by Simon
•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind
who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published
every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at
frontporchguardian@gmail.com.
Facing a bleak Yuletide season of stockings filled with termination notices, debt payments and electricity bills, many of the newly unemployed are deserving of compassion and consideration. But there are some who should receive a reality-check in their Christmas packages with this note from Santa Claus:
“You better watch out, / You better not cry, / Better not pout, / I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. / He's making a list, / and checking it twice; / gonna find out, / who’s naughty and nice. / Santa Claus is coming to town.”
We cannot easily judge any individual’s circumstances. But there are many on Santa Claus’ twice checked list who have in many ways been much more naughty than nice.
Many recently-dismissed hotel employees who are now crying and pouting received wages and tips way beyond that of many of their fellow Bahamians. They splurged year after year as if every day was Christmas.
And even now as the Christmas season approaches some are splurging their severance packages rather than saving for what promises to be a New Year’s hangover that may last throughout 2009.
Before the pink slips, a few even proactively boosted their wages (sad to say) by participating in or colluding with all manner of theft and fraud, or inactively through poor service, surly attitudes and just-enough productivity.
That some did so by self-righteously toting bibles to work, while religiously stealing, confirms that they were more concerned about playing Santa Claus than praising God.
Many failed to invest in the future by putting something away for a rainy day or failed to take advantage of training or educational opportunities that might provide some cover when such a day arrived, as it was inevitably bound to do.
What’s frightening is that many Bahamians do not yet understand that over the next 24 months we are threatened with a downpour that may drown them in even greater debt.
RESPONSIBILITY
Personal responsibility has never been one of our strong suits, even though a commitment to self-discipline and industry are embedded in the Preamble to the Constitution. Personal responsibility is also a religious virtue extolled throughout the scriptures many of us like to quote but often do not intend to follow.
Relatedly, too many of those laid off exemplify our stubbornly adolescent culture. Many were convinced that they were invincible and would be employed at a certain level almost forever, and refused to appreciate that their lack of delayed gratification could end in prolonged suffering.
So now that those whom they have identified as the Grinch have supposedly stolen Christmas, many displaced workers are crying to the government for handouts and are blaming their union leadership for measures beyond union control.
There’s something that politicians from both sides, many pastors, employers and unions will not admit, but that must be said.
When downsizing in a poor economy, hotels often tend to first let go of the least productive and poorer quality workers. While this may not be the case for the majority made redundant, it is the case for some of their colleagues.
Unfortunately, right on cue, like ambulance-chasers, many self-promoters, including a circus of pandering politicians, lawyers and activists have arrived on the scene to encourage and take advantage of the often irresponsible behaviour of some workers.
Meanwhile, Santa Claus is vex with those naughty souls who are refusing to accept responsibility for how their actions may have contributed to their own dismissal, and those who failed to plan for the future.
The call by The Nassau Guardian and others for businesses to temporarily hire and retrain some of the newly-unemployed is a good idea. Unfortunately Santa isn’t quite sure that he wants to take on some of the recently displaced workers during his busiest season of the year.
He fears that many temps, after showing up late for work, will complain ad nauseam of the North Pole being too cold and will spend considerable time on the telephone talking to family and friends back in Nassau.
Moreover with BTC’s often lacklustre performance and inflated rates he’s not sure that he’s down for that vibe.
Santa’s also been told to expect that productivity by some of these workers might be weak and that warehouse loads of toys may go missing before Christmas. And even in these tough times he suspects that some union leaders may call for a slowdown with the threat of Christmas Eve looming.
DIGNITY OF WORK
Many hardworking Bahamians struggle to lead a reasonably comfortable or decent life and make ends meet. They do so against considerable odds. What they cannot afford they save for or forego.
Many others rearrange the odds. What they cannot afford they acquire through creative means including outright theft or the use of services for which they never intend to pay.
All legitimate human labour has dignity because of the dignity of the person engaged in the work.
That dignity is manifested not by the nature of one’s title, but by the nature of basic ethics, whether it is one’s work ethic or other ethical choices, including honesty by an employee or how justly an employer treats his or her employees.
But too many of us are less interested in the dignity of work, which was ordained by the Creator, and far too entrapped in a culture of sloth that sees work at best as a necessary evil and as a means to solely materialistic ends.
Some of those displaced workers who want to be taken off Santa’s naughty list may, despite the difficult times, consider showing more gratitude for past blessings and recognize the need for conversion to a new spirit and ethic that replaces dishonesty with honesty, laziness with hard work, and bad attitudes with greater civility.
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