TT 'cuss' culture

THE EDITOR: Hamlet said, "To be or not to be, that is the question" as he considered whether to commit suicide or not. So why did Cro Cro cuss out the man who told him to come off his cell phone? The man allegedly used the dreaded "N" word. In TT that "N" word and the "C" word have been established in our vocabulary as real, serious cussing material. Just like crab and callaloo, doubles and peleau, Trinbagonians have been cussing for years, either in joke or if vexed, it has become part of our culture. It became politically incorrect as the years have passed, but we cuss, if only in our minds and in our hearts, if people vex us.

Here in TT, polite, well-educated, highly important people pretend the odd cuss word does not leave their lips. Calypsonians have always embellished their songs with well placed cuss words used as innuendo. And we laugh, "Cyah! cyah!" Many years ago you had to go to the calypso tents to get the raw calypso as they were never played on the radio. But then in those days Trinis only ate fish in Lent and always wore black to funerals. That is no longer so. Nice girls from nice homes did not drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or wine right down to the ground. "Cyah! Cyah!" now.

We all know and understand that volatile individual who goes by the soubriquet, Cro Cro. Wrong and strong but so amusing. Why punish the man for playing himself? Granted we would all like to get away with a little cuss every now and again but not everybody can be the original, undiluted, the one and only Cro Cro. It is to be noted that Cro Cro, Mr Winston Rawlins, has apologised. This is a gesture we appreciate. In his reincarnation as a big boss in CEPEP, he deserves another chance if this is his first bad behaviour in his new life. He doesn't really need the CEPEP van, "he done have a good car already."

The judge and jury, comprised of we, the public, say give Cro Cro a community work sentence, especially as he is already right there working in CEPEP.

Let us not all be hypocrites. This is TT where two wrongs can make a right, any day, any night, any time. Apart from being divine, to forgive is also a Trini-to-the-bone thing.

Lynette Joseph, Diego Martin

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"TT ‘cuss’ culture"

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