Consumer Concerns
Dr Ian McDonald’s article in last Sunday Stabroek, August 23, should serve as a wake-up call for those who, like me, tend to avoid reading the horrific details of the crimes now emerging in our society. Dr McDonald writes:
“I cannot escape the terrible feeling that such pitiless cruelty goes beyond brutality and mad violence. An element of pure evil enters the equation.”
I cannot help believing that many persons, like me, read the headlines and avoid the horrifying details of such crimes as the one where a woman’s lips were sealed with heavy duty glue and others such as stoning. Turn the page of Stabroek News and seek the comics ‘Blondie’ and ‘Andy Capp.’
Sweeping these crimes under the carpet will not help our society to return to normalcy. If there is evil in the society those who stand up for good should seek means of overcoming this evil. To say that this is the end of the world and this is the Iron Age will not help. In my opinion we need psychologists to get at the root of the problem and advise what remedial action can be taken. A society which accommodates deprivation when there is a show of affluence is bound to breed criminals.
In years gone by Mrs Dennis Irvine visited the prisons regularly to hear the complaints of prisoners and, maybe offer advice. Since her departure I have not heard of any replacement of a visitor to the prisons. We should consider this as a necessity.
Last week I received a complimentary copy of a new novel by Monique Roffey, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. This characters in it are like real life.
The book opens with a piece called ‘Hurricane’ which serves as an introduction. A man, Talbot, accused a policeman, Johnny, of taking his cellular phone. Johnny wanted to teach Talbot a lesson, so he and three policemen took him to the top of a hill.
Here is a sample of what is described: “They took off the cuffs and Talbot rubbed his wrists. Badap the first blow rang out then Johnny went at him with another big punch whaddap… then they both started kicking him, flying kicks and blows, karate chops. They wanted to teach him a lesson. He’d no business complaining. So what if the police had stolen his mobile phone, they can damn will take what they like,” and poor Talbot – well, yes the police already knew Talbot. And now they wanted to teach him not to go making trouble.
Monique, the author, gives us the details of all the blows and kicks.
“‘He go dead,’” one policeman said, looking at Talbot. ‘Nah, man,’ Johnny replied. He hadn’t finished yet. Again Johnny went at poor damn Talbot, this time with his fists, and he worked him over, smack, and crunch. A rain of blows to Talbot’s face.
“Blood spurted out. Blood on Johnny’s hands that he wiped on his uniform trousers. Johnny smashed up the man’s nose so it folded across his face. Talbot was unconscious.”
This is fiction and no country is mentioned, but it is a sample of what is going on in our world today. We ask ourselves if this has to be. Do they have to torture criminals and soldiers who are captured in a war? Unless those who stand up for change make their voices heard, the violence will be worse.
In our case the need for a Caricom resolution is seen.