Ignorance Is Bliss In Sweet Sent Lisi

I recently noticed that it is now a thing for people to proudly say that they don’t watch the local news and I can’t help but scratch my head and ask: “Wha’?”

Yes, everywhere I go right now, I hear people unashamedly saying that they refuse to watch or listen to the local news.

They say it to your face and boldly state it repeatedly online. Heck, give them a chance, they would shout it out from Gros Piton.

When they say it, their statement is usually followed up by a number of reasons why, including: “The news source is so unreliable”, “These media people are so biased”, “They make too many grammatical errors and cannot even speak properly”, and “I cannot stand the quality of what passes for news in St. Lucia these days.” These are just some of many of the excuses.

Again, I have to say that I am left scratching my head about this because I’m wondering how and why would you want to stay uninformed about the goings-on in your country, especially at a time when there is so much that we need to be informed about?

Are you telling me that you are so indignant about the quality of the local news that you are willing to stay in the dark whilst our island is being sold right underneath us, crime is becoming a growing problem, unemployment is becoming epidemic and decision-makers are having a field day at our expense whilst completely ignoring the plights and cries of the people?

I am baffled!

Okay now, you readers know that I try to be as neutral as possible in my opinion pieces, and so I never take sides. I call it as I see it, even when it means calling out my own peers. With that said, I will not try to blacken my hands for some of my media colleagues. Yes, we have some way to go in terms of the product that we deliver.

I know that we make mistakes, we make grammatical errors, we spell people’s names wrongly sometimes, we drop some big “bullets” when reporting on TV and radio and sometimes erroneous information will be reported.

Boy, we must be the worst set of people in the world at what we do, right?! But wait, I also watch the international news — from BBC to CNN to Aljazeera and, lo behold, they make me feel human because they, too, make mistakes. Unless you are Donald Trump who believes that all news is fake news, surely a mistake or five is not enough to write off an entire paper or newscast as unreliable!

But no, you refuse to pay attention to the local news because it’s unreliable, yet you will sit in a little group like a yard fowl and eat up and crow about the news that Joe Public has whispered in your ears because, hey, when was the game of Chinese Whispers ever unreliable? Surely, a story that has been passed around a few hundred times and has numerous versions is more accurate than what is being said on the news?!

And the funniest part is that whilst you people look like ridiculous ostriches with your heads buried deep in sand (and that’s me keeping it clean), you are unwittingly making yourselves sitting ducks because the politicians and decision-makers in St. Lucia are revelling and thriving off your ignorance.

Then you wonder why every time you make noise, you are instantly shut up when the PM and his ministers ask you to prove your statements and to come up with some kind of solid reasoning detailing why they cannot and should not do as they please with our island home.

The DSH project and the Dolphin Park are going ahead whether we like it or not. What are we going to do about that? Nothing, because we are too busy fighting the wrong battles, i.e. the media to see the real problem and tackle it head-on.

If you refuse to listen to the local news, how on Earth will you know about what is going on, both good and bad? Are you going to keep relying on word of mouth?

Ignorance equals mega bucks and the people at the top right now are getting rich off your endless supply of self-righteous ignorance. After all, why shouldn’t they? You people are willingly basking in it like pigs in muck, so it’s a done deal. They get paid whilst you stay happy in your dark cesspits.

Man, I tell ya, I can just see some of the faces who have said this to me with their pursed lips, closed eyes, hand on chest and the stench of haughtiness. Poor Jab!
And worst still, some of these folks are “learned” folks who really should know better.

I know there is no room for excuses but when it comes to the valuable information that is being reported, surely four-fifths and three-quarters of a loaf is better than no bread at all.

Just remember the words of the great Martin Luther King Jr.: “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

And you wonder why this island is going around in circles like a crazy dog chasing its stubby tail. The smarter we “think” we are, the dumber we get!

Learned, my foot! Zòtbyenfèt. Bask in your ignorance, but don’t blame the media for not informing you of anything when you finally wake up and see that all is lost and St. Lucia is a barren wasteland with no hope.