Calling we ‘them’ and them ‘we’
Ringing in our ears is the call for change. But is this desired change one which will but change our present elected representatives? Or will this change go further by identifying and eradicating the power and control our political handlers have enjoyed for decades? For I trust that our young people in particular understand that party politics did not create the economic and moral decline of our islands; in fact the opposite occurred.
Party politics came about as one of several consequences of a society ripe with greed, strife and divisions.
I have often asked myself if we really live in the same country and mean the same things when we use the words Cayman Islands. Is there so little left of our once communal existence and cultural values that forty years after development begun we cannot collectively define ourselves, who we are and what we stand for in our political, cultural or moral arenas? And many of our young people find themselves so chick that they spend their free time using technology to ridicule those that are not so chick rather than looking into where they came from.
Why would any sensible person believe that the question of political belief and conduct could be discussed before any meaningful discussion about personal, cultural and social values? Some of us have definitely placed the horse before the cart by trying to return to the way politics was organized in the past without understanding the meaning of the past to many of those who lived it.
Any way forward must take history into consideration but it seems that our distain for history, or at least our history, remains deeply ingrained even as we begin to speak of change. The question remains however, change from what to what and to benefit whom? Politics is about the ‘we’ not the ‘I’ and most times about ‘them and us’, so without some knowledge of our history or Caymanian history the new agents of change might very well mix ‘we’ and ‘them’ up calling we ‘them’ and them ‘we’.
I love the sounds of change. The things it could mean. But this change must come not only to the political arena, it must come to every aspect of our lives. And it would not be too harmful if we began to seek change firstly within ourselves.
There are great possibilities ahead for the young and old. But those that collectively guide the change that is a coming must make sure that this change is not just a consequence of our present history of denial and divisions but a conscious attempt to know ourselves and that which is good in others.
Category: Viewpoint
CNS, you refused to publish an offering of mine implying that McField bought his PhD and now it appears that after initially publishing a post querying McField's academic qualifications, you have subsequently removed or deleted it.
I am always very suspicious of anyone who insists on using the 'Dr" title whois not a medical doctor and I remember from past letters to newspapers that McField is very angry if he isn't called "Dr McField".
Please satisfy my and many other peoples' curiosity by answering the questions asked in the post you removed.
It is a very important issue now that he will stand for election.
Ed
I sat down with an open mind and really tried to understand this. But I couldn’t. It’s pseudo-learned drivel.
Let’s settle this once and for all. Doctor of what? From which center of learning? In what? And in which language?
I think you made a mistake straying from your Compass safety-zone, Doctor. CNS readers don’t take your nonsense unquestioningly. They query. They bite back.
Frank Mcfield have a PhD in sociology from The University of Bremen in Germany graduated with his PhD in 1977, easy to confirm whether you like his pseudo drivel or not. He is also fluent in German, maybe this is too much education for a Caymanian Black man.
Thank you for clarifying that, Mr McField
So he have a PhD from Bremen University have he? Where's yours from?
You are clearly a deep and sensitive man Frank. A bit crap at writing and philosophising 'n' stuff though.
Hasvit ever occurred to you Frank, that it may be that we regard our history with disdain because our history includes episodes of seriously flawed judgement in electing people like you to parliament?
Such maturity on display here in the comment section.
I take it from the implied sarcasm in this comment that you actually understand what the hell Mr McField is writing about.
In 100 words or fewer please enlighten us because to me at least, it is poorly written, sloppily constructed gobbledegook .
Here is the summary you wanted:
"Some of our young people are chicks. The chicks apparently are more adept at using technology than those that are not chicks. The chicks laugh at the non-chicks for this reason. The chicks would be better off looking at where they came from. (Which I would have thought was an easy question to answer – "an egg"). The chicks have put the cart before the horse, which means that while they are good with computers they are not good as farm labourers.
There a stains, and these stains are ingrained. Apparently these stains cause us real trouble in using the correct pronoun so that we get "we", "I", "us" and "them" really confused. (I do not know if this problem is limited to the chicks or not).
There are sounds which mean something to Dr. Frank, namely that change is "a coming". We need to know ourselves (or perhaps "themselves" for the pronoun challenged chicks) for the change that is a coming."
Simple.
