Pick your men wisely?

It must be catching in the new world of political leadership.

Keith Rowley sounded as uncaring and as “ignorant” (used in its Trinidadian interpretations here) as Donald Trump.

But while the average American has suddenly blossomed forth in bigotry and ignorance, and will excuse, if not appreciate Donald Trump’s proud bigotry and sexism, that will not happen here. Thankfully, condemnation of Rowley’s astonishing advice for our women who are being battered, raped and horrifically murdered was universal among our women. Our menfolk still largely remain ignorant and woefully insecure.

The unfortunate impression left by our Prime Minister was that boys will be boys and it is the responsibility of our women and girls to shun them and leave them. Our men are accepted as predators free to abuse, rape and kill our women. The responsibility for women’s wellbeing and survival depends solely upon our women, according to our Prime Minister.

This is most unfortunate and it must be acknowledged that his attitude is far too prevalent among our male population, and regrettably, also infused and engrained within some of our female population. While the Office of the Prime Minister issued an explanation, saying that all of us misunderstood Dr Rowley’s remarks, he apparently has not felt the need to apologise.

Violent crime generally, and abuse of our women in particular, is now in epidemic mode. And for the Prime Minister and his government to continue to hide from the issues is totally unacceptable.

They came into office largely on their claims that the previous government had no solutions to the crime situation. Almost two years have passed and the murder rate has soared in numbers, and in the brutality being perpetrated.

Murders began to increase in Trinidad and Tobago from the first month that the PNM came into power. At the time I held my peace because I wondered whether it was coincidence or whether gangs were jockeying for position to ply their nefarious trade under a more compliant PNM.

Our hapless Police Service are quick to tell us that other categories of crime are “Down”, and for this, if totally true (have people given up on reporting petty crime?), the police must be commended. However, it is murder which horrifies and terrifies our society. The simple fact that bumping into someone in a fete can lead to your being killed should tell us where we are as a society.

Our Prime Minister has warned our women to stay away from a free life in order to keep from being killed. But is every murder of a woman necessarily triggered by a domestic dispute or lover’s quarrel? Must women in potentially violent relationships acquiesce to servitude and obedience in order to survive? Clearly there is no true, workable protection for our women who find their lives in danger from abusive male companions. Restraining Orders mean nothing to men whose self esteem is so pathetically lacking that they will kill their spouse or girlfriend if only to assert their pathetic concept of manhood.

The time has long passed for our country to deal with our young men. Those whom we have allowed to grow up, largely without education, but notwithstanding that some are well educated, with no social skills whatever. Social skills teach and guide people how to live together, a concept which every civilized society, and even groups of social animals has mastered. We lived in a relatively civilized, if not socially equitable society for many generations. The current challenges of violence and impending anarchy stem from us allowing our children to grow their teenaged years without parental or scholastic guidance. Locked into their electronic devices and steeped in violence from computer games, movies and music, simple civilized living as members of groups have ceased to guide us.

Our Prime Minister, his “Office” and our male society as a whole need to set the examples, and define the disciplinary inputs needed to re-establish a society based upon reasonable standard ethics and mores. And while I accept that many males have no clue as to what their role should be in this—and this clearly includes the Prime Minister—then our w o m e n must step up and put these buf foonish men in their place, and back into a classroom to learn about life.