raise two special needs children with virtually no help; I, who dedicated almost 8 years to social service, first as an intern, then as a therapist; I,who volunteer, make donations to charities, work to raise awareness for cancer, injustice, human rights, you name it….how do you expect someone with no education, no voice, no hope to be treated and more importantly, respond? Do we want to make others feel defeated? desperate? unworthy?

Don’t be a part of that. Raise the bar. Don’t allow anyone to treat you as less than human because they say you are, or think you are so desperate and need their money, or think you are so ignorant that you know no better. And as such don’t treat anyone like that either.

“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”

-Unknown

Daily Dingleberry 04-02-12 Where Have All The Good Men Gone?

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Would all the real men in the world, please stand up??????

I don’t know what the hell happened but somewhere along line, our expectations for our male counterparts just keep getting lower and lower to the point where when a friend says “But he doesn’t beat me”, we are supposed to think that it is a wonderful qualification!

Uhm. NO.

There is a place for everyone. It takes all kinds: a little bit of weird, mixed with straight laced, a dash of goofy and a pinch of impatient equals adventurous, determined, innovative, human. Oh and cute doesn’t hurt. But lately, we hear heartbreaking stories of young men killing each other; “upstanding citizens” using their position and power to intimidate and abuse; the elderly being beaten and conned, their pittance of a social security stolen. Then, there are the fatherless children living in abject poverty as their mothers struggle to provide just the basics. And, what about the middle aged married man hooking teen mistresses with promises of a better life only to leave them broken and worse off than when they started?

We need to move the bar, man. Don’t lie anymore just because people desperately need to believe you. Don’t steal just because you have the keys to the safe. Don’t have children you have no intentions of raising just because you have an itch you gotta scratch. Don’t sell yourself short by not living to your best potential. YOU deserve better. You need to feel your three year old’s arms wrapped around your neck. You need to see the admiration of your teen daughter in her smile, her look. You need to feel the respect of your wife/partner as you leave for work everyday. You need to walk with your head held high because you are honest and hard working.

I promise that the greatest feeling you will ever feel is the feeling you get from serving others. True fulfillment will not come at the bottom of a bottle, the end of a blunt, in the morning after an illicit rendezvous, or sporting that new bling. Get involved. Commit to doing more and doing better. We need you. We welcome you. 

The Sweetest Lives
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The sweetest lives are those to duty wed,
Whose deeds, both great and small,
Are close-knit strands of unbroken thread
Where love ennobles all.
The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells;
The book of life the shining record tells.

The love shall chant its own beatitudes
After its own life working.  A child’s kiss
Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad;
A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong;
Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense
Of service which thous renderest.


 

Daily Dingleberry 02-17-12 (Warning: Rated Explicit for Frank Language)

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So…it’s Friday. People are yaking yaking about Shakron dis and Shakron dat. Frankly…I feel sorry for her. She is being used by both parties, yeah…I said it.

PUP is telling Ms. Shakron “UDP fraid fi yu gial…dats why dey di go awn soh”, bolstering her ego so she can continue to run for them and help stave off collapse of a party which has been plagued by infighting and candidates dropping out.

I suspect the UDP doesn’t care all that much about the effect Shakron will have on its chances of winning. UDP is only using this whole Shakron ting to further discredit the PUP, call hypocrite and wipe Lisa Shoman‘s face with her own words. The UDP is simply having a free for all at PUP’s expense.

I don’t know you Ms. Shakron but I sure as hell would not be giving up my damn US citizenship for dis here bunch. And before anybody jumps me from behind, this ain’t about love of country…this is about love of self. You bettah love yourself more than any country and any people, BECAUSE at the end of the day, these fuckers ain’t go be nowhere round, come March 8th and she didn’t win or PUP happens to lose. It’s just tooooo much of a gamble and it must be difficult to put her life in such jeopardy, much less the lives and future of her kids at risk. Because, that is what it is people. See,  what people don’t tell you is that once you get into politics like this, there is no turning back, EVER.

I hope you really have only the strongest convictions Ms Shakron, because at the end of the day, they will be all you have.

