Mapping, Musing and Theorizing "the Connection of Illiteracy, Powerlessness and Anger/Bitterness/Resentment"

Franka Philip

Renee, is it the Barataria schools you talking about? I also find there's a lot of anger about in Trinidad, I always feel and see it when I go home. Never understand it though.

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    Renee Cummings ‎Franka Philip you are so on point! Same observation!
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    Franka Philip It easier to discern when you come from the outside. I have felt that Trinis use fete and party as a way to mask this anger that is clearly there and that no one wants or knows how to face up to.

    
    
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    Renee Cummings And that fools us into believing we are a happy people...

    
    
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    Franka Philip Exactly. If we don't use things like our culture, the arts and sport to help dissipate the anger among the youths things will get worse.

    
    
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    Camille Pierre ‎@Franka, more than that, if we do not start teaching and showing our young people how to problem solve, appreciate, respect and care for themselves, others and by extension all things, there is no way things will get better... not even culture/arts/sports.
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    Renee Cummings

    how much worse...they will kill out each other, domestic violence, men killing women, now women killing men, men setting women on fire, like we're back in medieval times, children fighting like its the heavy-weight championship of the world..., boys killing each other at gun point, men raping and burning young girls on tires, child sexual abuse on the rise, incest rampant, husbands killing and burying wives in shallow graves, crime down but violence on the rise, suicide is the norm, a hero's welcome for persons accused of corruption and the government's celebrating like it just won the lotto, our society has lost direction, everyone want to be "in power" but no one seems interested in using their power to empower others...imagine, I have to run back to NY to relax, NY is high-stress central but now seems more relaxing than my island paradise...Franka Philip what do you prescribe for this ailment?

     
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    Franka Philip Education at all levels. Somehow people need to learn to get in touch with their emotions and deal with them - especially men. It's a total cultural change but for younger people, I strongly suggest using other outlets. I also wonder if a lot of this has to do with illiteracy? People who are illiterate usually feel powerless because they can't go anywhere. I dunno, I just wondering.

    
    
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    Camille Pierre ‎@Renee, it is most unfortunate. These things will have to overtake us before we see a new dawn. Whilst we may not want to get scriptural, we may want to look at how we allow individual and collective elements to infiltrate our values and replace them with indifference.
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    Franka Philip I would suggest Nichiren Buddhism. One of the key tenets of our practice is that each person must be respected.

    
    
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    Renee Cummings ‎...they will have to learn to spell it first and that in itself will be a challenge...

    
    
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    Camille Pierre I not sure it is illiteracy... thinking merely simple here of course...could it be just about how to do good and feel good?
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    Franka Philip Oh gorm. But seriously though, the education system is a failure. Education should not only be for utility, it should be for a holistic purpose and developing the whole people.
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    Camille Pierre yes Franka, but according to whose standards?
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    Franka Philip That's for Trinidad to work out.
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    Camille Pierre Thanks for that...happy you did not say "government"...lol!!!
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    Franka Philip Only if you get smart people in government. not duncey people.
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    Camille Pierre I am sure if anyone were to do a real search into the archives of the ministry of ed. they will find a ton load of documented and relevant information to move the process forward, just sitting thick with dust. These are not new situations.They have simply escalated.

    
    
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    Franka Philip True dat girl.
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    Maven Huggins I find this stream fascinating and glad I got to read it.
    

    I think there is a total misinformation on what literacy is and the wide range and totality of illiteracy in all manner of human action and function> folk often and merely, simply think literacy and illiteracy is about reading letters, words and sentences. that is just a foundation, one pillar say of...awareness? education? consciousness?
    
    my last published paper was on illiteracy so i am constantly fomenting upon it..
    
    but I wonder if you all see the links you have theorized and proposed?
    Amazing to me:
    
    One thing I say all the time and was happy to see someone else write it:
    "a violent and brutal society populated by angry resentful bitter people who self medicate by party, sex, drink and lime"
    
    Then, this revelation that people here seem to never get: for calling those who have eyes, blind, foren* or negative:
    "It easier to discern when you come from the outside. "
    
    I love this bit on integrating the role of "our culture"
    " If we don't use things like our culture, the arts and sport to help dissipate the anger among the youths things will get worse."
    
    So, from that comment and this thread, I wonder/see--is it that 'tt culture is a pacifier as opposed to being an elevator?' Cause Stop the Presses< who would think (sarcasm alert)
    
    Then this gets to a recent project i have been passing off to men, a call for Talk Circles, MenTalk I call it ..
    "Somehow people need to learn to get in touch with their emotions and deal with them - especially men."
    
    But the piece d resistance was this tidbit:
    "I also wonder if a lot of this has to do with illiteracy? People who are illiterate usually feel powerless because they can't go anywhere. I dunno, I just wondering."
    
    and I muse of 'the connection of Illiteracy, Powerlessness and Anger/Bitterness/Resentment???'
    
    Sorry, I just had to mirror your collective brilliance. ♥