TANTIE TALK:

Tonnez! jes Like Agitation use to say. I really have to ask who does still be listening nowadays yes. Ah know dat allyuh does read because allyuh does be quick wid de Backchat, but I ent know just who dem young people does be listening to or who talking to dem now.

Dis weekend ah had mih niece staying wid mih because she parents went Miami to shop. Is like de 70s all over again oui! Trini jetting all over de world jes to make message. Lawd put ah hand. When de oil done and we repeat de hard times in de 80s ah hope dat all dem fancy business dey buy in Miami could feed dem.

Anyway because ah had young people in de house yuh know dat ah had was to spend time wid de young gyul and aks she about how tings. Is not dat ah minding she business but ah find nowadays is like too much parents doh tek de time to aks wha dey chirren up to. Is like someone tell dem dat dem pickney have privacy and dat yuh cyar aks dem nutting. I ent saying to maco dey business but eef yuh doh aks hw yuh go know?

Well she tell me dat school arite, and she friends and dem was all going teartuh on Sunday and how she get ban because she ent clean up she room like she did promise. Now dat is how tings suppose to work, dem does have to learn some responsibility somehow.

Anyway since she wasn't going nowhere, she tell me she was going and watch de MTV Video Awards on de TV. I say ah go watch wid she and to wake mih up eef ah fall asleep. Yuh know how much time I wake up wid de National Anthem playing at midnight on TTT and realise dat I miss all de bachannal on Scrunting fuh Talent..papa yo!

De chile tell me dat dis MTV ting is de best of de young people music today. So I settle down in mih chair to tek een de show. Well chile I ent know what worse. De fact dat I cyar understand what most ah dem on stage was shouting or dat de young people I was seeing on de TV really ent realise wha was going orn.

Now doh feel dat I is jes some old grey hair dat cyar deal wid de New Generation. I understand dat each Generation does try dey best to upset dey Parents. Allyuh remember how de TV did use to blank de screen when Sparrow was wining on stage? I doh agree wid some ah de tings dat Machel does get up to, but I have to give Jack he jimboots, because dat boy know how to wuk a crowd and put on a show.

But I watching dis MTV ting and it start off wid dis Britney chile. I ent know why she not home looking after she chirren, but she clearly pass de stage of being on stage. And dat is where de ting did start to unravel. Because eef she was de big opening act and she faux pas well yuh know tings wasn't going to get better.

So I sit down and watch two hours of apparent big stars who all getting orn bad in dey hotel room. Dey surrounded by a setta likkle gyul who all like dey in some kinda trance, all looking de same, all dress de same, and all probably feel dat dey go be a star someday.

Meanwhile back at de Awards show MTV parading out a line of stars who like dey have no cover fuh de mout, and nobody directing de show to tell dem when to cool dey herbs.

Which is where de worries does be. All dat I seeing is ah setta wash yuh foot fete and never see come see on de TV now. And dem so getting awards and praise from de media. So when young people watching dis ting is what dey learning?

We cyar seriously tink dat de young people today go be running dey own world eef dese is de heroes dat dey have now. Is not like dey is Rebels wid a cause or even Rebels widout a cause - now is jes a setta stars who ent know what to do nex. At some point de world tell dem to do whatever dey want because it ent have no limits.

Doh feel dat I only on young people case, but is dey Parents dat teach dem to be de way dey is now. And is dem same parents who want to complain how dey ent know what dey chirren does be doing.

So dis weekend, tek some time to listen to wha yuh chirren doing. Soh jes leh dem hide in front de TV or hookup to dey ipod. Keep in touch wid all ah dem.

 

BACKCHAT: Issue 036: Vol 8

Salut ma Tante!
As usual you are quite entertaining even though You seem to lose me with all that talk of fireplaces and chimneys.Is that a touch of Mary Poppins?
Well summer is over and the excitement centers on the Hurricane season and how it will impact TnT and the environs.
Good Luck and I hope that you are safe and sound.
Cheers!
//Canada

Yes, Tants. Big faux pas wit' de # of years of independence. But yuh only human. Even de PM does stand up an' say he sorry he make a mistake. In fact, he could spend a whole week of Parliamentary sessions sayin' dat!

Anyway, ah was glad dat yuh brought up de historical aspects of 10 Downing St & de White House. De St Ann's Palace should have an area dat gives de history of government in T&T and stories and photos/paintings of all of our PMs. Yuh really feel dat either of de last two PMs could
sleep knowing dat the other one picture hanging up downstairs? Leh we
see if is jes' a roof-over-de-head for Mr & Mrs M, or if dis is a public building with any future historical value.
//Trinidad & Tobago