Wifey and Sweetheart Get Di Bukut!!!! by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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Suh…. I am so sure that you have heard EVERY Belizean man and woman seh dat dey don’t tolerate cheating but if da like how dey deal wid di palitishan dem? Well. You know exactly how dat end!

From the time we are old enough to talk, if you are a girl, people tell you to “keep your shape; lawn fi cook; nuh laff tu loud; cross yu leg; be a good girl OR ELSE yu nuh wa get a good man”.  Ting is, da whe dey tell di man dem? Caz ah nu tink dey get di memo. You might hear “be a man, stop cry; beat dat, nuh mek nobadi tawk to you suh; les go da Mile 8; tell u gial u gwen play basketball or tell shi da nun a fi shi business whe u goh; you mek di money, shi fi just shet up and serve you yuh dinnah!”

So girl marries boy. She might have a job but that doesn’t matter. She still washes, cooks, takes care of the kids, and cleans up after everyone. She doesn’t get a say in how money is spent or how decisions are made BUT she must honour whatever arrangements her husband might make so that they “look good”. So, she cooks for people she doesn’t like; she raises funds for causes she doesn’t support; she watches her man go to the bar and blow his pay check while the pickney need school uniform and books; and if she raises her concern, she bettah watch she don’t get slap right affa fi shi foot! Caz he da di boss and u bettah know your damn place. And if you dare nuh listen, he wa lef yu rass and tek a sweetheart. And if you reeeeeally piss him off, while you stay home and mind yu pickney? He wa ker she da fancy restaurant and buy ah sum chicken and suh Belikin fi wash it down. AND the cherry on top of that humiliating cheating, lying and beat up Sundae is? He will blame you and seh da caz yu get fat, or yu like rail up tu much or yu dah jus nuh fun no moh.

So den yuh get caught up inna wa love triangle, square, pentagon? Some wifeys think dey getting revenge by cheating right back; some stay deh and pretend like dey dont know, and den di Shali pickney staat show up da di back dooh. And one day, shi look inna di mirror and realize dat she’s all thorns and no rose. See, cause she told herself, “I live inna di big house”; “my pickney gat fi hi name”; “he come home to me” ;”I da Mrs”.

Di sweetheart she? Well, she get reputation so nobody in society wants to associate her and she finds herself being passed around from one married man to the next, each time, she tells herself  “dis one love me..si di pretty bracelet? si di new refridge? And mi baby got soft hair like ih daddy”; “dis one wa lef ih wife”. But he doesn’t and she cries again and soon shi look inna di mirror and realize she is all thorns and no rose.

The sweetheart and wifey might sometimes meet in public and wifey cut shi eye; sweetheart hallah bout “mi son da fi yu man!” Each one has her posse in her corner whe jeer and sweat fevah.  Wifey is the victim because of “that low down sketel di try tief wa good honest man like mi husband. Shi da jus wa homewreckah! Don’t that street gial realize that shi di tek mi pickney food outta dey mouth and dey pa from whe he belang? She so sleck, shi gat pickney fuh all kinda man, dey all gat different name!” The Sweetheart is the victim because “that fat cow nuh wa give mi man wa divorce! Don’t that old hux realize dat him nuh luv ah numoh? She da just di stupidest ass fi di try hold awn to something whe nuh wah she! He tell mi dat shi cant give a di sex like me!”

Now turn dat into a lovestory about the PUP, UDP and Belizeans. “Mrs.” da di diehard. Those voters will stick to their party like the wife to the husband. They hide the lies; they defend their behaviour and all the while, everybody can see that their eyes black and blue and swollen from the bitchlick. But, they hold on for dear life because they just can’t imagine no different and don’t believe they deserve better. The sweetheart? They are the voters just looking for a handout. They keep switching sides, chasing the one with the sweetest lines and the biggest promises, telling themselves  “this time will be different!”; “He da di one!” And, they do that because they also can’t can’t imagine no different and don’t believe that they deserve better. The two a dem fraid fi challenge because all of a sudden, they will lose their job, or they will be publicly ridiculed or they will lose funding for some project or a loan will be recalled or their children won’t get scholarships or even considered for positions they are qualified for. O and the latest one, you might get sued for slander and libel.

