I HAVE TUH SAY dat the Olympics ovah the past couple o’ weeks had me suh taken up dat some o’ the things I was planning tuh write ’bout I had tuh put pon the back-burner or cancel altogether.
But there is one thing in particular I cahn fuhget. Neither am I going tuh fuhget tuh write ’bout it, nuh matter how much old news it might be.
Now, you would think dat wid all the lot o’ negative publicity in the papers ’bout people, women especially, getting on stink and doing the dog pon the road at the Crop Over Festival, they would try a li’l harder tuh tone it down. But no, soul, it look like duh getting worse.
I was getting my hair done a couple weeks back and heard some people talking ’bout the pictures they saw in the newspapers wid women pon Kadooment Day doing bad, wearing all kinds o’ en-nuh costumes dat barely covering duh essentials.
Then duh start talking ’bout a man holding a li’l boy by he head and leh-ing he wuk up pon a woman. So I decided tuh wait till I get home
But from the time I open the paper and see the picture, the blood went straight tuh my head. I was livid.
All I could do was shake my head in shame at the things so-called adults, especially females (’cause ya cahn call dem women), do tuh poor li’l innocent children and call it fun.
Look, the sad thing ’bout it is this, dem ain’t see nutten wrong wid it, ya know?
It is bad enough tuh see a man and a woman wukking up pon one another and carrying on in the worst way pon the road.
It is even worse when ya see two or three women spraddle out down pon the nasty ground pon top o’ one another saying dem having a good time; but it is sickening when ya could see a big hard-back man holding a li’l peeny baby boy head and letting he wuk-up pon a woman who had sheself sprawl out and skin up in the road.
Now wha’ dem doing tu dah poor li’l boy? I wonder if dat child belong tuh either of dem?
But look, if dem could do something like dat in broad daylight, in front o’ thousands o’ people, I wonder what else dat poor child is exposed tuh at home.
Dat is why li’l tiny children does go into school and try tuh do what so-called adults exposed dem tuh. Ya cahn blame dem. Dat is what they see and think is normal behaviour.
I see people write letters in the newspapers ’bout it. I hear people pon the call-in programmes expressing duh feelings. I hear all sorts o’ people pon the road airing duh views.
But you see me, I ain’t got nuh time fuh nuh foolishness, ya know. I believe if something wrong, it wrong. Deal wid it; nuh lot o’ long talk.
As far as I am concerned, both o’ dem should be prosecuted. Duh want duh tails locking tuh France up.
So, wait! What about dem public service announcements dat does run pon CBCTV8 all the time, the one dat does tell you what child abuse is? So, tell me something: this sort o’ thing so ain’t child abuse? Wha’ bout all the other li’l children who was on the road watching dat pornography?
All o’ dat ain’t fall under child abuse too? Only God knows what was going through some o’ dem poor li’l children heads.
Dat is why you see nuhbody cahn catch me saying I leaving my house tuh go tuh the Stadium or ’longside the road tuh watch bands nuh more.
Look, it ain’t ’bout relevant costumes nor concepts nuh more, ya hear? All it is nowadays is who could wuk up the worst.
And lemmuh tell ya something: doan talk ’bout if the women happen tuh spot a camera pointing in dem direction at all.
Duh pooching back, wukking up in the worst way and getting on like old scallywags who doan care who watching dem.
I think dat it is about time something is done tuh curb the amount o’ bad behaviour and lewdness dat does go on pon the roads at these different street festivals. We have tuh protect our children and help dem tuh grow up as children.
There are some things dat doan need nuh lot o’ debate, and this is one. People have tuh be made examples of in order fuh dem tuh do what is right.
The people who does come wid all o’ these lot o’ definitions and rules, when the time comes fuh action, duh doan do one damn thing ’bout it.
All it is, is a big lot o’ words; dat is why some people know dat they could do all kinds o’ ignernts ’bout here and not one thing ain’t gine happen tuh dem. Mere words. Dat is all: mere words.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. she has an opinion on everything.
