Tony Deyal | Where do we go from here?

On April 28, two weeks and two days from now, Trinidad and Tobago will hold a general election. Soon after that, several other CARICOM countries will do the same – Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The big question in all of them is whether the present “bosses” will stay, or new ones will win and get rich quick? Will it be “Trump and follow suit”, or, for once in a lifetime, people we have put in power will renounce and discard what was in place and reach out to help the people of the country. Would they make life better or worse? Can we expect, as the Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts”.

In terms of Trump, there is no place to shelter. Wikipedia says, “Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has a history of speech and actions that have been viewed by scholars and the public as racist or sympathetic to white supremacy.” Reuters added, “Trump vows to fight ‘anti-white feeling’ in the United States. Other organisations make it clear what Trump is about, including “Trump dines with white supremacists, renewing questions …” and Trump’s cabinet is mostly white and male. One, using Trump’s own words, added, “While Trump has consistently claimed that he is not a racist, that he cherishes women and loves Muslims, both his campaign and the prior decades put the man in a different light.”

His “light” is darker than dark. He refers to “the blacks” and boast about how he has “a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks.” He made it clear, “I am the least racist person there is!” Then, he added, “Laziness is a trait in blacks.” For Trump, especially now, “They’re rapists … .” It is the same when it comes to other non-white groups. When asked to give an estimate of his total wealth, Trump said, “Who the f knows? I mean, really, who know how much the Japs will pay for Manhattan property these days?” The one that is very clear now, and any other days or nights, is how he feels about women. A year after Trump divorced his first wife, Ivana, Trump was quoted dispensing his wisdom about how to handle the fairer sex. His response, “You have to treat ‘em like shit.”

WHAT WE CAN EXPECT

Looking ahead to what we can expect in the Caribbean politics as they fight for power, wealth, and fame, I thought about some US folks of ‘colour’ and what we should learn from them. One of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time, known for his fearless, raw, and hilarious observations of life, race and society, is Richard Pryor. For example, while ‘The Crucifix People’ were people, like Jesus, who were executed by the Romans and other cultures, crucifixion was a form of torture, often reserved for slaves, rebels and foreigners. As Richard said, “The reason people use a crucifix against vampires is the same reason I use a credit card against a lawyer.” However, before we get a sense of who were his real crucifix people, here are some of his great jokes, “Marriage is really tough because you have to deal with feelings … and lawyers.”; “I had to stop drinking. Cause I got tired of waking up in my car, driving 90.”; “Have you ever noticed how quiet it gets in a hospital when they’re giving you the bill?”; “I never met anybody who said, “When I grow up, I want to be a drug addict.”; “I believe in the institution of marriage, and I intend to keep trying until I get it right.”; “If you’ve been sick, never been broke, and never been in love, you’ve missed out one of life’s greatest teachers.”; and, “People asked me, ‘Ricard, what did you learn in jail?’ I said, ‘I learned that I really don’t like jail.”

Perhaps, to stay out of jail, even though he appeared as “The 40th President of the United States”, he tried hard not to talk too much about the pain of ‘blackness’ in the US, but sometimes he could not help it. As the “President”, when asked about black people for the Space Program, he responded, “It was time that black people went to space. White people have been going into space for years and spacing out on us, as you might say. They have the same type of music like Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. And, now that we’re in space, we have little Miles Davis and Charie Parket Jet magazine.” However, he could not help himself with, “America is the only country in the world where you can live in the richest city, next to the poorest neighbourhood, and think it’s normal.” Then he made it clear with the one that said it all, “I went to Zimbabwe. I know how white people feel in America now: relaxed! ‘Cause, when I heard the police siren, I knew they weren’t coming after me!”

‘NO HOLDS BARRED’

The second US-based person, Margaret Cho, an Asian-American comedian who is known for her “no holds barred” blue humour. On political correctness, she said, “England is where the white people begin the whitening process. White people like to tell Asian people how to feel about race because they’re too scared to tell black people.” Talking about Trump’s “Republican Party” she asked, “Why do Republicans hate gay marriage so much? They certainly don’t hate gay prostitutes.” In terms of the US (where she lives and is based), she tells us, “The amount of racism, sexism, homophobia, and hatred in general that lies beneath the surface of the American dream is astounding and serious.” As an Asian-American, she says she is shocked by their being seen as objects of hatred, not only for the things they do but just being who they are, “ching chong Chinamen”. Her major concern is that “The majority should not be allowed to rule simply because it’s the majority. The majority is responsible for slavery, segregation, lynching, denying women and minorities the vote, Japanese internment, and a million other injustices and inhumanities.”

While Africans vs Indians is one or the other in elections in a few of the countries, Trinidad and Tobago especially, it is like all the non-whites in the US. Nimech Patel, a US-based humourist says, “Every Columbus Day, I try to steal some land from some Native Americans. I give it back. I want to read a headline that say Indian steal lands from Indians.” He was concerned, though, that it was a weird time in the US. He said, “This country, you know, feels like at any moment black and white people about to go to war and Indians are going to have to choose. I don’t know what side to be on, quite frankly … .” It is the same with so many of us in Trinidad and the Caribbean who have friends, family, and relationships. What we would like, wish, and pray for is that every creed and race finds an equal place and God bless our region.

Tony Deyal found that the Indians had two things in common wherever they are. “Why wasn’t Jesus born in India?” He could not find three wise men or a virgin. And “What is the difference between John Wayne and Jack Daniels.” Jack Daniels is still killing Indians. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com