And the man? When him dead, him happy and content. After all, he get what he mi want right? And he tell himself that both dem bitches lucky he tolerate either one a dem. Dey bettah just know. He da di boss. Whe dey gat fi camplain bout? Wifey inna house and sweetheart get shi chicken. Ting dun. Him pave your street and give di other one wa ham. Ting dun.

Whe miya seh? Step back. The only reason this keeps happening over and over is caz like the Wifey and the Sweetheart, we, the Belizeans don’t believe it can be different or that we deserve any better.  We have allowed a bunch of self serving, egotistical, deceitful, unethical, criminal politicians to take over that which is ours and we settle for the pittance they decide we deserve. They don’t even fight their own battles cause like the wife and the sweetheart, dey posse do it for them.  I mean, we do it for them. We call each other names and refuse to work together against corruption and fight for our rights. Meanwhile, they ride around in their air conditioned rides and vacation on their private islands, whe dey just tief fram yu, by the way.

So…on this here Valentine’s Day..kick dey no good cheaters to di curb…wifey and sweetheart need fi tell huzzy who da di boss! Stop fight each other and fight together for what’s right. First you have to love yourself don’t you? Buy yu own damn chocolate and flowers numa! And make dat man know it is his privilege to be with you! Just like we need to let our leaders know “It is a privilege to serve US”. When Wifey and Sweetheart wa realize dat it aint about them but about the children they both have to watch suffer? And those kids got one name: Belizean.

Daily Dingleberry 02-08-12

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Be the Change You Want to See

SOOOOOoooooooooooooooo….I have had the opportunity to get real close to some controversy stewing and bubbling under the surface in our medical community. I’m not going to delve into it here. Instead I want to ask that everyone take a step back and center their thoughts, feelings and redefine their purpose.

It is always gut wrenching when we are face to face with poverty and the plight of the poor. Babies die from simple preventable maladies like dehydration. Mothers die from cancer and leave their children motherless. Fathers don’t live to give their little girls away or raise their sons to be men. It is sad. It is devastating. And some of us are deeply moved by these stories and the pained faces telling them. Some of us turn away. Some of us dig in and fight to overcome.

While these fighters are sincere and their fight noble, we can not let emotions undermine our good work and progress. The harsh reality is we are a poor nation. Resources are few to nonexistent. The government, red or blue, will always have way more on their plate than they can possibly handle. Throw in some ignorant, under educated, greedy, unscrupulous, egotistical maniacs and it just became 10x harder to get anything done. In this way, even people with good intentions will find themselves bogged down in the mire of corruption, stagnation and party politics. Barring ALL that and sometimes, you just have to consider that there isn’t the money to get the job done.

Sadly, it seems that this is where we turn on each other and destroy the only layer left between the poor and abject poverty and misery.

Please let’s not do this. Life can be incredibly long when filled with strife and difficulty. Just because we don’t get what we want right this second while we are buoyed by passion and conviction, doesn’t mean that the issue will go away or lose its importance any time soon. Much is accomplished by individuals rather than a government and perhaps that is the way to needs to be. Keep your heart strong and your determination stronger and you will get what you want. But if you burn bridges along the way and attack the very people who are supporting you, you just may end up causing more difficulty and strife for the very people you were hoping to help.

Sometimes you gotta kiss till you can kick and ain’t nothing wrong with knowing when to do that when you have a larger purpose than yourself.

Daily Dingleberry 02-07-12

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What democracy is NOT but has become

Double edged sword is what it is…what is? This politician/god thing we got going here. Of course, it stems from our complicated colonial/buccaneering history. As much as we hate to hear it, we do live it. People are still very much stratified according to colour of skin and position in Belize. To an onlooker, it might be impossible to imagine. We all look brown, right? We all ain’t white, right? So, what is the problem?

Well, actually I think that makes it worse because it pits brother against brother, grandchild against grandmother. Is it any wonder then, that we glorify our leaders?

