Basil Jarrett | Children still live what they learn

For the second straight week, Champs’ ugly side continued to grab some of the headlines coming out of the spectacular championships to which we were treated by our high school children a few weeks ago. And yes, I called them children because, despite the superhuman times that some of them ran, that’s exactly what they are – children. What is equally remarkable to me is how we have chastised these kids for their bad behaviour, when we adults have lowered the bar even more, in how we resolve conflicts, trash out our differences and, oddly enough, celebrate our victories. The same gun finger that young Te-Var Hammond flashed at Dinthill Technical’s Javier Morrison in the decathlon 1500m has been brandished so many times in the dancehall, in the streets, and even on the political stage, that it now ranks right up there beside dreadlocks, weed and bad mind as instantly representative of everything Jamaican.

It goes without saying but we cannot live in a society where our adults, leaders, music and culture espouse violence, and not expect our children to do the same. Children live what they learn and children learn what they live. It was true when Les Crane sang it in 1972, and it’s still true now. What’s also true is that the violence, simulated and otherwise, that we saw two weeks ago has been a part of Champs since I can remember. In fact, 1981’s Boys Champs saw an eerily similar incident to this year’s clash between KC’s Nicardo Clarke and Calabar’s Khamani Gordon. Back then, it was the medley relay where, with less than one lap remaining, runners from KC and Calabar began jostling each other until the youngster from North Street went down in a heap. Enraged KC supporters rushed the track in protest. Calabar fans retaliated in turn and soon we were locked in a ferocious battle as adults took leave of their senses and an all-out brawl ensued. ISSA’s Disciplinary Committee rushed in and when the smoke cleared, both Calabar and Kingston College were banned from Champs 1982.

Perhaps these are the ugly scenes that Grace CEO Don Wehby envisioned a return of, when he warned that his company would withdraw from the Championships if the indiscipline, including the gun finger, continued.

AS JAMAICAN AS JERKED CHICKEN

But the reason these issues have persisted over the years is that violence and indiscipline have been so baked into our Jamaican culture and collective psyche, that they simply get handed down from generation to generation. And to demonstrate how deep the problem runs, even our school leaders and administrators have got in on the act.

Just a few years ago, one prominent high school principal himself boasted on social media that, “Dem Dead”, when he was asked how he felt about his just-vanquished opponents. That same boast has come back to haunt him as this year’s winners have resurrected, resuscitated and repurposed the video, openly mocking him and making him go viral for a second time – albeit for the wrong reason. Revenge truly is a dish best served cold. But are we making a mountain out of a molehill here? If “Dem Dead” is harmless banter, then how can the gun finger be the impending demise and utter ruination of Boys and Girls Champs? They’re either both right or both wrong. And if they’re both wrong, then one has to be wrong-er since the adult ought to know better.

IF YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER

The clear point here is that as adults, we have to do better. We must set better examples for our children and live better lives. How else do we inspire, teach and instil discipline in our youngsters? It is a question that the minister of education herself has seemingly pondered, having taken notice of the rising levels of violence and indiscipline in our schools. Part of the solution that she has envisioned is the reintroduction of civics to the formal school curriculum and she has my utmost support in that regard. Last December, Minister Williams promised that soon “…she will be rolling out civics as a discrete subject.” The final curriculum is ready, she says, “as we need more than competence in math and reading and writing. We need to teach our children the values and virtues that will enable them to navigate their way in any circumstance they find themselves without resorting to violence.”

In other words, if we can’t expect our children to be organically disciplined by the social structures of church, family and community, then we must infuse it formally and systematically into our teaching and learning systems. In that regard, I am one of her biggest fans as over the course of my 15 years working in law enforcement, I have often been confronted by what happens when undisciplined youngsters are allowed to reach adulthood without any sort of intervention.

By no means am I condoning what happened at Champs two weeks ago. I certainly don’t want to see a return to days when spectators also came prepared to run in the stadium. But before we condemn our youngsters and threaten to walk away from the magnificent Champs product, perhaps we also need to look at the examples that we are, or are not setting for them.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.