Social attitudes sometimes show up in subtle ways. Small nuances and slips, when examined closely, often reveal a subconscious or even conscious bias in this post-colonial Trinidad and Tobago.
The East Indians arrived here a little more than 300 years after the so-called discovery. They did not speak, dress or worship in the same way as the rest of society. They ate different foods and had different traditions.
They were seen as non-Christian “pagans”, uncivilized and outside the circle of polite society. Those who wanted to be seen as respectable and part of the ruling class fell with those views.
Our imperial colonizers encouraged this division because it suited them. It became a feature of our society that carried over into our adversarial political system.
Despite the well-meaning words of our National Anthem and all the politically correct public expressions of equality and diversity, this historic divide has been refined and masked over the decades.
We now have phrases etched into our public discourse like “south of Caron”, “rural neglect”, “swamp dwellers” and “Calcutta ship”.
We see advertisements that portray the dominant culture and the normal urban way of life in Port of Spain. All this despite the fact that half of the population does not live, celebrate or speak that way.
East Indians have been on these islands for over 150 years. Their food, culture and names are part of our multicultural national fabric. They are not a fringe group or a touring novelty act.
It is common courtesy to pronounce people’s names and ethnic and religious terms correctly. There is always an accepted pronunciation – just ask someone who knows.
It is disrespectful to mispronounce these names and terms – the mistake may be unintentional, but it shows a lack of care in trying to find the accepted way.
It seems that some of those who make public statements, even some members of the media, do not take the time to check. They mispronounce or try to say these names and terms as if they were somehow exotic or foreign.
It is time for this to stop, or we risk totally alienating a significant part of our society.
There is an English proverb that says “There are many slips ‘twist cup and rim.” Let’s not just give the words to our National Anthem.
Darrell P Allahar
lawyer