Our socioeconomic situation creates intense desperation and fierce competition for the few opportunities and resources available, so when one of us “makes it” in politics, we clamor for his/her attention and favour. This may flatter and appeal to our “hero complex” but that doesn’t last long, I’m sure. Soon enough, there is too much to deal with, not enough time, money and manpower and before you know it, people get frustrated, disappointed and then, resentful. That leader we thought was better than free cheese and sliced bread becomes in our estimation, greedy, self serving, “out of touch”, hypocritical and downright demonic. We vote them out. Rinse. Repeat. And we are in the hole we are in.

Look people. Don’t give politicians qualities best reserved for saints. Politicians, don’t make promises you can’t keep just to win temporary adoration and votes.

We need to mature as a nation. We have to stop this codependency we got going on among our constituents and our politicians. That politician will not solve our problems and our constituents can’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they don’t gats no boots! We have to find a medium where politicians just do their jobs i.e. overseeing the appropriation of funding for beneficial projects; negotiate loans and settle border disputes. Politicians need to insist that our judicial system is sound and that our streets are safe. AND WE THE PEOPLE need to realize that WE ARE THEIR BOSS, not the other way around.

We, the people, need to understand our rights, our responsibilities and start taking ourselves seriously. We need to understand what a politician is really obligated to do. We need to set up firm boundaries between what is his/her job and what he/she just can not and should not do . What is unethical versus illegal? What is within the realm of government versus what is beyond?

While we figure it out, I appeal to your sense of decency and fairness. Display decorum and respect. It is the only way to make progress. And politicians… smdh…admit you fucked up. You have no idea how far that will go to restoring good faith and confidence in your abilities. It takes great courage to admit one’s mistakes and people really are just waiting to hear you humble yourselves and for once, do the right thing. We have been on borrowed time. The bottom will fall out. Let’s try to avoid that please. We have so much to gain if we work together and not against each other. And while we are it, throw some bitches in jail.

OWN YOUR VOTE. OWN YOUR FUTURE.

Assistance or Hindrance? by: Aria Lightfoot

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“The political machine triumphs because it is a united minority acting against a divided majority”. — Will Durant

Who are elected officials in Belize legally accountable to? Anyone knows if there are enforceable laws to offset bad behavior?  It is quite unlikely. I know I am beating a dead horse and I am frustrated by the arrogance of our leaders to ignore our cry for change but I find myself once again addressing the same issue two months later.

Another “special” assistance program?!  Another unregulated, unmonitored program when payment of the super bond looms?    Stop using our taxes to funnel money to standard bearers for political mileage.  There is no way to paint this new assistance program the Prime Minister is giving out other than taxes being used to support the campaigns of his political party.  And I guess the lack of outrage comes from those citizens hoping to benefit. I paged through the Laws of Belize to see if there was anything illegal with this behavior and what I read in the Finance and Audit Act Chapter 15 (not even sure if that was the appropriate law) was the use of the word “minister” quite a bit. The entire laws of Belize need to be burned at the stake and we need a whole new set of laws in its place where accountability and oversight are the major themes.  No Minister should have such level of discretion to use  public funds as a personal piggy bank.  The political machinery is turning our country into a haven for beggars and thieves.

Political machines depend on getting people out to vote. They depend on the spoil system and political patronage, they believe in established systems of hierarchy and they breed a culture of corruption and crime. (For more information on how political machines work please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_machine).  In the late 19th and early 20th Century, many places in the United States operated much like Belize’s political environment. Political machines were used to win elections.  Once elections were won, the system of governance was inefficient, corrupted, and inept and was the breeding ground for the mafia and violent street gangs that cooperated with politicians.  Sounds familiar?  Fast forward over 100 years and in 2012 Belize is still practicing the failed policies of political parties of yesteryear.

Reformers in the US realized that the political parties needed to be curtailed. Many laws regarding financing, candidates, accountability, oversight, corruption were put in place.  Remember Belizeans, political parties function to win elections and patronize their faithful followers and use the power of the State for their personal gains. They are not running to represent your cause or develop Belize.  We are at the lowest ebb of political integrity and nationalism in Belize.

