Jaristotle's Jottings | When cynics abound

In 1781, some 132 African slaves were thrown overboard to lighten the slave ship, Zong, while en route from West Africa to Black River. The murdered slaves subsequently formed the basis of an insurance claim for loss of property and cargo. This barbaric act typified the perception that such losses of life were par for the course in the slave trade.

Fast-forward 200 years on to current times where Jamaicans are being murdered at an average rate of approximately 1,200 each year. The cynics among us will readily argue that our political leaders are not sufficiently interested in stemming the crime problem, having adopted a less-than-casual view of the Jamaican people whose torment by criminals is inconsequential in the scheme of political power-mongering.

This is not a very comforting outlook, and inasmuch as it may seem far-fetched, let’s keep the door open, nonetheless. After all, we know some of our politicians are covered in fleas ,having repeatedly lain with dogs. That aside, however, we should be wary of cynics whose sceptical outlook tend to stymy progressive thinking and the search for solutions.

Knowledge is power

Education broadens knowledge and understanding, opening one’s eyes to the realities of life and the opportunities that lay within reach. Cynics argue that our learned politicians have dumped an unsustainable education system upon us: poorly conceived curricula and lousy classroom conditions where students find it difficult to learn, and underpaid teachers find it difficult to teach.

Each year, roughly 700 teachers abandon our classrooms for greener pastures, and schools turn out thousands of functional illiterates, albeit that such details are often suppressed. Further suppression of underlying issues in our education system is evident where some high schools fail to put forward second-rate students to sit external examinations so as not to dilute the schools’ pass ratings. Ironically, those said semi-literate students then ‘graduate’ without a reasonable hope in hell. Why? The cynics are apt to say that it is not in the politicians’ interests to have an educated population where independent thinking prevails.

To borrow from Dr Orville Taylor’s article (Too much killing but we kill our statistics, too: T he Gleaner, 29 December 2019), we oft fail to quote the statistics that would more clearly define our problems. Our murder statistics, albeit alarming, paint a portion of our overall crime problem. What about cases of attempted murder, wounding, assaults and battery, and robberies with aggravation?

A full exposé detailing such statistics would surely give us a clearer picture of what we are up against and perhaps spur more audible calls for action to stem the crime wave. Always remember, the devil is in the details, and while the details can give us insight into the what, it can also shed light on the who. But then, the cynics will say that those with stained hands have no desire to enlighten us, so don’t hold your breath.

Problem solving

It is high time that we move beyond the restraints of the cynics and start taking charge of our circumstances. Using the exposé approach to statistics, we can readily analyse the issues appurtenant to motor vehicle accidents, for example, to better understand the who, where, when and why, and thereafter begin the process of purposeful prevention.

We the affected must push for what we know is needed. Gone are the days when the voices of a well-placed few were sufficient to spur action. They need our help to better serve our interests.

Many of us have travelled the world and experienced workable first-world systems that, with appropriate tweaking, would be game changers locally. Let’s dispose of the cynical thinking that nothing will come of our efforts, and speak up for us. Loud up yourselves.