Orville W. TaylorMY LAST hope for the World Cup 'Ghana' dem yard. Brazil reminded us that Ghana was formerly the 'Goal Coast'. Before that, Togo was good 'to go'. Despite their name, Tunisia could not squeeze into the second round and Côte d'Ivoire played valiantly.
Then the unthinkable happened: Brazil lost! After two unimpressive rounds, we waited for them to reveal their secret weapon. However, that was not to be because, apparently, the secret was told to ace footballer Ronaldinho who obviously 'couldn't keep his mouth shut'.
Fast forward to the semi-finals. The German juggernaut ran into an Italian wall and crashed on the fourth of July. The writing was indeed on the wall because on Sunday, German race car driver, Michael Schumacher won a formula one race. True, he beat three Italians into the minor places but he was driving an Italian car, a Ferrari. No German car finished the race.
GERMANY, GONE HOME
Well, as far as the World Cup goes, Germany has gone home. Oh! I forgot. They were already home. I feel no sympathy for Germany despite my favourite car being a Black Man Wagon (BMW). They were the same set of ungrateful cretins who taunted Ghanaian-born German, Asamoah with monkey-like sounds. I am not going to stifle my conscience; he is not the most handsome of men by any stretch of the imagination but monkey he is not. Despite humans, including Germans, sharing 98 per cent of genetic material with chimpanzees, the German fans' chantings are unforgivable.
Unfortunately, the Italians are no better. Last year, while playing for Messina in the Italian Series A, Marc Zoro of Côte d'Ivoire, was brought to tears after undergoing similar monkey-aping from Inter Milan fans. Although having a Somalian-born player, Fabio Liverani, who I can't recall getting a game, the Italians have a deeper history of racism. They are the same Romans who carried out atrocities against the Jews in Biblical times including the murder and torture of Jesus, who we now know was Ethiopian-looking.
Interestingly and coincidentally, 70 years ago on July 4, the League of Nations failed to protect Abyssinia (Ethiopia) by sanctioning the Mussolini-led Italy for illegally invading it. Against strong protest and appeal from Jah Jah, Haile Selassie I, the League decided to drop sanctions against Italy. Four years later, on the same date in 1940, British troops stationed at Kassala and Gallabat on the Ethiopian Border, were captured by the Italian army.
By the way, the Spanish are just as bad because Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroune who plays for Barcelona in the Spanish Primera Liga, was subjected to regular jeers and simian references, recently. This is a common feature in the Iberian Peninsula.
Back to Brazil. Although I picked them, I am not hurt like the majority of Jamaicans who refer to them as "we". In fact, it is a racist country which almost did not let the greatest footballer ever, Pele, play in his first World Cup. Pele is one of the blackest Brazilians. At 60-plus, even his grey hairs are jet-black. Can you imagine this? In a country where everybody eats, sleeps and dreams 'futbol', there are only four starting black players.
Maybe you don't know, but Brazil has a population of around 185 million. At least half of them are obviously black and another half of those don't accept it. In a country of more than 100 million black people, one has to be colour-blind to not see the racism. That is why Pele is the greatest ever because he had to be twice better than the best to be given a game in his country.
This contrasts with France which has less than 10 per cent of its population coming from black Africa and the Caribbean, yet having nine of their 11 starters being black. "Vive la France!"
Nevertheless, the excitement ends today and we can re-focus on local issues. After the murder of my colleague, Christine Hewitt, just over a week ago and the massacre of five persons in Norwood St. James, I did not believe that the news could get worse.
Then, the front page of The Gleaner on Thursday delivered a shocker. A church D-con apparently was present during the sexual assault of a thirteen-year-old girl by a number of teenaged boys/young men. The retired judge who runs the church was aware of the incident before it reached the press.
CLERGYMEN AND
MORAL STANDARDS
Now you understand why I was opposed to the Prime Minister's suggestion that clergymen are necessarily of a higher moral standard. As I said before, churchmen are fallible and commit sins. There was no probity, perhaps only sexual probing, and the minivan was fully tinted so there was no transparency. As my friend Pastor Winston 'Bello' Bell stated at the recent launch of his book, Sex in the Church, that I chaired, many 'irreverends' are sexually abusing and exploiting their flock.
Speaking of covering, why is the Prime Minister asking for a probe in the GSAT fiasco when the Education Minister found nothing untoward? Is this another case of her speaking intemperately or unadvisedly or did the minister deliberately withhold the information. Or worse, did the PM even try to talk to her?
Then, the JLP Spokesman on Education seemed to also suffer from the lack of knowledge on the educational system. Youthful exuberance?
Finally, why couldn't Transport Minister Bobby Pickersgill talk straight on the toll issue and come up front earlier? Will he back down on the boycott?
Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