I am outraged that taxes are being spent in this wasteful way and unaccountable manner. I am disappointed that the Prime Minister, after condemning the past administration for similar behavior, now feels he owes no explanation.    What should we expect when the Legislative and Executive are one body?  The use of tax payers’ funds for political mileage may not be illegal, in fact, it is well within the Prime Minister’s discretionary power, however, it is unethical; it lacks fiscal responsibility and does nothing to develop our country. It stinks!  Every Belizean with hands out has become an accomplice to this level of unethical, self destructive behavior.  Belizeans should not complain later when taxes are higher, when jobs are lost and when inflation sharply increases.  Belizeans, there is no such thing as a “free” hand out. You will pay for it later.

When money is thrown around during election time, it creates a temporary fix.  Businesses are misguided thinking that money exists and may invest into more products they can’t sell later.  People suddenly have extra money and begin investing in unneeded items, that will not help stave off a future financial crisis,  the economy reports project growths and causes investors makes bad decisions. It really is a well disguised lie.  Since the stream of income is temporary, in just a couple years, the impact of poor policies will be felt.  It is a vicious cycle that both political party governments practice to win elections.  Each election cycle is digging Belize into a deeper financial hole.

Here are some solutions that are in no way exhaustive.  Demand accountability; demand changes of our laws; demand oversight and transparency;  demand that the discretion of ministers be removed; demand that the Public Service become empowered and function outside the claws of the politicians.  In Florida, city councils and county governments are non-partisan. Meaning that candidates cannot run under the umbrella of a political party and the parties must stay away from electioneering. Do we really need the political parties in our city and municipal governments to build roads and parks and provide basic city services?   Think about it, if we eliminate political parties at the local level, we may also attract more civic minded candidates. We are in desperate need of change Belizeans! We are in a cycle of abusive, self destructive and misguided politics and policies. Changing parties is not the solution, unless they will change our entire political system.  We are crumbling financially and morally because political party agendas reign supremely over national agendas. The time is NOW to demand better and expect better.  Wake up Belizeans! As you sleep, our country falls apart.

In the Face of Adversity, Beauty, Poise and Desire to Educate and Serve by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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The First Lady of Belize, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow

When someone is fighting the fight of her life, everything else falls away. Or at least, it should. For her, it is minute to minute. It becomes about nausea and holding down just the least bit of food. It’s constant needles searching for veins to draw blood. It’s about white blood cells and anemia. It’s about dry eyes and mouth sores from the chemo. It is about atrophy and fatigue. It becomes about carrying on with your everyday duties without fretting about an uncertain future. It is about facing death in the mirror everyday and vowing to overcome. Sometimes, one can’t help but dissolve into tears as the frustration and fear overwhelms even the strongest determination. It is hard enough in private, looking at the anxious faces of loved ones who are trying to hide their worry as they smile encouragingly. She ends up comforting them, desperately trying to allay their concerns. It is exhausting and contemplating another day just like this one, disheartening. And this lady is doing it publicly.

Not only does she have to deal with her own struggles, she must do it against cutting sarcasm and hurtful slander. Shame on you out there who can not leave your pettiness behind. Shame on you out there who can’t muster up a bit of compassion for a fellow human being in her darkest hour. She is a person. Just like you. Just like your mother. Just like your daughter. How dare you allow vitriol to spew from your lips, poisoning every good intention, every good effort? When you display such animosity and hateful behaviour, you do nothing against her, my friend, my lover of Belize. YOU show who YOU ARE and just what YOU ARE NOT.

I am sure that our First Lady, Kim Simplis Barrow, has already forgiven you. She has already come to terms with the idea that people will hate her because of her position and has come to accept it. BUT my lovers of Belize, that doesn’t make it okay. If you are guilty of such an egregious act, I challenge you to do something to make up for it. Get educated about cancer and its debilitating effects. Get educated about how you can be a part of the fight. I challenge you to walk a mile in her shoes and try to imagine how you would like to be treated and then do that, be that.

