By Tony Deyal
I’m not a racist, a friend told me. I treat every race equally Even the bad ones. In fact, he boasted, “I’m not a racist. I love all races equally. Black, Asian, African, Indian, and normal. It doesn’t matter to me.” As the Caribbean countries recently had or are due to have politics and poli-tricks for their elections, I think about what is happening with the US and the last thing I would like to see is Trump and hollow suit!
Over there is white vs the rest and, until recently in Trinidad, people of African descent vs those from Indian descent. While the Guyanese still have the “versus” of race, several Caribbean countries have no major “race” wars. However, in place of that, over many years and still going strong, the two major political parties have a kind of hate and power-struggle. Many of us see it as fighting for power, money, and remaining as four-letter bosses.
Right now, today in fact, while Trump, the president of the US, is putting journalists, students and everyone who is very rich (and getting richer), it is not new. There is a story about what he supposedly did in the 2016 Presidential race. The people of the US hated all the candidates so much that no one wanted to vote. The government was in a panic, trying to figure out what to do to decide who the next president would be. Finally, Barack Obama came up with an idea: A literal presidential race. The three candidates would run a lap around the white house, and the one with the best time would become president. Bernie Sanders went first, but being as old as he was, he took 24 minutes. Trump went next and posted a time of 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Hillary Clinton went last, running as fast as she could hoping to beat Trump’s time. She finally crossed the finish line in just under 10 minutes.
“Aha, that must be some kind of record!” she exclaimed. “I don’t think so,” said Obama, “Bush did 9:11″ For some of those who don’t remember, “9:11” is the abbreviation for the date, September 11, 2001, when terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing thousands of people. Interestingly, the group that did it also refer, even now, to what they organised and prepared as “9:11”.
This is why, when it comes to politics and races, especially when people ask me which group I would destroy, I tell them I will go after the 800-meter record. It’s too long to be considered a sprint and not enough to be considered long distance. If you thought that I was taking this somewhere else, you need to have a good look at yourself and what you stand for.
Outside of the Caribbean, it is easy. A Trans-Nordic race was planned to pass through Norway, Sweden, and Finland, ending at the Russian border. But everyone stopped at the Finnish line instead. However, when it comes to us in this region, the best way is the big race of Usain Bolt. He was going to run against the world’s fastest animal, the cheetah. This animal can reach speeds of up to 70 mph! People knew Usain didn’t stand a chance but watched anyway. At last, they were off, and in a matter of seconds, the race was over. Amazingly, Usain Bolt came out victorious!!! How come? Because the cheetahs never win.
Unless it is Trump. He has the richest people helping him and getting big paybacks for that, as well as the white ones, including some he has agreed to move to the US from South Africa. Again, from Obama’s view it was trouble, “And as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about my future; about my children’s future — about our future together?
He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedoms since it won’t affect his life. Most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them; between the real Americans who of course support him and the outsiders who don’t. And he wants you to think that you’ll be richer and safer if you just give him the power to put those “other” people back in their place.”
I grew up in Trinidad and lived in the sugar cane area where people from India were working alongside others of African descent. I went to Anglican Schools. We played cricket and football together, while my mother and the ladies of all shades chased us when they were talking to one another or included the well-dressed male living next door who behaved like them but preferred men. They all got along very well but we knew that Africans and Indians were not seen by many of them as “one family.” There were links between the men and women but was not appreciated or supported by the others. However, for a very long time, we got along relatively well. We made jokes with, and about, one another yet, when evening came, the guys were in the rum shop drinking together.
When I went to different places to study and work, the other Caribbean people saw me as one of them. Unfortunately, when we reached back home, the races split into tour own groups, especially the English. What many of us did not know at the time was that we, all of us, Indian, Whites and all the mixes, descended from Africa. What I eventually found and learnt was that none of us could, or should, change the past. We should learn from it.
The most important lesson for me was that I, like everyone else, is not singular. Every creed and race, regardless of where I am, or with whom, must find an equal place. I never saw my friends the way Refworld, the leading source of information on refugee status, thought of us. He made it clear that “Indians are Exploiters and Africans Idlers.” That, I never believed or supported. Regardless of race, we will always have a lot in common with the other people of the Caribbean.
As a humorist of the region, this makes the point. There were three men who were sentenced to die- a Barbadian, a Jamaican, and a Trinidadian. On the day they were sentenced to hang, the priest asked each man, “What’s your last wish?”
The Barbadian said: “Give me flying fish and cou-cou.” After he ate the meal, they hanged him. The Jamaican was next. He asked for ackee, saltfish and jerk chicken. After he ate his meal, they hanged him too. Then came the Trini. When asked what he wanted he told them, “Well, it’s a very long time that I haven’t sucked a mango.” The priest replied: “Sorry, it’s not mango season.” The Trini replied, “No problem at all Sir. I will wait.”
*Tony Deyal asked why the sun never set on the British empire folks who kept the Africans and Indians apart. Because even God can’t trust them in the dark.
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