King Kong, Stella and one particular value of life

Jun 25, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

This essay here is a reply to “Stella Says” written by Mrs. Stella Ramsaroop in the June 23 edition of KN. She wrote; “To show blatant public disrespect for an office, such as the president of a country, lowers the value of that office…” I don’t know the intellectual background of Mrs. Ramsaroop, but there is absolutely no way I would believe that a modern person in the world today, whether housewife, labourer, high school dropout or college professor is not acquainted with a moral in life that is old as civilization itself – “respect comes out of self-respect.”
I will elaborate on that below. But let me inform readers that Stella finds objectionable my use of the term King Kong to describe a certain powerful office in the land. She thinks it inappropriate and uncouth. I do not, for one second, disagree with the cultural reasoning behind Stella’s thinking. From an ethical standpoint, courtesy for our fellow citizens is an absolute value. We have to and we must display fundamental principles of courtesy to our fellow citizens, no matter how we disagree with them. But it begins and ends there. Context then takes over.
Courtesy and respect are different values. I may be wrong, but I think Stella is confusing the two. Courtesy has no context. It is a fundamental principle of life. Respect is a contextual value. Respect is a mental process that evolves. It does not inhere in the human mind. It develops from living every day. Love tends to be confused with respect. Love inheres in children, but as they grow up that does not necessarily translate into respect. Admiration is another quality to be differentiated from respect. One can admire the genius of a scientist but have little respect for him because of his racist and anti-woman views.
Should one show deference to prestigious offices like the Chief Justice, Chancellor, President etc? The answer has to be contextual.
I come now to a very banal topic that needs no philosophical argument. Respect does not come automatically in life. One has to earn it. Respect is not going to be had if one does not respect him/herself. No person is going to bow to an office-holder if that office-holder demonstrates no acquaintance with the higher values of life. I refuse to believe that Stella Ramsaroop does not know this. Employees are not going to respect a boss who harasses his female staff. Students are not going to respect a teacher who is always drunk.
Let’s come to the specific item that has irritated Stella. My use of the term King Kong in relation to a particular figure in Guyana. I forgive Stella for not being acquainted with what goes on in this country by virtue of not living here – which one of us can go on the net everyday and monitor all that happens in a country?
Mr. Jagdeo has hardly demonstrated a healthy respect for the presidency. This is my opinion. Time after time, Mr. Jagdeo has lowered the prestige of the presidency and has lacerated its image, maybe irreparably. I would have thought that never mind she stopped writing over a three-year period that Stella would know about the imbroglio over the presidency when the President’s common-law wife made some shocking disclosures
One of which is that they were not married legally and when she asked him to sign the papers, on many occasions, he refused. She enumerated the many times she was treated abusively. In her press conference she used the word, “abuse.” Mr. Jagdeo led this nation to believe he was legally married. Too many times Mr. Jagdeo has behaved without civility, grace, and good manners. At his press conferences, he calls his critics ugly, sleaze-balls etc. He returned to Guyana after receiving an environment award from the UN, held a press conference the next day and civility went out the window.
Two weeks ago, the Stabroek News ran an editorial on Mr. Jagdeo’s style and wrote that he likes to cuss down (their words) his critics. No other Caribbean leader has ever behaved so unbecomingly over such a long period of time.
Listen Stella, my honest, sincere view of Mr. Jagdeo is that he lacks class, or more precisely has no class and should not have been a Minister, muchless a president. Stella, I say this in all truthfulness. Come to Guyana, Stella, and ask people how they feel. Then you will use a more accurate perspective when you write on respect for the Guyanese presidency. Sorry to know that you were sick. Welcome back to the columnist circuit.

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King Kong, Stella and one particular value of life

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