The Steups

[Like it is]

As Trinis we all came from diverse backgrounds but the one thing we have in common is we were under the subjugation of the colonialist.
Then we had little or no say, so we expressed our dissatisfaction or our disapproval with the steups. However 50 years after independence, here we are, the country is ours and we all have the democratic right to our opinion and the right to voice it. Yet especially in the things that matter most, many of us still just use the steups.
We now use it in the face of the slightest annoyance, instead of saying excuse me, we steups. We also use the steups to shrug off matters that require the utmost attention. It has crippled many of us and we need to look around and notice that the empowered individual doesn’t use the steups.

[vaio]

[snowbird]

To some like me the steups is so uniquely Trini.... to me it is more of a link to the homeland .... than an expression of protest or disgust, disapproval or frustration.

Two things come to mind when I think of the steups:

1. As a young child in grade school... hearing one teachers voice (still ringing in my ear)....."Did you steups, did you just steups at me"? (got in trouble with her for that )

2. My Canadian born children (who have all heard a steups now and again out of my lips)..... contorting their lips in every conceivable manner in an attempt to try to replicate that sound

what some may not realize is .... while for some Trinis to do a 'good' steups may be a natural 'talent'..... for some people ... it is hard work....in some cases....they can never quite get it right (I think they just try too hard ).


I, in later life did exclaimed with pride and delight the first time I ever heard one of my grand children...(she was then about four I think)...... steups..... "She, did it, she did it.... she steups"..... unfortunately it didn't 'take' .....don't think I ever heard her or any of the other two try it again.


Ah love meh stuuuuuups....to me it is an expression of my...... Trininess

[Solachica]

I doh steupes. I does

[indie]

[Faraz]

http://akalol.wordpress.com/2009/11/...of-the-nation/

I thought you meant the one by Diana...

[Sly1]

You bet I STEUPS, is jus part of me. Now SNOWBIRD, you have me thinking, I am not sure if I have ever steups infront to the triplets. Oh gawd that ought to be fun.....I am going to make a special effort to steups with them they love to imitate anything I say or do.....If the lill ones catch on I know their daddy (my son) will raise his eyebrow at me...like I care

[Like it is]

To some like me the steups is so uniquely Trini.... to me it is more of a link to the homeland .... than an expression of protest or disgust, disapproval or frustration.

Two things come to mind when I think of the steups:

1. As a young child in grade school... hearing one teachers voice (still ringing in my ear)....."Did you steups, did you just steups at me"? (got in trouble with her for that )

2. My Canadian born children (who have all heard a steups now and again out of my lips)..... contorting their lips in every conceivable manner in an attempt to try to replicate that sound

what some may not realize is .... while for some Trinis to do a 'good' steups may be a natural 'talent'..... for some people ... it is hard work....in some cases....they can never quite get it right (I think they just try too hard ).


I, in later life did exclaimed with pride and delight the first time I ever heard one of my grand children...(she was then about four I think)...... steups..... "She, did it, she did it.... she steups"..... unfortunately it didn't 'take' .....don't think I ever heard her or any of the other two try it again.


Ah love meh stuuuuuups....to me it is an expression of my...... Trininess

Snow I could see how from a distance the steups can be seen as cute and how it could be a reminder of home. But I’m home here for a while now and it has cease being cute.
The steups is almost always followed by immediate inaction and so it has become our pacifier, the Trini’s way to lodge our complaint and then proceed to do absolute nothing about it.

The problem is, we don’t use the steups just in protest, disgust, disapproval or frustration, we use it, if someone is saying something we don’t want to hear or if they are raising an issue we don’t want to consider.
This makes me wonder if when we speak to our leaders about change and our desire for less corruption if they are not dealing with it in the same fashion.

