Slim
07-05-2004, 11:56 PM
Curious, is there a general anti-Bush sentiment in
the Caribbean and all points south? I assume
that is does not effect American and Canadian
tourists. Some times we are taken to be "American".
We are, by the way, but don't insist.
Slim Tim
**
Friday, May 7, 2004
National news of Trinidad and Tobago
How we lost Roy
US Ambassador Dr Roy Austin found himself at the receiving end of a
fusillade of unflattering press this week, roundly pilloried after his
comments at a media event rattled the scribes.
Speaking at last Sunday's Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA)
launch of an exhibition mounted at UWI's Learning Resource Centre in
St Augustine, Roy waded into his hosts, carping against what he saw as
a deliberately collective anti-American stance, shoring up that lonely
perception by attempting to sell US President George W Bush as a
do-gooder.
Reports indicate some members of the audience sought to interrupt his
presentation with mordant applause, others resorted to open heckling,
shouting "rubbish", "nonsense", "foolishness". One among them went the
whole nine yards (as Americans would say), booing the envoy
"frank'omment"-as we would say.
Now, it is not known whether Roy left his Flagstaff Hill residence
intent on causing an uproar at the gathering but hearing another
speaker, UWI vice chancellor Prof Rex Nettleford, describe US
President George W Bush as "a weapon of mass distraction", was
something Roy clearly couldn't leave unattended; for such is the
nature of his job.
Frankly, I find it difficult to reconcile taciturn endorsement of Prof
Nettleford's comment while castigating Roy, given the occasion and the
fact that the US Ambassador was invited in a revered capacity. If
we're into calling a spade a spade, then it should be said that a
derisive statement about the US President in that scenario was at
least inhospitable and may have helped trigger Roy's rabid response.
No diplomat anywhere is likely to turn the other cheek if his
president is held up to ridicule in a public forum. Roy clearly felt
the need to respond immediately and in precise terms, probably
remembering advice once given by Britain's wartime prime minister,
Winston Churchill: "If you have an important point to make, don't try
to be subtle or clever. Use the pile driver. Hit the point once. Then
come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time; a tremendous
whack."
On the evidence, Roy had also been nursing a grievance over refusal of
four newspapers to print in full a speech in which he labelled us all
as bashers of his native land and its leader. Given the conspiracy of
circumstances, the Ambassador went for the media's jugular.
Which is precisely where we lost Roy (as calypsonian Chalkdust would
say).
What his press attaché failed to tell him is that newspapers (even in
his own country) would hardly print a speech in full except it was a
matter of grave national import. Indeed, like everything else it would
compete for the editor's assent with other material sent by people
equally certain that what they had written was deserving of the
public's ear, or eye to be more accurate.
Still, to call an apple pie an apple pie, anti-American sentiment
running high globally, it is entirely possible that many of my
professional colleagues harbour uncomplimentary private thoughts about
the US and George Bush but to suggest there was some kind of sinister
plot to routinely discredit Roy's seniors, is at least one rung short
of reason and resembled the very indiscretion of which he accused the
media.
Interestingly, Roy's contention was supported Wednesday by no lesser
person than Media Complaints Council chairman Michael Williams, to
whom he had written a protest. Speaking under the same aegis that
hosted the US Ambassador Sunday, Williams said: "They (the media) are
anti-American to the extent that people are anti-American because of
the behaviour of America. That's a fact."
Indeed, anti-Bush sentiment must be an irritant to that country's
diplomats worldwide. Even in the US, moves are often made to suppress
such feelings.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Walt Disney Company is
blocking its Miramax division (which it can legally do) from
distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly
criticises President Bush. The film, Fahrenheit 911, links Bush and
prominent Saudis-including the family of Osama bin Laden-and
criticises Mr Bush's actions before and after the September 11
terrorist attacks.
Like Disney, Roy has his turf to defend. He joins a fairly long list
of local politicians who have taken swipes at the media when its
reportage is deemed unfriendly. His predecessors, most notably Sally
Cowal and Charles Gargano, were not without their moments of media
bashing and, I suspect, if the US administration changes next
November, whoever follows Roy might fall prey to the same predicament.
Now, I have come to know Roy on a different level, as a fellow-regular
at the Mas Camp Pub, frequenter of panyards and in general, supporter
of indigenous arts and culture, as evidenced as recently as Saturday
last when he won the door prize at the Chefs Royal cookout at QRC.
Perhaps out of these experiences, he will develop a better
understanding of calypso and use that medium to make his point on
delicate issues, as Chalkdust has so often done with songs like
"Nixon's Mistake", "My Way of Protest", "Uncle Sam Own We", "Bush
Yard", "Uncle Sam's Policy", "CNN Society" and, of course, "Ah Lost
Roy".
the Caribbean and all points south? I assume
that is does not effect American and Canadian
tourists. Some times we are taken to be "American".
