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The perspective of age
James Moss-Solomon
Sunday, October 09, 2011
THE current public concerns following the stated resignation of the prime minister have mainly been centred on the concept of age rather than suitability. Some appear to be offended by Prime Minister Golding's Sunday night address and others feel that the reference made there was meant to disqualify certain contenders.
The media have been fuelling this nonsense from the outset, and have been trying as usual to promote a pugilistic performance within the ranks of the aspirants.
GOLDING… some people feel that his reference to age in his national broadcast was meant to disqualify certain contenders for the post of JLP leader
In the same way that a vacancy for the heavyweight champion provokes a resurgence of energy from fight promoter Don King, so the media are attempting to promote several uneven matches. It is like saying, why not give Archie Moore a shot against Tyson, and also what about the promotional value of Mohammed Ali coming out of his retirement home.
Apart from sheer promotional value, what is in it for the media that encourages them to take part in what may be a non-event? If the JLP transitions in a civilised manner the media and the PNP will be disappointed.
All right, don't stop reading just because your party colours are offended by what you assume to be my lack of acquiescence to the great race that is building up that will either sink the JLP or float the PNP (again, sorry for the boating analogy). Both sides give the media a real party event as dinosaurs on both sides square off, baby boomers are out of their diapers, and the winner will take all from the much bloodied floor.
Newspaper articles on the candidates merely give a superficial view of their history and education. They carefully avoid the concept of evaluating previous management performance (if any), and would give an interviewer an incomplete file, and in my case I would have had to severely reprimand the HR department for very shoddy work.
So I conclude that the selection process was not designed to provide a qualified candidate, but rather was a promotion of Spartacus: Blood in the Arena. I am sure that at the end of the "games" no tears or prayers will go to those slaughtered in the name of a sport whose remains lie before the bloodthirsty patrons. Such is the nature of primitive people spurred on by the elite in order to entrap the masses in short bursts of spectacles designed to satiate their primal nature.
But the surprise press conference held by the JLP has dashed the hopes of the media and the Opposition that would have hoped for internal self-destruction, albeit for different reasons. It has also raised a perspective that change can happen.
So we can realistically expect that the PNP will have only two choices. Firstly, they will "hot up the place" with old-style confrontation. Or secondly they will have to roll out the details of their firm plans in an effort to campaign on issues.
I must say that I was surprised by the move towards a consensus, and I cannot help but wonder what that will mean for the timing of elections. If the JLP maintains the peace internally there may be no need to wait for the conference to call the election date.
That being the case, the date could easily be before the end of the year, and the perceived maturity may result in a confidence vote from the sources of funding, but the wave may already be building. The PNP will be caught in the stables unprepared.
I must ponder the sudden nature and background of this unity. I do wonder if there is any impending news that may not have surfaced as yet, but that could be damaging. Are there any more visas to be cancelled? Are there any spectacular arrests and charges to be brought against prominent politicians that have been suppressed in order for the press conference to seem like a genuine act of goodwill, rather than a forced march? Could this have been precipitated by any rulings from the DPP?
Now, returning to the question of age, I have come to realise that how people compute your age is by assumption. If you have been a leader, manager, or person in the public arena, and have been at or near the top of your profession, then you are deemed to be much older than your classmate who has only been a clerical employee. In addition, if you are recognised beyond your immediate job and have served in voluntary or civic roles, then add 20 years.
Here is an immediate calculation. If you went to school with a popular DJ, but you became a lawyer instead of a "bandsman", then he is a youth and you are an old man even though you are both 50. In other similar cases such as myself, having retired for four years and been in the corporate world for 40 years, its hard to believe that I am not yet 60, but the combination of that perspective when coupled with the fact that I am Jamaican-born, make it impossible for me to be "a young Turk" as I was not born in Turkey!
Now, I wish to suggest that good sense, revolutionary and innovative ideas, and good leadership and motivation are not limited to any particular age group. Sometimes we should learn to appreciate that a brain is a terrible thing to waste, and also that sometimes youth is wasted on the young, and some old people do not gain experience. One of my former bosses explained that 20 years' experience is vastly different to one year's experience 20 times.
The leadership of a country needs a team, and that team must be balanced by both enthusiasm and experience. The concept of "the leader as the Messiah" is most outdated and cannot be relevant in light of the challenges that face the modern world. We have abandoned the democratic concept of a Prime Minister being the "first among equals", and have encouraged the superman-type macho hero with all the answers.
Finally, there is a serious chance to examine whether political actions are in keeping with a vision for the country, and whether their strategies are consistent with trying to achieve that vision. People will always have dreams that are peculiar to themselves and that bear no relation to any need to differentiate their pay. So two persons in similar jobs will have objectives that are different, but are not conflicting.
We may get the same pay, but I want a Mercedes while you need to educate your children, and that does not constitute any reason to discriminate in the amount of our salaries. But we can recognise that there is a need to assist us to achieve our dreams. I will prefer not to contribute the extra money to the pension fund as I need cash to repay the vehicle loan, and you need a good investment vehicle to prepare for your kids' college fees.
