Confronting ethnic perceptions and stereotypes (Part 2)

What may be considered miserly in one view is regarded as thrift in another.

Thus, it can be argued that the thriftiness of previous generations of Indo-Trinidadians and their discipline in forgoing expenditure on items of immediate gratification resulted in accumulated savings over the years which primarily laid the foundation for whatever they have achieved in business and the professions. I would hasten to add that the capacity for thrift seems, by and large, no longer discernible in the current generations of Indo- Trinidadians.

Then there is the view among many A fro-Trinidadians that one of the reasons for Indo-Trinidadians’ stake in business is their clannish and exclusionary attitude.

They are deemed to restrict employment only to their own kind and closely control opportunities for advancement and management positions. With regard to the perceived restriction of employment, this notion is not supported by observation of employment patterns in Indo-Trinidadian business entities. On the issue of control over ownership and management, it should be borne in mind that these businesses are generally family- owned and operated and it is normal to have family members in charge for purposes of oversight, direction and continuity. Such a tendency is true as well for family- owned businesses started by Afro- Trinidadians, Syrians, Chinese and others.

On the part of Indo-Trinidadians, the relative absence of Afro- Trinidadians in business is attributed to the perception that “they have no head for business” and that “they can’t run their own house, how they go run business”.

The inference here is that Afro- Trinidadians display a kind of genetic disability and are devoid of a sense of organization and responsibility.

Such a view flies in the face of reality.

Some Afro-Trinidadians have started businesses which have become outstanding entities e.g. Cyril Duprey, Yorke and others. Many Afro-Trinidadians hold senior management positions in the corporate world of large business in TnT, whether they are foreign companies or local conglomerates.

If the notion of “having no head for business” implies an unwillingness for deferred gratification, an incapacity for amassing individual savings and engaging in long hours of tedious operation of retail or service business, we are dealing here with a cultural factor associated with only segment of business activity. Such stereotyping therefore cannot be justified in the assessment of a more comprehensive range of business activity.

Another Indo-Trinidadian perception is that Afro-Trinidadians are mindlessly spendthrift and prone to spend their income on fete, clothes, cars and women and are thus perennially in debt. They are therefore deemed not to have the will or inclination to defer gratification and accumulate savings which can then be applied to engage in business activity. The notion that all Afro-Trinidadians are profligate, indisciplined and irresponsible is obviously not true.

Indeed, some Indo-Trinidadians of the current generation could be so categorized. With regard to savings, many Afro-Trinidadians do put aside savings through institutions such as credit unions, life insurance companies and other financial organizations to the tune of billions of dollars.

In addition, it has been held that Afro-Trinidadians are lazy and unproductive and are not inclined to devote the time and effort and summon the endurance and sense of responsibility to work and succeed in business. The sacrifices to engage in individual business activity may not have much attraction to many Afro-Trinidadians but this is not the case, as observed earlier, in the sphere of corporate business.

Moreover, productivity and the work ethic has been on the decline for some time now both among Afro- Tr inidadians and Indo-Trinidadians.