Dear Editor,
There are a lot of questions and comments about the way our young people are behaving in society today and lots of people are blaming parents, but because of the situation in Guyana, people are scared to scold their children, and because they cannot do that some of the children have become uncontrollable which has resulted in many of them being involved in violent fights, drugs and crime. People are always asking how our society is turning that way, and there are lots of answers but no one seems to be interested in helping, especially for free.
If one were to keep track of music, for example, one would notice that it has changed tremendously, and if you force yourself to listen to some of it you will get an idea of the rapid change in children’s behaviour. There is music where the artiste/singer is saying what should be done about gays/lesbians, how to abuse women physically, how an individual should treat someone who is not a friend (“dissing” them), what to do sexually, etc. Lately the expletives in some of these songs are overbearing, but they could be heard blaring in taxis and minibuses, especially in the hotplate (‘shine’/popular) buses. Only last year a minister could have gone into a studio and stopped the playing of a song that was saying things about him and his government, but to date none of the songs that are more dangerous could be stopped.
What is even sadder is that the sound sets could be heard playing these songs as well and the DJs would add their bit and even advise some of the revellers, especially the women, to do obscene things to entertain the crowd. Many of these sets have cds that they burn to promote their sound system, and these could be heard playing all over. At the Leonora turn a billboard has been placed by one of the local phone companies supporting the people of a sound system, and these people are some of those guilty of these actions. Why a company would support people like these is a question they should answer, because there is no way anyone could accept them as role models after listening to them play.
Editor, lots of parents provide cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, etc, and they would assume they know the purpose for which one of these is being used. If they forced a youngster to hand it over and listen to the music they have on it, they might be surprised at the contents. How we could stop it is another question.
Yours faithfully,
Sahadeo Bates