[Falcon]

West and East and Southern Africans suck their teeth. Who said a stewwps is something Trini or about Massa doh know what they talking bout

[snowbird]

West and East and Southern Africans suck their teeth. Who said a stewwps is something Trini or about Massa doh know what they talking bout

Never knew that.... I have only heard Trinis use it....and generally as a form of .... rejection .... of whatever the subject was


In light of the fact that Kamchuups an she government riding ah 'low' with the population (dey pissin everybody off every chance dey get)
.... I think someone should organize a "Big National Steups"

.... designate a certain time of a certain day where everybody will stop what they are doing ..... and give ...... ah big stupes tuh de Government..... apart from being a 'stress reliever' (everybody go have ah gud laugh after).....dey cud even enter dey action in ......"The Guinness World Record" fer de biggest stups ever

[straphanger]

my in laws use it all the time an they arent trini

I cant say in what context they use it- i dont know what they are saying usually

an i know dey ent learn it from me cuz i doh choops in front of them

[SocaSim]

To some like me the steups is so uniquely Trini.... to me it is more of a link to the homeland .... than an expression of protest or disgust, disapproval or frustration.

Two things come to mind when I think of the steups:

1. As a young child in grade school... hearing one teachers voice (still ringing in my ear)....."Did you steups, did you just steups at me"? (got in trouble with her for that )

2. My Canadian born children (who have all heard a steups now and again out of my lips)..... contorting their lips in every conceivable manner in an attempt to try to replicate that sound

what some may not realize is .... while for some Trinis to do a 'good' steups may be a natural 'talent'..... for some people ... it is hard work....in some cases....they can never quite get it right (I think they just try too hard ).


I, in later life did exclaimed with pride and delight the first time I ever heard one of my grand children...(she was then about four I think)...... steups..... "She, did it, she did it.... she steups"..... unfortunately it didn't 'take' .....don't think I ever heard her or any of the other two try it again.


Ah love meh stuuuuuups....to me it is an expression of my...... Trininess

co-signs!!!!!

[Mr Majik]

Never knew that.... I have only heard Trinis use it....and generally as a form of .... rejection .... of whatever the subject was


In light of the fact that Kamchuups an she government riding ah 'low' with the population (dey pissin everybody off every chance dey get)
.... I think someone should organize a "Big National Steups"

.... designate a certain time of a certain day where everybody will stop what they are doing ..... and give ...... ah big stupes tuh de Government..... apart from being a 'stress reliever' (everybody go have ah gud laugh after).....dey cud even enter dey action in ......"The Guinness World Record" fer de biggest stups ever

Only Trinis?? Yuh never hear a Guyanese steups? Or a Bajan, Grenadian or Jamaican?
I hear steups from Cuban, Indian, Kenyan, South African(White and Black), as well as several Arabs whose homelands vary.

As I writing now my lady look over my shoulder and remind me we see steupsing in a TV shows from New Zealand Maoris, Aussie Aborigines, and Papua-New Guinea Bush People. She remembered because steupsing is foreign to her, and she has been trying to master it for several years, and was amazed at how widespread it really is.

[trini123]

^^^Yes, this seems to be wide spread. Here's 34 pages of analysis of the choops. There is a lot of info here ; it derived from West Africa & the term chups is probably derived from Portugese (chupa=to suck)


http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~patri.../KSTpapwww.pdf

[snowbird]

Only Trinis?? Yuh never hear a Guyanese steups? Or a Bajan, Grenadian or Jamaican?

Doh hang wid dem too much so can't say that I've noticed..... also, at the times when I do.... we are probably not in situations that ..... 'call fer ah gud chuups'.

[kayt]

As Trinis we all came from diverse backgrounds but the one thing we have in common is we were under the subjugation of the colonialist.
Then we had little or no say, so we expressed our dissatisfaction or our disapproval with the steups. However 50 years after independence, here we are, the country is ours and we all have the democratic right to our opinion and the right to voice it. Yet especially in the things that matter most, many of us still just use the steups.
We now use it in the face of the slightest annoyance, instead of saying excuse me, we steups. We also use the steups to shrug off matters that require the utmost attention. It has crippled many of us and we need to look around and notice that the empowered individual doesn’t use the steups.

Yes I steups a few times. Here's a little secret, you pick your battles, some you fight some you leave and some you fight another day. Oh and there's more than one way to fight a battle so just because you don't immediately see me don some boxing gloves and throwing punches doesn't mean I'm not fighting. I am capable of being assertive and so are many others.