By Dr. Trevor Gardener,
Contributor
"583 AND RISING", is a most distressing signal of an emerging culture with our nation, a culture of violence and disregard for human life. As distressing as that may be, however, even more distressing is the expectations that you will find relief from "foreign help." The Police Commissioner, Francis Forbes, according to The Gleaner, dated August 25, 2000, said "As Commissioner of Police, I have never been afraid to ask for assistance from overseas agencies." He went on to elaborate that crime-fighting in Jamaica had been crimped by unfulfilled promises and internal disagreements. In the same publication of The Gleaner, Barbara Cover said, "The foreign help we ask for should be technology and training for our security services."
The expectation for foreign help is distressing because the foreign countries have similar escalating problems of violence and seemingly wanton disregard for life. I suspect that our call for help has gone to the United States, Britain and/or Canada. There should be no disillusionment about the status of violence in those societies. All three nations are facing a culture of unprecedented violence. They cannot help themselves, so how will they help us?
Another error
Another error is to believe that because we can get the latest technology we will be able to reduce the problem with up-to-date equipment. This is a fallacy. Technology hardware does not solve social behaviour problems. Technology may make us more informed, but the core of change is an emotional intelligence decision, not a decision based on being more informed. The predisposition of a rational society to solve problems based soley on more information is the result of an education that ignores the context of our problems. Such an education is good for producing goods and services, but quite weak in addressing socially inappropriate behaviours. We are in a battle for the minds of our young.
To address socially unacceptable behaviours, we must address the emotional intelligence of people within the society. Emotional intelligence is the very beginning of the process of reasoning. It, however, operates at a survival level and that is precisely what is happening in our society. Those of us who have not yet been touched by the instinctive behaviour that drives violence had better not feel insulated. The need in this society which is now manifesting itself in suicides, abuse and direct negative response to personal or familial needs.
The origin of your experts will mean nothing until we begin to address the emotional needs of our people. The presence of up-to-date technology may only create more desperation than more help. We must help ourselves. I have four recommendations. First, parents must be schooled in some of the basic philosophy and practices of child rearing. My observation is that there are three types of parents in our society - the jelly fish, the concrete and the construction. Jelly fish parents allow their children to dictate the decisions at home. Concrete parents do not allow their children to influence any of their decisions. Constructive parents understand the need for limits while allowing their children the opportunity to make decisions within the scope of their maturity. Both jelly fish and concrete parents are irresponsible. Their irresponsibility is manifested at different extremes of a continuum, but there is no question that they both abnegate constructive behaviour. Their children are generally dysfunctional. These dysfunctional children are quite often the result of dysfunctional parents. This is more than neglect, it is a systematic pattern of rearing a child with socially inappropriate inclinations. In most cases, the parents are unaware that they are programming their children in this negative manner. Children manifesting these behaviours transcend economic and social barriers.
Second, we must not provide psychological and sociological excuses as reasons for unacceptable behaviours. Too many of the cognitively educated elites who have little respect for social intelligence reinforce maladjusted behaviours under the guise of sociological theories. They provide excuses for careless parenting and irresponsible personal conduct. Boys misbehaviours are quickly attributed to the absence of their fathers in the home. It is an easy answer, but a weak one. Have we observed the increase in disruptive patterns of behaviour among girls? their mothers are still with them. Have we observed mothers who accept responsibility for their sons from an early age and demand certain standards of conduct?
Most of these boys behave appropriately. We must stop the patters of allowing people who behave inappropriately to transfer their responsibility to the absence or ignorance of their parents or guardians. Govern-ment cannot, and should not be expected to control violence in a society. The core culture of the society is the home, school and church. The nation must take out a mandate for moral and ethical standards. Every minister (gospel and political) should get on the pulpit to articulate the moral/ethical imperative of the nation. They should then get off the pulpit and get their hands dirty in the areas most threatened.
'Bright' professors
The "bright" professors and students at the universities must stop the culture of "the transmission of knowledge" and go into these areas to transform them. We must fight for the hearts and minds of our youth. We can do no less.
True education is transformative and active. Northern Caribbean University has taken on the task of working with Mandeville and the region in a partnership to transform one generation - age 12 and 30. Let us roll up our sleeves. Do not look for help from foreign powers. We are capable and able. Do not look to the security forces alone. Each of us have a practical role to play.
Third, provide sustainable economic opportunities for the youth 12 and 30. Every society that has been plagued by violence can plot a graph that shows the relationship between poverty and violence. In the United States there has been a demonstrable reduction in violence as the people found it easier to feed themselves, to work, to feel successful at completion of tasks. What I find quite distasteful in our culture is the unwillingness of many of us to share the benefits of the society. We gourge the poor people for greater profits. Businesses have no sympathy for the poor. "Whatever the market can take we charge" is the motto. That is good economic 101, but poor principles in a poverty stricken society.
Politicians seem barren of ideas to generate economic viability. Stop borrowing from the World Bank and start thinking. We have the mental power and the will. What we lack is the will of our leadership to go down new paths. By leaders, I mean civic, political, economic and religious, you get the idea. Their babies do not cry for a little "corn meal pop". So how would they know.
We are capable of generating economic stability, and this reducing crime and violence. Set up a non-political, non-vested, but programmatic committee to get the nation back on economic track. We need to do this now. Think outside the box Jamaica. We are a proud and able people. "Out of Many One People" refers not only to race and culture, but also to poverty and wealth.
Finally, I recommend that the politicians who cannot consort for the common good of the nation be openly challenged and dismissed from public service through the efforts of civic minded Jamaicans. No person in this country is indispensable, none. The Prime Minister needs to rise above the spoil system and begin to select ministerial leadership from across the isle. We need to adopt a form of government where the best of our leaders can be afforded the opportunity to lead the nation. The government of Israel does it, the United States does it. Let us be more creative in what we adopt from these nations. We do not need their crime-fighters, we need to exercise our will.
As a nation, we must stop looking for outside help. As a nation, we must dig deep into the pride of our people. As a nation, we must think radically different from the path we are on now. As a nation, we have the people and the resources to save ourselves. I volunteer to sit on a national transformation commission. Let's get busy.
Dr. Trevor Gardener is vice-president of Academic Administration at Northern Caribbean University.
