Do We Really Care?

‘Ah doh care’ is an oft used colloquialism in these parts, acting as the stress relief against the myriad of tension and frustration that we face daily as a nation, with a simple three-word sentence that reduces the stress levels while absolving us of responsibility.

In most cases, it’s not uttered aloud, but it is part of the mindset, even if we are not aware of it bouncing around in our subconscious.

Perhaps our collective lack of care as a nation forms an integral part of the coping mechanism, aligned with the evolvement of 21st century myopia and self-aggrandisement, to form the attitude of nonchalance, that allows the ineptitude to continue to lead us on our downward spiral. ?

We do care enough, to complain, but not enough to act. Which is where the disconnect occurs in sweet T&T, the oxymoronic state where murders trend at over 500 per year, but life is too nice to meaningfully protest about it. Why should we care when its gangsters killing out each other with a few sprinkles of collateral damage?

Care is not deep enough, to recognize that if proper concern is not given to a country that is riding high on the global murder capital Hot 100 chart, then eventually all its citizens will be directly affected.

The expansion of care is not wide enough to recognize that the death of numerous babies within a short space of time in our public hospitals, signifies the absolute deterioration of the systems that we rely upon for our very existence.

Care is fleeting, when we are angry in the immediate aftermath of revelations of corruption - most in public office - then allow it to subside while no one is held accountable and worse, we kowtow to the suspects as they walk around freely in public. ?

Care is selective, when it only stimulates a major reaction once it is someone from within a particular social circle or common social class that has been affected by a vile incident, enhancing the divide that breeds the ‘doh care’ symptom.?

Care is individualistic, when we remark about various crimes independently, instead of joining them together, heaping them upon one another, to form the large malaise that passed alarming proportions years ago.?

Care is choosy, it recognizes the brotherhood of T&T and the rainbow nation ideal when our athletes cross the line in first place but it refuses to accept within the same concept of unity, that fellow countrymen live broken subpar existences mere miles away.?

Lack of care is habitual, to travel past the dilapidated infrastructure that passes as cities, villages and roads, to accept that this is what you are worth, this is the standard that your leaders think you deserve, because you care so little and therefore you accept it.

Care is diminishing, we can no longer see the affects upon our fellow Trinbagonians, as the shrinking circle of care reduces itself to being specialized: care for the political faithful, care for the same race, care for the same income bracket.

Care is short lived, easily removed by a three second ‘steupse’. Not caring enough about what matters most is a major reason that T&T is in its current position of apathy.

Care has been bludgeoned out of the society by decades of divisive manipulation, by greed in a heavily moneyed nation, by exploitation of its people, by lack of bold independent thought.

Care is numbing, after we involuntarily practice not caring, we give in to ‘doh care’s’ cousin ‘wha yuh go do?’. Together they form a dreadful partnership, allowing incompetence to fester, acceptance to mushroom and unaccountability to bloom. ?

Ironically, there must be an element of ‘doh care’ to spur the care movement into action and exert the necessary pressures upon the powers that be.

‘Doh care’ about those public sector contracts for a moment (a departure from the absurdity of “we love what you’re writing about in the papers, but we can’t publicly support it because you know, we have contracts with the Ministry….”) to put reputations of brands and individuals on the line. There is little sense in understanding the validity of quotes such as “when good men do nothing” but constantly adhering to profit margins.

‘Doh care’ about the continued one-upmanship that has helped ensure the selfishness that pervades modern T&T society, as it has in the wider world. We all have to inhabit the same space on these two little gems, regardless of the separate existences that keep us meters away but worlds apart.

‘Doh care’ about the consistency and hard graft required to make the call resonate for a decent basic standard of living, for that basic tenet of a safe existence, proper healthcare and an equal education system.

Following the revelation last week of the death of the 11 babies in hospital, the spotlight has turned once again upon our capacity to care for our fellow Trinbagonian. Not empathize, care.

If that revelation created the spur to show solidarity with our countrymen for days, weeks and months of peaceful protest to state that “enough is enough”, to demand the arrests of the causes of crime and corruption, to lift the standard of healthcare, to stop exploitation, in short, to care, would reputations be put on the line, would camaraderie for a better tomorrow trump profits for the interim, could we see the bigger picture and act?

Sadly, the answer to that is the same as the answer to the headline of this column. ???

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Sheldon Waithe is the Creative Director at Communique Media Services Ltd website: communiquett.com

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