We like it so - The New Trinidad National Anthem

[sheppy]

Everytime something unfortunate happens...an innocent is murdered, a citizen is robbed, families live almost in a state of seige...
We cry 'Foul!' at the top of our lungs...and then add with a deep sense of resignation those 4 words... We like it so...
we like it so? It seems to almost validate the most heinous of crimes with this passive agressive sarcastic phrase.

But i thought about it..and realized..its true...
Not because we did or did not vote.
Or if we did vote we didn't vote for UNC or COP. Although this seems to be the general insinuation when 'the phrase' is invoked...

We must like it so if we don't paint the town red or protest in death marches. Surely one must revel (a.k.a like it so) in this banana republic when another fellow citizen is murdered, raped or kidnapped...or ..God forbid all 3. Apparently the answer, solution and only saviour was a change in government.
so much for that.... :roll:

but while we hold our heads and moan, reminice on pleasant visions of a simpler yesteryear, contemplate packing up house and moving somewhere 'better'.
I asked myself...did i like it so when i went and bought goods from 'known' criminals, laundering money...but the price was too good for me to care?
did i like it so when i took a chance and paid for something to be expidited, because we all know to wait on a government service to get something done in a timely fashion is in and of itself and oxymoron.
did i like it so when i heard how 'so an so' did 'so an so' but never bothered to call 800-TIPS cuz..well they corrupt in there anyway...dey would just trace the call and kill me for snitching...
did i like it so when a friend offers to get me a dvd player 'scratch an dent' ??
did i like it so when a uncle or a partner get me a job in a nice place wit perks an ting?

well i must admit...i did indeed like it so...i liked it very much....but does that mean i could be to blame for the state of things?

but for those who will say...'me eh do none a dem ting dey' ...i never drive down the shoulder..and even if i did what does that have to do with those rapists and killers out there...surely u can't blame me for these 'dregs of society' actions against my 'fellow' man? fix me first? Preposterous!
and you're right...throwing trash on the street doesn't mean you are now responsible for the country's seemingly flat spin spiraling downwards into crime...it means u are a pig...and probably didn't have the benefit of a proper upbringing...but that's another topic altogether.

for those who have made it through the last 5 or so paragraphs of my rant..there is a reward...or if you prefer..a point to this.
Crime in Trinidad has one main thriving root....DRUGS...
from that spread the branches of corruption, bribery, violence, money laundering..etc..etc.. the list goes on and on...
The drug addicts use the drugs, that need various officials to be paid off to bring it in the country and sell it on the streets.
The money generated from what is probably a multi-million dollar industry ( in sweet trini alone) needs to be washed somewhere...who need a loan ? need to start a business but don't got capital? banks doh want to lend you money?
Want to 'bling' make a fast buck, well u got to protect your turf! and since this throwing stones thing went out with well...the stone age...you now need a gun ..and maybe a couple other guys with guns to back you up, or wait is that a gang? what a ghostly..umm i mean ghastly thought..
Well it seems this drug thing has a whole downstream enterprise feeding off of it .... that we calmly drive up to in our cars and purchase goods and services from...and when u are robbed before you can get your legitimate purchase back into your hard earned motor vehicle you shake your head and say........yes you guessed it

'we like it so'


Well i for one do not like it so...furthermore the phrase is one of defeat and resignation, malice and indignation.
Regardless of your political affiliations, religious and racial background, no decent, law abiding citizen could 'like it so' but we should be cognizant of the fact that (even though innocently) we helped to make it so.
Hope? is there any? I can't get my 2 year old dog to Sit when he's told...can Government remove the worlds oldest and most effective illegal activity with its stranglehold on this nation and its downstream 'industries' and bring 'peace' to this nation?

Don't hold your breath...but just so you know...we Don't like it so

[kemist]

wow i read through the entire thing sheppy! :)

the solution to the problem is clear - dont do drugs and dont let drugs into the country.
While solving the addiction problem may be a longterm solution, there may be an immediate solution to drug trafficking. I think i expressed this before - there are only 2 ways to get drugs in here; by air and by sea. Since we only have 1 airport we should have that covered. So why are we not able to patrol or monitor the entire coastlines of our small islands 24/7 ? Investing in such resources is a small price to pay for law and order to be restored.

