Patria-Kaye Aarons | Breaking down a meltdown

No, serious thing. I had to watch that video of the female cop at Constant Spring Police Station many times. Many, many times.

Not even the Game of Thrones season finale was that gripping. It was all too familiar. The star of the short viral video was a classic example of an employee stressed out and holding it for a long time. She clearly articulated the elements that brought her (and many others like her in the world of work) to her breaking point, and I got it.

I'm no therapist, but between the lines of what she said I heard a cry for help. I heard a victim. There's clearly perceived abuse of power by a superior made invincible by the backing of the boss. I heard the fear of isolation through lies. I heard a deliberate restraint not to name-call.

I heard low blows used to get an upper hand. I heard the coping mechanism of sick leave and the punishing tool that is a write-up in your file, a transfer, or a forced resignation.

Police drama

I heard promotion-blocking. I heard office gossip and sex. I heard the madness of repetition that only extreme frustration brings out. And last, I heard a nosy, uncaring co-worker who feebly intervened only after he'd heard one minute and 47 seconds of a juicy tale to tell.

I transcribed her meltdown word for word. It reads far less humorous than the video. Over to you, Commish.

"Mi a go straight uppa di commissioner office. Mi a go call Mr [George] Quallo now because me waan know the set weh dem tell you fi tek pon me; if yu nah stop do it. Why yu a abuse yu office? As yu come here, yu start. Mi cyaan get fi eat mi food in peace. Mi cyaan get fi breathe pon di compound because a you. Mi waan know wah kinda authority yu have why yu a behave and a abuse yu office.

Weh yu a tek set pon me for? A wah mi do? A wah mi do? Wah mi do? From mi come here, yu tell all di police dem fi tell all lie pon me Ms (name). What is it that I have done why mi cyaan survive inna the JCF because of you? Wa ... wah mi do? What? What is it Ms (name)? Wah mi do yu? Mi nuh do yu nuttn at all. Wa yu a tek set pon mi for? Mi fed up and tired a yu. Mi wonder if the commissioner can't transfer yu from ya so.

(JCF mix-up that I will not transcribe.)

"Every day mi come here, yu tek set pon me. Stop tek set pon me 'cause (more JCF mix-up and blenda that I will not transcribe).

"Nuh tek no set pon me. Every day mi come ya, yu tek set pon me and mi cyaan tek it nuh more. Yu all a serve summons pon me fi go orderly room and mi doan do nuttn. Stop tek set pon me. Ooonu stop tek set pon me, and me nah resign. Because yu tell me say yu a demote me an yu a go mek me get inna trouble. And mi a nuh criminal. And every day mi come ya, yu tek set pon me."

"Wah yu tek set pon me for? Mi send een di sick leave from Friday, and as mi come in, yu tek set pon me. Mi cyaan tek it nuh more. And mi nuh business wah yu waan write!"

"Because yu nuh have no more place inna di JCF dan me. Because yu a gwaan like yu have more place dan nobody else. Stop tek set pon me. Nuh tek nuh set pon me." (Continues to a fade)

- Patria-Kaye Aarons is a television presenter and confectioner. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and findpatria@yahoo.com, or tweet @findpatria.