Leadership, Lara and Fanaticism

(Barbados Advocate)

Everybody does got them own favourite, whether it is a sports team, a player, a musical group, a singer or a food, we does got we own favourite.

For some people being a fan does reach such a stage that them does become fanatical, so that them does don?t want to hear nothing negative about their favourite. For instance I know that Michael Jackson got millions of fans worldwide, even here in Barbados. Them could tell you when he born, when he gine dead, how much awards he win and so on. Them got every poster he every made and every album too.

But from the moment you tell them that Michael should think twice bout sleeping with lil boys in his bed, they want to eat you alive. They start by telling you that you don?t like the man, how you jealous, how you want to destroy the man, how Michael would never trouble no lil children and all them kinda things. Even though they can?t swear for themselves, they want to swear for a man they never pitch marbles with.

And they miss the whole point, it ain?t that you saying that Michael can?t sing, cause regardless to what you may or may not think about him, he is one of the most talented entertainers to ever grace this earth. But sleeping with lil boys in your bed ain?t got nothing to do with your singing ability, however some people can?t separate the two, so the moment you point out, or give criticism, the fans hit you with, you don?t like the man that is why you saying so.

Same thing with we Lara. I witness two big men nearly come to blows over Lara. One fella say that Lara is probably the best batsman in the world, but he is not a very good captain, and the other fella ups and say, ?Man you would always say so, you just don?t like Lara!? Then he went on to name bout three radio commentators and another two or three reporters who he say ?got something for Lara? because as far as he concern them always criticising his man and they don?t like him. But is this really true?

When you look at it though as the old people would say, in the land of the blind the one-eye man is king. Right now we riding cow cause we ain?t got horse. If you move Lara as captain who you gine put? Sarwan ain?t ready yet and the rest of the lot can?t afford to put up their feet cause them could be here today and gone tomorrow, in other words they can?t command their place in the team.

You see the thing in the Caribbean is that we does take leadership for granted. Yes, leaders are born but some are also made and that is something we appear not to look at, that is why we find ourselves in this situation.

Now I gine show you the difference between white people and black people. A white man got a lil mini mart or hardware store, in the school vacation tell me what you does see? You does see that man lil children bout in the store bagging goods, packing shelves, moving forklift, listen to daddy and observing his decision making and organisational skills. So that by the time that child hit 16 or 17 and daddy had to cock up in the night and dead, that child is prepared to take over the helm, it already has the fundamental foundation of a leader. That is because the old man knows that he will not be around forever so he was grooming people to take over.

Now, watch the black man. He got a lil one door shop, in the school vacation tell me what you does see? You does see him in the shop working hard as tail and his children on the pasture flying kite. I lie? When he dead the business either sell out or shut down. I ain?t saying it does always happen that way, but nuff of the times that is how it does happen.

We have to take leadership serious. If you look at some of the best football teams in the world the captain is not the best player. If you look at some of the best musical groups in the world, the band leader is not the popular lead singer, sometimes when you see who is the band leader you want to know where he come from cause you can?t remember seeing him in the band.

I certain that you work some place already and you done tell yourself that you could run the place better than the man or woman in charge because you have noticed that in critical situations they make poor decisions and lack planning and organising skills. It ain?t that the man or woman is not a nice person, but they have a paper from UWI so automatically somebody make them a leader. You follow me.

Of course I well understand that for some people, don?t care what you do, you still ain?t do nothing and you can?t get away from that. Like take the Australian captain Ricky Ponting for example, did you see how he tried to belittle Lara?s record breaking effort? Talking a bundle of nonsense bout Lara played selfish cricket just to break the record and Australia don?t play for individual records them does play to win.

Still, when Hayden had the chance to break Lara?s record he was allowed to go ahead and do so and I willing to bet that if he is in that position again they would allow him to break Lara?s record. But the more the monkey climb the more he does show he tail, that is why I glad that the record back in the West Indies. See ya.