Dear Editor,
The reaction to the SN Editorial on the Dress Code is really interesting in this 21st century Guyanese society. Those of us who find dress codes controlling and restricting, will empathise with the President and others when sometimes it gets too much.
There has been a lot said in the letter columns about dress codes. If it is true that he admitted that he, like so many other men, find the tie silly and uncomfortable, then he should not wear it. Stephen Biddulph, Australian author of Manhood, recommends that men should burn the ties, or use them to tie up plant vines or anything else in the house as a part of the process of liberation. (Much as how the 1968 protest of the Miss America saw a lot of women throw their bras, girdles, etc into a trash can).
Other men get more political – refuse to attend functions or go to places which call for black tie, and explain that they do not wear ties. The old year’s photos saw the President in a tuxedo, one wonders how many of those men felt. The dilemma, however, is that unfortunately in a very superficial society, people will look at how you dress before they listen to you, and there are different images.
The President and the rest of us have to find the balance between comfort, rebelling against historical stupidity, and respect for the people who you are with. In a changing world, we can lead the way with it, and the President, maybe like his predecessors, could set some standards regarding comfortable dress. The local designers might know how to find appropriate formal attire, in which he and any other politician would be comfortable. The President could also relax the silly dress code at the National Cultural Centre. Jeans are appropriate attire.
There is another issue, too, the President’s reported reaction to the SN editorial. The ability to manage criticism is one of the abilities in a good leader of a democratic society. It is good to hear noted Ramayana exponent, Pandit Prakash Gossai will be an advisor to he President. In the Ramayana, King Rama made a controversial decision to listen to his subjects, and send Mother Sita into exile. The lesson is not for any President to forsake their marital happiness, but rather that it is to be humble and to listen and check the merits of any criticism. Hopefully with Pandit Gossai advising him, that other Hindu tradition of meditation and yoga might come in useful and the President would find appropriate ways of addressing all those who irritate him.
Many of us found the SN editorial on Dress Code irritating, but if anything, it will strengthen our resolve to ensure that we should continue to place less emphasis on the clothes, and more on the clothed.
Yours faithfully,
Vidyaratha Kissoon
