by Rick Lowe
Nicollette Bethel is attempting to get the discussion of race in The Bahamas going again in this blog titled On Why Race Matters where I have left the following comments.
Let me jump in with both feet.
You suggest that so few White Bahamians are involved in anything other than politics that people feel we are all expatriates.
I’m not sure that 10% – 15% of the population can be expected to have more of an influence in the country, however you seem to ignore the contribution of the many White Bahamians that are involved in business, church, service clubs and more.
There has also been the continual barrage of political rhetoric about how bad we are that one tends to shy away as a result, reinforcing your comment about melting into the background. And that seems the way certain political leaders want it to be. Although after an election they do let the rhetoric die down.
The propaganda surrounding the White Deputy leader of the new government was astounding to say the least. I do not think that there are many Bahamians that would wish to return to the policies of pre-1967, at least that is never discussed in the circles I travel in. Maybe you know something I don’t though?
There are many opportunities for mingling in spite of your suggestion to the contrary. There is church, the Chamber of Commerce, service clubs, and numerous other social events. Not to mention private dinners in each others homes and holidays with each other etc.
I’m not sure why I would be expected to participate in Junkanoo for example. It simply does not interest me enough to get involved (I do enjoy the rush of 20 minutes of those cow bells and drums though, and after that I’m done). Just as reading Freiderich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard and Milton Friedman might not appeal to you.
Thank goodness we have the freedom to choose how we wish to contribute to our society and our Constitution guarantees that right.
This does not diminish the value of the discussion though. Maybe that freedom does influence the end result of the talking though. And that just might be what causes the angst of some Bahamians?
What do you think?
I’m not trying to get it going again. I don’t think that we have ever had any kind of discussion; rather, what we’ve had for forty years is a series of accusations and counter-accusations with no resolution.
I’m trying to start a dialogue, not a fight. I’ll be happy if people get angry in the process — that is only as it should be, given our collective history — but I don’t want to incite hate, or to compound the lies we tell one another. We are not comfortable with one another, and we are not all comfortable in our homeland.
Race matters. Our fear of one another lies just below the surface. Many non-white Bahamians are uncomfortable in gatherings with black Bahamians they don’t know, and vice versa. Many black Bahamians avoid certain places in the city because of their discomfort and fear; the people who will turn up in droves at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on Shirley Street would think twice about going to the Dundas or the National Art Gallery, two places where black and white appear to meet and mingle fairly. And forget Junkanoo; where are my white brothers and sisters at the Independence celebrations? The same people who will go to Clifford Park in droves for an FNM rally are almost never seen when we celebrate the founding of our nation.
Talk to me.
The main reason I don’t go to the Independence celebration is because I hate standing in the hot sun waiting for the politicians (royalty) to arrive.
In fact, that is why I attend few public events. I would rather be doing something I enjoy than waiting past the announced start time (sometimes it was an hour or more) for the programme to begin.
I think it is human nature to be comfortable among people they know and doing things they enjoy doing. Colour does not seem relevant, at least in the groups and associations I have been involved with.
It seems we automatically ascribe ulterior motives to those Bahamians that do not attend national events.
I must admit to being uncomfortable with certain aspects that are attributed to Bahamian culture. Like sweethearting and having outside children, the way funerals are conducted in certain churches etc. But maybe that is not what you want to get at?