Thank you for the interpretation. One correction: the chicks do put the horse before the cart, which is correct placement, therefore the chicks are also competant farm labourers.
Um, it wasn’t implied sarcasm. It was sarcasm.
Only you and that lunatic Bodden III who used to write a column in the CaymanNetNews would be defenders of Dr Frank.
I am eager to learn exactly how I have "defended" Dr. McField.
He is your spiritual father, he is. He is you in 20 years, he is. You two speak the same language. You must, because no-one on CNS understands a word either of you rant about.
Maybe, just maybe, they are one and the same! That would explain a lot.
Maybe Frank McField writes as Whodatis
Whodatis is much more literate than Dr. Frank. He is equally deluded, but Dr. Frank would dream tobe able to write like Whodatis. But then old Whodatis will wait a long time for a Pullitzer.
Still waiting …
Any idiot with a can of paint can "change" things. Paint is a cosmetic thing.
It takes hard work and true leadership to "improve" things and make things "better".
How I hope that future leaders in Cayman will look to "improvement" over mere "change".
be careful what change u wish for we got obama instead of any real change
I'll take Obama any day over george w. bush, but then again your perception of positive (real) change is to take an economy from a surplus to a deficit in six months (idiot).
We and them and unna is all confused. Thank goodness I thought it was me. Hey Doc I hear Mac is looking for a few good men.
With such a rambling, pointless speech you might want to try becoming a politican.
"Any way forward must take history into consideration but it seems that our distain for history, or at least our history, remains deeply ingrained even as we begin to speak of change. The question remains however, change from what to what and to benefit whom?"
Very difficult to decifer a point or any kind of sense of your article Mr McField, but yes, sensible people will and should hold a disdain for Cayman's history of political corruption, lack of accountability and disregard for international standards. That is what we are hopefully moving away from by ridding ourselves of the posterboy of corruption and his cronies and instead (hopefully) moving towards a system of accountability that will benefit the masses, not just a select few. I can understand why you would have an issue with this..
Looks like you and that writer (tries to inspire) from compass teamed up……..
Anyway, Dr Frank we know many layers to politics but the 'culture' we need to focus on is the 'greedy' culture of young Caymanians refusing to learn anything about politics and how THEY will be used by persons claiming to have similar cultures.
No sir, we Cayamanians accept there will always be sub-cultures, differences and like DNA that doesn't chaneg with geography, some people will refuse to accept our culture and position as a British Overseas Territory, so speak to those people since they make up the majority.
The horse IS supposed to go before the cart. That's the way it can pull it, you plonker! But even if you got this idiom the right way round the sentence still wouldn't make any sense.
What's up Doc? I SAAYYYYYYYY, What's up Doc? I say, Doc you been sniffin dem hallucinogenics? I say Doc, it's chique (as in cool; as in trendy), not chick (as in chicken; or damn she a hot chick). I say, you leave dem big words to dem foreignas dem ones who drive dem fancy cars. Now peace out Doc and go build some of dem houses!
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together….
Goo Goo G'joob, folks!
Ahh Say, that's pretty damn funny!!! And it makes more sense than Doc's ahhhticle dat I jus finish readin.
Er actually Doc, the correct spelling is chic and not chique…. Seasons greetings
Ha ha ha ha ha You're absolutely correct. I was waiting to see if anyone noticed my mistake…
"distain" "chick" Does he mean "disdain" and "chic"?
Even when he does manage to string a few proper words together it makes no sense.
so what IS your point exactly Dr Frank????? we must look within ourselves for something and that we cannot ignore history..ok but what are you referring to!!
err seriously dude…there is a high level point in here somewhere but you really need to break things down a bit better. confusing dialogue brethren>
Dr Frank. You need to go sit down…
"And many of our young people find themselves so chick that they spend their free time using technology to ridicule those that are not so chick".
I am not sure what Dr. Frank means by "chick" here. Did he mean "chic"?
Say wha? Come again Doc…or not!
Distain is a word. But it is not the word Dr. Frank thinks it is.
It is Disdain not Distain. a simple mistake.
Thank you. I had not worked that out. It all makes sense now.
What are you talking about, have you been on the Bolivian marching powder again?
Taking a last Bolivian marching power again before doomsday 21 December 2012 just in case I meet you and the Myans.