…British style
The “Gangnam Style” song and dance by K-Pop singer Psy spoofed the poseurs aspiring to the upscale Seoul district, “Gangnam”. It eventually received more than three BILLION views on YouTube, and had even Obama and Cameron prancing in the requisite “horsy” manner!! Well, your Eyewitness isn’t sure if the wedding of Prince Harry to US black actress Meghan Markle garnered nearly as many views as Gangnam Style, but it’ll certainly influence weddings around the globe for the next decade!!
Fundamentally, “Gangnam” and “The Big Fat British Wedding” were both “spectacles” that sought to show us plebes how the other half lives. Why else would, for example, half of the US get up at five in the morning to see how an occasional helicopter pilot would become hitched to a retired US starlet? And here we thought, when they threw out George III back in the day, the Americans didn’t want to have anything to do with Royalty anymore!! As it is, they just couldn’t get enough!!
Fact of the matter, most of us want to be part of “something bigger” and that’s what the Monarchy’s done for the English. Queen Elizabeth and her other “royal bloods” allow the English to connect to what they see as a long and glorious history when they have an empire on which the “sun never sat!! As the British go through a second shrinking from the world stage after WWII, this sentiment’s gonna grow with the Brexit movement.
The show just put on – and as carefully choreographed as the Gangnam Style video – will now say to the common Britisher that it’s worth it to shell out almost US$300 million annually just to upkeep the Royals. “Only” about US$50 million come directly from the British purse – “The Privy Purse”. The rest comes from real estate and other investment mostly by Elizabeth – on which she pays no taxes!!
Now, what does all of this have to do with us?? Not a damned thing!!! And that’s why your Eyewitness was interested in how many Guyanese were interested in “The Wedding”. Was it because Meghan Markle is what we would call a “Red Woman” in Guyana, and so many of the species could relate to marrying a prince?? So what’s all this talk about being “liberated” and all, when a fella with just a title can turn their heads so!!?
So how come when Marcus Garvey gave out titles and fancy costumes like lollypops, it didn’t have the same effect?? Whatever it is, the hoi polloi have to identify with the elite to escape from their own desperate lives of anonymity.
So who’re the elite in Guyana? The ones with the easy money??
…to corruption
There are some Guyanese who’re a mite taken aback at how quickly the members of this Government have taken to corruption of one sort or another. It was like ducks taking to water. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?? These fellas were already prepared for the corruption they KNEW would come their way once they got into office. Let’s face it: corruption became so entrenched during the Burnham years that it infected our national DNA!!
Members of the once proud Civil Service were reduced to receiving a fried rice from the businessman across the table, who wanted one of the innumerable permissions that had to be obtained to do business in Guyana. “Goosing someone” under the table received a whole new meaning at this time!! While a few were still proud to know what a friend they had in Jesus, they were prouder of the bribable contacts they had in one Government office or other!!
It was surreal when life became a matter of securing “lines” – persons in Government they could bribe!!
And like Freddy Krueger…THEY’RE BAAAACK!!!
…to mediocrity
Asked to grade his administration after three years in office, President Granger said they’d made “great strides”!! On which front?
Politically? Country’s still divided. Socially? Still no “cohesion”. Economically? The five sisters are all on intensive care.
