Irredeemable

A well known Jamaican Politician once remarked that some segments of the youth population in his constituency are irredeemable. Other words, were used to convey the sentiment that some of these individuals who are intractable had no possibility of changing.

He was not the only one to have said so and will not be the last. These statements are usually applied primarily to Jamaicans who reside in inner-cities, whether Arnette Gardens or Tivoli Gardens. Anyone who suggests that many of our countrymen in these contexts may be somewhat irreconcilable, might be motivated by personal experience and may deserves due consideration. However, I respectfully disagree with the opinion.

It is indeed challenging and perhaps extremely difficult to achieve behavior modification in respect of perceived antisocial behaviors, especially in our 'neo-colonial' context, where definition of socially acceptable and undesirable behaviors are clouded by the legacy of past colonial ghosts, still haunting our present discourse. Even those of us who work among the disenfranchised, are guilty of imposing our own standards, learned from the melting pot of values and beliefs, whose ingredients we have not sufficiently dissected and contextualized. Anyone who works in depressed communities and who work on capacity building projects can attest to the many moments of frustration and possible towel throwing episodes; but the commitment is kept.

But what proves to be most challenging and threatening to transformation, or behavior change communication, are not necessarily the perceived 'irredeemables' among the dis-empowered, but instead, those among the elite and/or middle class who appear intractable and themselves unwilling to demonstrate flexibility in ideas and methodology. What might be more insurmountable are those among us who believe that they 'know better than those poor bastards'. Our 'irredeemable' may just be those among us who are comfortable, well positioned and 'knowledgeable' and who control the affairs of business, public opinion/education or politics, and who are not willing to listen to those among us who suffer daily. Our irreconcilable may just be those among us who do not listen to those among us who actually interface and work among those that endure overwhelming circumstances. Our irredeemable may just be those among us who do not pay attention to those among us who are penned in addresses that are not read neither accepted in job interviews; those among us who pen their lives on 'gully' banks and 'gaza' strips, painting autobio'graphical' poignant lyrical pictures that move minds and make hits - hitting the sensibilities of many among us who still refuse to listen.

I would therefore encourage us to evaluate ourselves and see where the change of attitude is seriously needed in our society and make the necessary adjustment, if we are not irredeemable.