The role of government is not to be a barrier, but a system that allows us to pursue our own brand of happiness without becoming an obstacle or enabling others to remove our rights as citizens.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1aIbs0p1r
James Moss-Solomon
Sunday, October 09, 2011
THE current public concerns following the stated resignation of the prime minister have mainly been centred on the concept of age rather than suitability. Some appear to be offended by Prime Minister Golding's Sunday night address and others feel that the reference made there was meant to disqualify certain contenders.
The media have been fuelling this nonsense from the outset, and have been trying as usual to promote a pugilistic performance within the ranks of the aspirants.
GOLDING… some people feel that his reference to age in his national broadcast was meant to disqualify certain contenders for the post of JLP leader
In the same way that a vacancy for the heavyweight champion provokes a resurgence of energy from fight promoter Don King, so the media are attempting to promote several uneven matches. It is like saying, why not give Archie Moore a shot against Tyson, and also what about the promotional value of Mohammed Ali coming out of his retirement home.
Apart from sheer promotional value, what is in it for the media that encourages them to take part in what may be a non-event? If the JLP transitions in a civilised manner the media and the PNP will be disappointed.
All right, don't stop reading just because your party colours are offended by what you assume to be my lack of acquiescence to the great race that is building up that will either sink the JLP or float the PNP (again, sorry for the boating analogy). Both sides give the media a real party event as dinosaurs on both sides square off, baby boomers are out of their diapers, and the winner will take all from the much bloodied floor.
Newspaper articles on the candidates merely give a superficial view of their history and education. They carefully avoid the concept of evaluating previous management performance (if any), and would give an interviewer an incomplete file, and in my case I would have had to severely reprimand the HR department for very shoddy work.
So I conclude that the selection process was not designed to provide a qualified candidate, but rather was a promotion of Spartacus: Blood in the Arena. I am sure that at the end of the "games" no tears or prayers will go to those slaughtered in the name of a sport whose remains lie before the bloodthirsty patrons. Such is the nature of primitive people spurred on by the elite in order to entrap the masses in short bursts of spectacles designed to satiate their primal nature.
But the surprise press conference held by the JLP has dashed the hopes of the media and the Opposition that would have hoped for internal self-destruction, albeit for different reasons. It has also raised a perspective that change can happen.
So we can realistically expect that the PNP will have only two choices. Firstly, they will "hot up the place" with old-style confrontation. Or secondly they will have to roll out the details of their firm plans in an effort to campaign on issues.
I must say that I was surprised by the move towards a consensus, and I cannot help but wonder what that will mean for the timing of elections. If the JLP maintains the peace internally there may be no need to wait for the conference to call the election date.
That being the case, the date could easily be before the end of the year, and the perceived maturity may result in a confidence vote from the sources of funding, but the wave may already be building. The PNP will be caught in the stables unprepared.
I must ponder the sudden nature and background of this unity. I do wonder if there is any impending news that may not have surfaced as yet, but that could be damaging. Are there any more visas to be cancelled? Are there any spectacular arrests and charges to be brought against prominent politicians that have been suppressed in order for the press conference to seem like a genuine act of goodwill, rather than a forced march? Could this have been precipitated by any rulings from the DPP?
Now, returning to the question of age, I have come to realise that how people compute your age is by assumption. If you have been a leader, manager, or person in the public arena, and have been at or near the top of your profession, then you are deemed to be much older than your classmate who has only been a clerical employee. In addition, if you are recognised beyond your immediate job and have served in voluntary or civic roles, then add 20 years.
Here is an immediate calculation. If you went to school with a popular DJ, but you became a lawyer instead of a "bandsman", then he is a youth and you are an old man even though you are both 50. In other similar cases such as myself, having retired for four years and been in the corporate world for 40 years, its hard to believe that I am not yet 60, but the combination of that perspective when coupled with the fact that I am Jamaican-born, make it impossible for me to be "a young Turk" as I was not born in Turkey!
Now, I wish to suggest that good sense, revolutionary and innovative ideas, and good leadership and motivation are not limited to any particular age group. Sometimes we should learn to appreciate that a brain is a terrible thing to waste, and also that sometimes youth is wasted on the young, and some old people do not gain experience. One of my former bosses explained that 20 years' experience is vastly different to one year's experience 20 times.
The leadership of a country needs a team, and that team must be balanced by both enthusiasm and experience. The concept of "the leader as the Messiah" is most outdated and cannot be relevant in light of the challenges that face the modern world. We have abandoned the democratic concept of a Prime Minister being the "first among equals", and have encouraged the superman-type macho hero with all the answers.
Finally, there is a serious chance to examine whether political actions are in keeping with a vision for the country, and whether their strategies are consistent with trying to achieve that vision. People will always have dreams that are peculiar to themselves and that bear no relation to any need to differentiate their pay. So two persons in similar jobs will have objectives that are different, but are not conflicting.
We may get the same pay, but I want a Mercedes while you need to educate your children, and that does not constitute any reason to discriminate in the amount of our salaries. But we can recognise that there is a need to assist us to achieve our dreams. I will prefer not to contribute the extra money to the pension fund as I need cash to repay the vehicle loan, and you need a good investment vehicle to prepare for your kids' college fees.
The role of government is not to be a barrier, but a system that allows us to pursue our own brand of happiness without becoming an obstacle or enabling others to remove our rights as citizens.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1aIbs0p1r
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