Dear Editor,
The people who need love and understanding the most are usually the rebellious ones. Life is contemplatively ironic like that. That is the thrust of my take on the issue in Trinidad and Tobago where a 12-year-old girl was videoed receiving a beating by her mother for posting inappropriate pictures online. This video of the beating was then posted online as well.
The mother’s response no doubt has done further damage to the already questionable self esteem of the child, which contributed to the attention seeking.
At this point it is clear that the mother is not yet competent to deal with such a matter and informed intervention is best, in the interest of mother and child.
Perhaps it’s never too early to start teaching management of the personal brand and draw attention to the fact of the permanency of whatever is communicated online. On a wider level it instructs us to consider the effects of technology on parenting.
Further, it reveals a sad reality of our Caribbean culture, embedded with violence and oppression that we interpret as ‘values’ and ‘morals.’ The same culture that saw us having to sit quiet in class with finger on the lip or look at the sign on the wall that says “Silence is golden” or reflect on “Children should be seen and not heard,” while the rest of the world encourages their students to express themselves. It’s no wonder to me why we have a hard time saying what is on our minds without resorting to forcefulness.
We unconsciously have to fight to align our tongue with our thoughts, let alone benefit from the refinement of thoughts that dialogue can bring.
Ah lie me ah tell? Check out some awe parliamentarians dem.
I believe we can change though; I am not passing on that backwardness. It stops with me. I will love and care and empower with reckless abandon.
Yours faithfully,
Arun Sudesh Richard
