Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
A common pipeline fuelling the vitriol that is passing for discourse online has been the blatant racism and political partisanship that are obviously intertwined.
It is tempting to ask how we got to this rabid state, but it has been festering for so long that we know it is not a recent feature of this place that has stopped feeling like home.
Politicians of all creeds have played ethnic cards forever; perhaps it is a relic of our colonial past. Whatever the amalgamation of factors, we cannot ignore the massive eruption, facilitated by social media platforms, that has exposed the lovely lie that David Rudder sang about three and a half decades ago.
The country is uneasy about the warmongering that is needlessly surrounding us, not just as a nation, but as a region; regardless of how we want to define our sovereignty.
The descent into absurdity has been rapid and fairly unexpected. More and more frequently, I wonder what Reggie Dumas would have made of it had he still been with us. Truth be told, it’s easy to know because he was always very clear about his views. It is why we always need voices like his to bring reason and wisdom to public discourse.
The strategic alignment by the Trinidad and Tobago government to the USA’s Venezuelan hostility has triggered the latest round of online gunfights.
I do not buy any of the rationales proffered in the increasingly macabre actions of the US Government and its unhinged leader. Narco-trafficking could not realistically be the reason for the spate of deadly attacks in our region and the Pacific.
I am not a fan of the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela. In fact, I am not a fan of politicians generally. But the rapacious nature of the USA’s position is too closely aligned to its forays into other parts of the planet.
T&T’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar has chosen to align herself with the USA, and to pattern her behaviour after Donald Trump; a disappointing stance on every level.
Copyright: Office of the Parliament 2025.
Most disturbing is the descent into a flurry of insulting and provocative words designed to derail diplomatic discussion. The offensive language is not just directed towards neighbouring Venezuela, but to our other neighbours within Caricom.
That word describes a Caribbean community. Together we aspire? How are we seeing ourselves as a nation looking to forge ties with other entities?
Look at what has happened in Jamaica, in Haiti, in Cuba, in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. The footage of the devastation is heartbreaking. At least we’ve had the decency to offer support. What if it were Trinidad and Tobago?
Do we really think we are better off standing apart from our neighbours, including Venezuela? Even if we are inclined to do so (not me), do we really think it is prudent or decent to sneer and scoff while we turn our backs, hoping to snuggle up in the embrace of the USA?
From the hundreds of online comments, the patterns of thought (maybe thoughtlessness is more appropriate) emerge. People either leggo-no-hand in defence of the PM’s words and actions, cussing off any opposing positions, or they condemn the PM’s words and actions, cussing off any opposing positions.
The language is crudely hateful, and often displays a level of illiteracy that is another cause for concern. It is the problem of polarisation.
Something that struck me particularly has been the repeated appearance of words like “ideals” and “principles” in derisive contexts, suggesting that these are notions to be discarded as unworthy of consideration.
In Thursday’s Express, a commentary appeared by Lester Phillip, who had this to say: “We cannot feed our people or power our industries with moral purity.”
He was repeating the mantra of the onliners. Those thoughts being overtly expressed reveal that somewhere in the shadows of the back-brain lurks the feeling that somehow a value system is being uprooted and trashed.
Comments that were not solely devoted to abuse tried to weigh things up by saying the PM was acting in the best interests of the country, and she was caught between a rock and a hard place regarding Trump and Maduro.
And what of the other regional leaders? Granted, our proximity is greatest to Venezuela, but oil is the most attractive inducement.
You see why I could never be put in charge of anything? I would always come down on the side of idealism. It doesn’t matter what hardships it incurs. I suppose that’s why my life is the way it is!
But I cannot imagine aligning myself with dictators who have deliberately and callously caused mass misery because of their greed. On Wednesday, CNN reported that in his first term of office, Trump had sought to remove Maduro. In this second term, he has redoubled his efforts.
“Although the administration has characterized the mission for all those military assets as a counternarcotics effort, the size and scope of the buildup has raised the spectre of a possible regime-change operation,” said the report.
For all of those who have declared their gratitude for Trump sending his military to make the region safe, think again. This is not about regional security, or peace, or fighting against drug-trafficking. It is yet another imperial grab for power. Look around, the planet carries countless scars from the bullies who benefit from the carnage they unleash on distant shores.
What is the future we imagine?
Last Sunday, I asked the question how effective has the expiring State of Emergency been and what next? At the Read more
This week, two quotes came to mind as I read the local newspapers. The first was from Benjamin Franklin, who Read more
“[…] For neighbouring countries [of war sites], output falls by 10% on average after five years while inflation rises by Read more
Our honourable Prime Minister, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, decided to mount a tiger to get access to the promised riches of Read more
“[…] The narcotics trade continues to devastate Caribbean societies—eroding lives, futures, and the very moral fabric of our communities. This Read more
“[…] While the government has made much of fiscal consolidation and social spending, it has left precious little fiscal or Read more
Vaneisa Baksh is a columnist with the Trinidad Express, an editor and a cricket historian. She is the author of a biography of Sir Frank Worrell.
.jpg){kind=link}