[gaia]

Very interesting and true article, But I stii insist that we like it so!! Why? Some of us have given up hope and exist in hopelessness. Some of us believe we are not vulnerable, beacuse we can afford protection and we dont care about anyone else. Some of us are totally brainwashed/conditioned to support our party who keeps us living in hope,handouts.We accept our miserable existance because we believe that is all we ae worth. What became of the cocaine haul down the islands 1 0r 2 yres ago? Hush, hush? Has the nation protested about this? A friend of mine related an incident concerning her daughter. Her daughter spend a weekend with a school friend down the island. The parents of this class mate were rich, (belonged to a minority ethnic group). They owned this fabulous house down the island. For some reason this "guess" woke up during the night and looked through the window. She saw a boat approach the house and disappeared under the house.Apparently there was a concealed opening allowing this vessel to disappear. Well guess how her mother reacted to this info. No more visits to friends down the islands!!! TT is a veeerryyy tine nation, how these things can exist and go unnoticed?? The coast guards, besides killing fishermen, living and eating in comfort and drawing fat salaries, what other duties do they have?

[snowbird]

Wheew, I too made it through your rant :lol:

However I beg to differ, on the reason for the deterioration of T&T; it is not DRUGS, (drugs is biggest scape goat in your country's history); neither is it the 'we like it so' attitude. There are countries other that T&T who are grappling with drug problems, however those countries don't allow the drug trade to deform their country.

So what is it? Plain and simple it is SELFISHNESS, LACK OF NATIONAL PRIDE, and LAZINESS that has your country in the mess it is in; these deficiencies so embedded into the vary fabric of your society allows Trinis to carry on about their day to day business regardless of how may murders, kidnappings, rapes, maiming of innocent people, corruption in politics, corruption in business; life goes on same o, same o.

Depending on the nature of crime or corruption exposed maybe some people will do the 'obligatory' two weeks of 'holding your head and bawl', then it's back to business, looking after your own interests. Back to buying that extra lock for your doors; back to turning your head the other way; back to accepting the goodies with a wink and a nod; or paying for the goodies with a handshake (with ah little ting in it fer yuh), back to keeping an eye on your neighbour to make sure that the minute he gets something new, you get one..... only bigger.

When Eric Williams said "All ah we is one", what he probably meant was "all ah we is individuals" and as an individual as long as it eh happening tuh me, I good wid dat".

[serenity]

I dont think that we like it so, but I agree with sb in that there is much more we can do voice our protest...and we dont. Its every man for himself and after everybody tut tut after reading about the lastest murder, they turn the page to the comics and its back to business as usual.

Everybody has been affected by crime. The majority would like to do something about it...but do what? When Stephen Cadiz called for support, he got it, bec it wasnt political and it was meant to empower ppl to take a stand. Ppl WANT to do something. But we need some kind of leadership again. And it cant come from a politician.

Another point raised by sb is that money talks. Its all about who has the fanciest car and who was at Prime this weekend. We dont value much else it seems. The person with the best taylored suit has the most credibility. So thats what its all about - buying respect, even if u hadda thief to get it. Nobody respect the farmer who toils daily in the hot sun with his callused hands. Nobody gives him a second look. But let a young boy roll in with some 20" rims and everybody head turns. U think the young boy going to aspire to be a farmer when he could sell drugs in the corner?

[KFCSpicy]

Snowbird did u not post in another thread about "broad strokes brushing?" or was that merely in ref to the act between men and women? :D (small joke dey)

I think Sheppy is right but I also agree (strangely) with you all. I have posted in numerous threads that it is a me me mentality, a lack or distinct and obvious respect for others, an absolute wantoness in behaviour, and the covetousness(sp) of people wid long eye, and the utter bole facedness of those who think u should not have or prosper, of the litter bugs who think they are not part of the problem, of the polluters, of the grease a palm or two people, of the neopotism, cryonism, and many other isms that abound. These are all just parts of the whole picture.

If drugs are brought in, once again I say, do u all really think the boys from the beetham who never leave the beetham far less get a passport wid a visa to any country could import drugs? I remember my first ever posts in a gun thread where when I said blame the importers of the guns for profit and murder I was told by a forumite that they doh agree with me as guns doh kill people is people does kill people or else dey should ban cutlasses. :shock: :? Well I sure when John Doe invented the machete he did not say hmmm leh me see how much horner men ah cud sell dis too to chop dey women up. :roll: Guns were solely invented to murder be it hunting or crime or self defense so that person to me is still an utter plonker with their take.

Anyways, it has to be someone with money, power and know how and contacts and means via air and sea (how many of them have house down de islands? or have little power boats tie up under their homes along the shores of the country?) is not Mr. I am angry at the world from lahvantee that went to columbia and bounce up a man selling drugs and decided to import it via red band maxi or the Tobago ferry? :shock: So think again.

These are just the users and the foot soldiers of the end product with the sad eventuallity of deaths being racked up in the country at an alarming rate.

Stop being ostriches people.

[sapodila]

YUh notice is only foreigners posting on the topic except for Serenity?! Is true what sheppy said all ah dem...."like it so". why bother! the number is now 356 + 5 ?!