RESPECKKK!!!!!!! by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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 “Respect your elders”. “Say ‘goodmawnin’ to your teacher“. “Say ‘yes, sir; no, sir'”. “Show some respect!” “Deya pickney nowadays nuh gat no respect!” “Who you tink you di talk to? Mind a slap u mouth suh haad, yu teeth wah march out!” “Nuh di backansah me heah? Caz ah jus fuklick yu lee rass!” “Lookya woman. Nuh di talk to me like dat heah? Befo ah bax yu crass and crass yu face! Yu own ma nuh wah know yu!”

Sounds familiar? Which Belizean has not had these words hurled at him/her or was the one yelling them? I heard these words my whole life growing up but what it instilled me was not respect, only fear and distrust. Where did we get these ideas from? Why is it so pervasive that even if someone tries to do differently; say, a teacher who asked you to call him/her by his/her given name; a parent who doesn’t believe in spanking; a woman who asserts her right to her opinion, he/she is admonished, shunned even and called weak, a “pushover”, “stupid stupid”? Yet, when a man beats his wife, “he di teach ah mannahs” or “she ask firit nuh, we tell ah fi cook hi food di way he like it; di man work haad. Whe she duh but stay home all day and watch novela?” or “every woman need fi get cuff now and again so she could remember who da boss”. What about the child who is slapped across the face in the street or pulled by the arms up the steps, or chased around the yard with a stick?

You thought slavery was over right? Heck! Belize boasts about how we weren’t really slaves to begin with and certainly not like what happened in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Oh no! We mi always run tings da dis country. Nobadi own we! Welllllll. Not quite. If you ascribe to anything I just described above, you are still a slave. All those behaviours came straight from “Massah, sah”. Slaves and indentured servants were kept in line by keeping them ignorant. They weren’t provided with proper education and even when one had access to a school, dropping out before finishing Standard VI was not cause for concern, even when I went to school. And that was in the ’80’s. When I gave my Valedictory speech to my Std VI class in the year 1987, my address went something like this: “Some of you will enter the workforce; some of you will  start your own families and some of you will join me in the furtherance of our education at high school“. Shocking? Not then it wasn’t. Half of my class did not come to high school with me. One girl had already had a baby and had dropped out the year before. The other way to keep slaves and indentured servants in line was to threaten them at the drop of a hat with whippings, maiming, isolation, deprivation. Then, there was the routine raping of the women and children, the name calling, the insults.

I hope by now your head is swimming with the images from that “Arawaks to Africans” book we all had to read; and I hope you are hearing the anger and violence in the voices of those people who screamed at you and called you names. We haven’t escaped any of it and as long as we don’t acknowledge first of all, that it did happen, and as long as we don’t acknowledge the impact it has had, we will continue to have the society we live in and we will continue to have the type of government we keep electing. Huuuuhhhhhh? Double take? What does this have to do with politics? Ah mi tink yu di talk bout ‘nuh lash u pickney’ and ‘nuh beat yu wife’. Wellllll…that could be part of the solution but I really am talking about how we choose the losers, I mean, leaders, we choose.

From the very first moment we have the least bit of comprehension, we are being told to “behave”. “Don’t do this; don’t do that…OR ELSE”. Then we go to school,  more “don’t do this and don’t so that…OR ELSE”. How about that lovely rhetorical question everybody and dey granny will ask you at some time or the other: ” who di hell/fuk u tink u soh?” or the statement “u only like tek up yourself” or “yu only cud ek”. AND AT THE SAME TIME we are being told “You are a Belizean! This is your beautiful country. Show the world that our education is superior. Show the world that our way of life is better than theirs” or “gial, nuh tolerate hi nuh! If he beat you? kick ih rass tu di curb!” or “Stand up for yourself! Demand better! Vote out dis govahment! Vote for people who care about the people! You matter! Nuh mek dey sell out yu land and yu futcha!” Talk about CRAZY MAKING!!!!

