Thanksgiving and Black Friday in Road Safety Week

Dec 01, 2019 Countryman, News

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By Dennis Nichols

The last week in November ended yesterday, and what a week it was – in homes, on the roadways, and at stores in the city and elsewhere. Death, thanksgiving, and the lure of shopping bargains all met and melded in one seven-day stretch that may well prove unforgettable. For some Guyanese, tragically so.
The Police Force’s Traffic Department and the National Road Safety Council of Guyana held a church service last Sunday to launch Road Safety Week 2019. Its theme was ‘Accidents can be deadly; use the roads safely; drive defensively and stay alive’. Several road users didn’t. Ironically, the fatalities included two police officers. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands did. Give thanks!
On Thursday, many Guyanese, as is gradually becoming the custom here, celebrated the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving, following the American tradition with Facebook greeting-exchanges, family get-togethers, and special dinners with loved ones and close friends. Some say that in a country like ours, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. Sure!
I’m not certain what happened the next day, (Black Friday in the United States) but I’m fairly sure that many Guyanese, lured by the numerous media advertisements, took to the streets and stores to snag the purported bargains at places like Giftland, Lucky Dollar and Radio Shack, among others. Hopefully, it would be minus the hysteria, angst, and occasional violence that has increasingly marked, and marred, the start of the American winter holiday season.
Here, as the Christmas fever fiercely warms up and the rains descend at the most inconvenient times, we Guyanese will remain undeterred in our efforts to make the most of the season. Spare a thought, however, for those who recently lost loved ones, especially in road accidents, and those for whom every day, regardless of the season, is just another day of worry and want.
On the matter of road accidents and fatalities, it is eerily ironic that there were so many of them during Road Safety Week. It has almost become a macabre yearly ritual. There were at least a dozen major accidents resulting in six fatalities, and the week wasn’t yet over at the time this article was being penned. (Friday morning)
Our road accident rate, per capita, must rank this country high up on the global scale, while our road fatality indicator cannot be that far behind. There are obviously many factors that contribute to this. Two of the major culprits, speeding and recklessness, are often triggered and compounded by a third – the DUI factor. And of course, there are others.
One wonders if, how, or when, the Guyanese public and the Guyana Police Force can link arms, look this plague squarely in its hateful face, and just find a way to stop the madness; or at least restore our streets to some semblance of sanity. I, for one, and certainly most of us, are tired of hearing, talking, and writing about fruitless ‘operations’ and morbid statistics. We need a new, radical, and sustained attack on road lawlessness. Find a way!
(Incidentally, one of the most lawless examples of road misuse is when vehicles, often minibuses, speed along the wrong side of a street to an intersection while a dozen or more vehicles wait patiently in line, often for minutes. They somehow manage to evade oncoming traffic in the same lane by dangerous manoeuvres, or by sheer bullyism)
But back to Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The former, as observed in its nation of origin, is celebrated as a national holiday with patriotic fervour, social events, games, and family feasts focused on turkey and dressing. However, a fair amount of criticism and controversy has crept in over the past few decades, similar to that which has dampened Columbus Day observances in the Americas.
Thanksgiving was generally observed as a harvest celebration that focused on blessings received during the past year. It is said to be patterned on an original harvest feast shared by the British Pilgrim colonists of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and members of the native Wampanoag people in 1621, thanking God for a successful growing season.
However, some Americans, including the descendants of native ‘Indians’, paint a more lopsided picture of the event, and of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. They claim the more honest and bloodier version is that war and disease precipitated by the colonists, led to injustices and genocide against Native Americans. They feel the truth has been whitewashed, and some consider it a ‘national day of mourning’.
A recent article in the British ‘Independent’ states that ‘the holiday is viewed by many to be a celebration of the conquest of Native Americans by colonists, or an embellished narrative of “Pilgrims and Natives looking past their differences” to break bread’. A University of Texas professor said Thanksgiving’s self-indulgent family feasting could be replaced with a ‘National Day of Atonement accompanied by a self-reflective, collective fasting.’
So, my fellow Guyanese, when you ‘celebrate’ the fourth Thursday in November, remember that you may be, in some small way, giving credence to a bit of American history which, despite its obvious merit, does not resonate favourably with some of that nation’s citizens.
Black Friday in Guyana may mean different things to different people, especially the older folk. (Remember February 16, 1962) But for many, it is a ‘follow-pattern’ of the day after Thanksgiving in the United States when the unofficial Christmas shopping season begins. It does so with a sometimes mad rush by shoppers to buy items at vastly-reduced prices.
Often, shoppers queue up at store entrances from late Thanksgiving night, since some stores open at midnight. Just as often there are small stampedes as people push, jostle, and get thrown to the ground in their efforts to get the best deals. Violence may ensue and minor injuries are common. On one occasion though, in 2008, a store employee was trampled to death at a New York Walmart store. This couldn’t happen in Guyana; could it?
Well, November is over, and with it, Road Safety Week, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday. Some of us are the better for it; some the worse. Now, December and the rains are here. Be careful, whether at home, on the street, or in the store. Vigilance and consideration for others are the watchwords. By the way, do we have Cyber Monday yet?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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