We are, by the way, but don't insist.
Slim Tim
**
Friday, May 7, 2004
National news of Trinidad and Tobago
How we lost Roy
US Ambassador Dr Roy Austin found himself at the receiving end of a
fusillade of unflattering press this week, roundly pilloried after his
comments at a media event rattled the scribes.
Speaking at last Sunday's Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA)
launch of an exhibition mounted at UWI's Learning Resource Centre in
St Augustine, Roy waded into his hosts, carping against what he saw as
a deliberately collective anti-American stance, shoring up that lonely
perception by attempting to sell US President George W Bush as a
do-gooder.
Reports indicate some members of the audience sought to interrupt his
presentation with mordant applause, others resorted to open heckling,
shouting "rubbish", "nonsense", "foolishness". One among them went the
whole nine yards (as Americans would say), booing the envoy
"frank'omment"-as we would say.
Now, it is not known whether Roy left his Flagstaff Hill residence
intent on causing an uproar at the gathering but hearing another
speaker, UWI vice chancellor Prof Rex Nettleford, describe US
President George W Bush as "a weapon of mass distraction", was
something Roy clearly couldn't leave unattended; for such is the
nature of his job.
Frankly, I find it difficult to reconcile taciturn endorsement of Prof
Nettleford's comment while castigating Roy, given the occasion and the
fact that the US Ambassador was invited in a revered capacity. If
we're into calling a spade a spade, then it should be said that a
derisive statement about the US President in that scenario was at
least inhospitable and may have helped trigger Roy's rabid response.
No diplomat anywhere is likely to turn the other cheek if his
president is held up to ridicule in a public forum. Roy clearly felt
the need to respond immediately and in precise terms, probably
remembering advice once given by Britain's wartime prime minister,
Winston Churchill: "If you have an important point to make, don't try
to be subtle or clever. Use the pile driver. Hit the point once. Then
come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time; a tremendous
whack."
On the evidence, Roy had also been nursing a grievance over refusal of
four newspapers to print in full a speech in which he labelled us all
as bashers of his native land and its leader. Given the conspiracy of
circumstances, the Ambassador went for the media's jugular.
Which is precisely where we lost Roy (as calypsonian Chalkdust would
say).
What his press attaché failed to tell him is that newspapers (even in
his own country) would hardly print a speech in full except it was a
matter of grave national import. Indeed, like everything else it would
compete for the editor's assent with other material sent by people
equally certain that what they had written was deserving of the
public's ear, or eye to be more accurate.
Still, to call an apple pie an apple pie, anti-American sentiment
running high globally, it is entirely possible that many of my
professional colleagues harbour uncomplimentary private thoughts about
the US and George Bush but to suggest there was some kind of sinister
plot to routinely discredit Roy's seniors, is at least one rung short
of reason and resembled the very indiscretion of which he accused the
media.
Interestingly, Roy's contention was supported Wednesday by no lesser
person than Media Complaints Council chairman Michael Williams, to
whom he had written a protest. Speaking under the same aegis that
hosted the US Ambassador Sunday, Williams said: "They (the media) are
anti-American to the extent that people are anti-American because of
the behaviour of America. That's a fact."
Indeed, anti-Bush sentiment must be an irritant to that country's
diplomats worldwide. Even in the US, moves are often made to suppress
such feelings.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Walt Disney Company is
blocking its Miramax division (which it can legally do) from
distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly
criticises President Bush. The film, Fahrenheit 911, links Bush and
prominent Saudis-including the family of Osama bin Laden-and
criticises Mr Bush's actions before and after the September 11
terrorist attacks.
Like Disney, Roy has his turf to defend. He joins a fairly long list
of local politicians who have taken swipes at the media when its
reportage is deemed unfriendly. His predecessors, most notably Sally
Cowal and Charles Gargano, were not without their moments of media
bashing and, I suspect, if the US administration changes next
November, whoever follows Roy might fall prey to the same predicament.
Now, I have come to know Roy on a different level, as a fellow-regular
at the Mas Camp Pub, frequenter of panyards and in general, supporter
of indigenous arts and culture, as evidenced as recently as Saturday
last when he won the door prize at the Chefs Royal cookout at QRC.
Perhaps out of these experiences, he will develop a better
understanding of calypso and use that medium to make his point on
delicate issues, as Chalkdust has so often done with songs like
"Nixon's Mistake", "My Way of Protest", "Uncle Sam Own We", "Bush
Yard", "Uncle Sam's Policy", "CNN Society" and, of course, "Ah Lost
Roy".