How can we know what respect is if we are not shown respect? This is not something we will learn as an adult or when we get an education in some fancy college. Respect is taught (or rather, not taught) in the home everyday. It is in the way you treat your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, your in-laws, your children. If you hit, scream derogatory things at your family, talk about “dey stupid teacha”; “di nasty Indian  neighbour, ah wudda nevah eat fah dey, dey nuh like wash dey hand”;”di stupid politician, alla dey lyad!”; “di tiefin chineyman”; “di ugly white people, dey smell like wet fowl feather”; “look pan da pickey head gial- goonie goo goo”;  AND then tell your children “nuh give trouble da school nuh, listen to u teachah and get ur education!”, “nuh sell drugs nuh, you gwein da jail”, “black is beauty, white is chalk”, (my head hurts already) I hope you get the drift. But in case you didn’t yet, how about “God says to love everybody” then you say “dey battyman need fi goh da jail” OR “dey bloody alien need fi goh back home whe dey come from” OR “yu need fi be a man and get a job!” then “but why you wa grow fruit? left dat fi di alien dey! Yu need fi be a lawyer or a doctor!” OR “gial goh tek out yu food fi yu breddah!” then “you can be anything you want to be, nuh mek no man rule you!” Your children learn disrespect from you and then they learn to disrespect you too. And so it is that we have no idea what respect is, and how to show it. Hence, politicians can get away with every immoral, unethical and illegal thing because we don’t know that that is disrespectful and that we deserve better.

Imagine a Belize where we knew what respect really means. Imagine we don’t demand respect, the threat of a big stick hiding behind our backs, but rather, we inspire it. Imagine people actually treating you with respect. The police would protect you instead of intimidate you. Your significant other would be your partner, not your nemesis, someone to go behind or around. Your in-laws would appreciate your efforts and speak well of your attempts to share new ways of raising your children.  Your shop keepers would sell you quality products at a fair price (no more rat shit in your bread and expired cans of peas). Teachers would teach and foster independent thinking rather than play with people’s grades and threaten their futures. Religious leaders would encourage tolerance and love for each other instead of demonizing difference and acting as  agents of terror and fear mongering. And our politicians would stop treating us like children who can’t make good decisions or like we don’t know bullshit when we hear it or see it.

Problem is…we won’t experience this Belize until we know what respect is supposed to look like. It starts with ourselves. We have to respect ourselves. We have to know our worth. You know that little voice that told you your parents were being hypocrites when you were a kid? You know, the voice that made you ask “why?” and den you got slapped so you stopped listening to it? THAT IS THE VOICE YOU NEED TO RAISE FROM ITS SLUMBER.  That was your internal bullshit meter calling out, telling you that something isn’t quite right. When you can respect yourself, your ideas and your beliefs, you will  raise your expectations of others. You will not tolerate put downs and dismissals. You will not tolerate this thievery and rape of every good thing we have as a nation. You will not tolerate bigots threatening your neighbours. You will not tolerate loud mouth wenches putting you down so they can feel important. You will not tolerate politicians enslaving you with ridiculous international loan payments while telling you “it’s for your own good”. You will not tolerate other people forcing their agendas down your throat because you will know that your ideas are just as good, if not better, and deserve consideration as well.

So, start today with your children. If you want them to know how to choose good leadership, you got to BE good leadership. You have to show your kids that they are valuable. You have to show respect for their ideas, questions and voice. You can’t wait until they are grown ups to treat them as equals. They were born your equal. If you wait, that tree will be bent and you can’t straighten it once it’s grown that way. Apologize when you are wrong. Make reparations to show your good faith and to rebuild trust. Don’t use anger to hurt and punish. Nurture and discipline. Demonstrate commitment and loyalty by maintaining your home and your family. Stand against negativity. Examine your own part in everything that happens and be accountable for your beliefs and actions. Ask yourself. “What is my legacy? What scars do I bear on my heart? What vestiges of slavery have I unwittingly embraced? What is my children’s legacy?” Demonstrate the principles of democracy in your own house by allowing your children to share their opinions and make certain decisions. And follow through with the consequences you have set for them when they fail to honour their obligations. And follow your own damn rules.