Young people leaving lazy T&T
This is a letter to the editor written by Melanie Johncilla
I want to complain today. I want to blow out somebody for some of the things I observe, man. But you know what: nobody eh go listen to me, boy. I just a youth, trying to make my way.
I want to lament the complacency of a society, the sheer acceptance that comes along with “the Trini way.”
We sit as a people and just accept. We accept poor customer service because “that’s what you go get in this country.” We accept spates of violence, we accept fear, we accept pedantic “medical researchers” who prolong petty spats for the sheer sake of it.
We accept domestic violence, we accept sexism, we accept old white man as the father, we accept our position as developing and we accept inferiority.
We are a nation of lazy acceptors. If the waitress is talking on her cellphone while serving me, “that’s just how things are in this country; we not in America, you know.”
If the young man behind the counter chooses not to look me in the eye and repeatedly says “yeah,” “nah nah” and “yeah” to my polite utterances, well, “you’re in Trinidad.”
I am disappointed in us. We silently accept a society that is becoming more vapid and less (truly) Trinidadian because that’s just how things are. And we keep going back to the same restaurant with the same waitress with the “logorrhea” problem, and we return to the same store with the young man with a two-word vocabulary because that’s how things are.
We are one of few countries in which a Starbucks look-a-like makes a boatload of money and routinely runs out of coffee. A coffee shop running out of coffee? Who would stand for such nonsense? Trini!
But kick up a fuss and try to educate and move this beloved Trinidad forward—I dare you. Because all you get in response is: “Oh gosh, relax nah lady. We in Trinidad. Calm yuhself. That’s how things does be.”
Why do we have a brain drain problem? Why do the brightest leave this land? Because they do not accept and they will not be limited by narrow minds and lazy attitudes. Because when they speak no one listens, and they are limited by a low glass ceiling: they are not old enough, not old-school enough, and not “Trini” enough.
Isn’t that an irony? They feel they cannot affect change as they would want to because “it’s Trinidad, nepotism rules, is who you know and what hue you have.”
And they leave. They leave to an even more vapid society, but at least they are not settling for what’s expected and are not accepting what is awry.
But Mr Editor, I eh know if anyone reads anymore. I eh know if anyone takes me on. I on my way out. But I’ll write man, I’ll continue writing until one of you listen. Until one of you says, “Wait nah, but this not how things supposed to be. That’s not the country’s way. I refuse to accept!”
Melanie Johncilla
Personally, my jaw couldn’t have dropped further to the ground as I read this. I swore I wrote this in a dream I’d been having ever since I once again set foot on T&T soil. Well, all I can say is it’s about time someone opened their mouth because mine alone wasn’t working.
This entire article is written in such a pessimistic and angry tone that it hard to escape the biased nature of it. First of all, Trinidad and Tobago’s society produced these so-called ‘brightest’ individuals who go to foreign countries and are able to adapt. Adaptation is not always an easy feat for people of a different culture; it is something which you may take for granted because of where you are from. Trinidad and Tobago’s laid back mentality is that which makes us unique. However, I must admit that there are departments which need to be tightened such as healthcare but our society is what others aspire to reach. Trinbago’s society heads towards happiness and not towrds efficiency like the US. It is not necessarily a bad thing. The reason why we are experiencing so much crime is (assumingly) as a direct result of deportation. Criminals who are seasoned in a more rigid efficient society. They literally brought back more efficient criminals into our society. Brain Drain for us and they have a Criminal drain straight in our frontyard. I Love my country just how is. America and co should keep the criminals they made though.
I could not disagree more… Happiness vs. Efficiency? I think we could be a happy efficient people. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Secondly, i hate when people assume that because you are complaining that you must not be a patriot to your country. George Bush used this logical flaw to rid himself of criticism from concerned citizens. The argument goes like this: Because you are against the war then you must hate America …come on let’s learn from their mistakes.
I think the issues highlighted in this article are serious and need to be taken seriously despite the tone of the author.
Is our society headed toward happiness? Who is striving to be like our society?
[...] that attitude is pervasive, and pernicious. The TrinBago Blog also reproduced this letter, which prompted “ponnoxx” to retort: Trinidad and Tobago’s laid [...]
I’m sorry ponnox but I totally disagree. I must admit I am one of the persons that DO tend to accept things as they are in T&T but simply because my personality is very non-confrontational. If I do open up my mouth to the KFC Cashier about her nasty and rude attitude, my hunger will only be prolonged and at the end of it all I’d just be the hungry young indian girl that ‘feel she better than everybody and keeping back the already long line’. I prefer not to get into arguments with everyone else in the line, where I’m actually protecting their own rights as a consumer.
I don’t think we should have to choose happiness over efficiency because in essence every action has a reaction… and until we begin to get efficient service with ANYthing in T&T we’d just be a bunch of angry (unhappy) people walking around, waiting for or expecting someone else to ruin their day with some other inefficiency.
When you are a bank worker and appreciate the half-hour lunch ‘massa’ has offered you (or 20 mins on a busy day - like mth end), you’re not really happy about the long restaurant lines that consume your entire lunch.. or what about going to the passport office for 3:30am for a number (and I’m not exaggerating)only to return at either 6 or 8am (can’t really remember what time they begin acknowledging people). I don’t think that inefficiency makes me any happier as a Trini.
When I leave school in the east after my afternoon classes and reach City Gate around 4-ish, the throngs of people waiting etc don’t really have smiles on their faces as they push, squeeze and even jump through back windows, just so that they don’t take 3 hours to get home on a voyage that should take 30 mins.
What about the licensing officer that tries to bribe you during your driving test - no matter how well you drove? I have a friend that spent 5 yrs in court pleading his case because he and the officer ended up in a brawl. He thought it necessary to speak up about how ludicrous it was that because he is ‘a redman and he look like he have money’ he should have to pay for his license despite knowing how to drive since he was 10yrs old.
Simple processes doh need all this drama in order for life to be nice in sweet T&T darling… You can’t believe how much life in Trinidad can improve if people only grew manners and learned how to smile and acknowledge people when they are speaking to you
I agree with a little of everyone’s views. However, I will say this, if everyone leaves because the country is too backward, slow, lazy, etc. then who is going to effect change?