LETTER OF THE DAY - Parents, kids wallow in slackness
Published:Monday | July 15, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
It is indeed appalling, the level of slackness some Jamaican parents and others wallow in and allow our children to partake of.
On a regular Saturday afternoon, I stood outside my house and across the road stood two sound boxes, balloons blown, decorations and a banner that said it all: 'Happy birthday'.
As I stood there, I questioned the need for two big sound boxes to be at a child's birthday party, but everyone wants to stand out on their birthday, right? So I guess this was the standout aspect.
I awoke from my nap to realise that day had turned night. I totally forgot about the bashment birthday party that was to take place. As I stood in my kitchen, the music started and there was the sound of a DJ shouting over the mic and RDX's Jump playing.
I thought the sound was coming from a nearby shop that was also setting up sound boxes during the day. But as the song changed, this time to RDX's Broad Out, I could hear the voice of the DJ calling out the birthday boy and encouraging the children to 'broad out'.
But, if that wasn't bad enough, it moved to Macka Diamond's Dye Dye, then the most terrifying thing happened. I heard Lady Saw's "mi nuh want nuh belly rub-a-dub cuz a bkst mi love", and above the sound of that, the DJ was on the mic giving more encouragement to the children and then some melodious singing started. This singing wasn't coming from any adult voice; it was coming from these children, who by my assumption are in primary school.
I don't know if culture shock can be used to describe this most unfortunate experience.
As I stood in shock, a million and one thoughts began to float around. How can parents and adults alike stoop so low? What example are they setting when both they and their child/children are wallowing in slackness? This just cemented the statement: 'Those who complain about our generation forgot who raised it.'
These children knew the verses of every one of these songs so well, but can the same be said about their ability to reproduce the materials they are thought in school? I doubt it. Now I see the problems teachers face in the classroom - children with distorted priorities.
Children live what they learn. So don't blame our generation for being ill-mannered, violent, and slack and all those other adjectives used to describe us. The Bible states, 'Train up a child in the way he should grow, and when he is old he will not depart.' Slackness begets slackness.
LANVELL BLAKE
University of the West Indies
Mona, Kingston 7