Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:46 AM
Nov 25, 2015 Letters
Dear Editor,
A rather thought-provoking recent letter about saving Guyanese from Americanization, which some think may be linked to the practice of remittances sent from the USA to Guyanese contacts. I must admit I never thought of that, because I knew of many people in England who sent money and stuff to Guyanese-based folk. I worked with a chap who regularly did so, and from him I learnt about the ‘3 lbs. at most rule’ regarding wheat flour.
So why a seeming preference for the American culture which I think, like every other has two sides? Many of us would admit some of their practices are ‘catchy’ and saves effort. Think about the term “First Lady”. Could anyone think of a description less cumbersome? Even the Brits seem to find it easier than “The Prime Minister’s Wife”, or “Mrs Jane Bloggs, the wife of the Prime Minister.” They regularly use the term.
I think children find certain American celebrations, like the ones mentioned a diversion from anything they have known before, and enjoy them. Both Halloween and trick-or-treating were, up to a few years back, very popular with children in London. Then we had a scare about paedophilia, and parents stopped their children from tricking/treating, which normally took place after dark.
About American individualism. Let us not forget that America is made up of people from all parts of Europe and elsewhere, who brought with them their own culture patterns and diet, each nation preserving its own, eventually acquiring its own dedicated followers. Think ice cream, pizza, fried chicken, sauerkraut, and the special ‘creations’ of the Afro/American South.
I would like to know which “European territories have gone out of their way to limit the amount of American programming that is shown on their television screens. And it is claimed that this is to preserve their own culture from one that can be so overwhelming”. I may then try to see whether the UK could do the same. There are as many US-made programmes on our TV screens as there are UK-made ones, or perhaps even more. So many of the ‘action’ programmes now shown were made in the 1970s/80s, with no new ones in place.
The British culture started to change when the late Freddie Laker introduced his ‘Skytrain’, with affordable all-inclusive holidays in America, and regular flights between the two countries.
‘Ordinary’ people then got a glimpse of the American way of life and brought back novel ideas, ie. ‘ice in drinks’, showers instead of bath tubs, and central heating instead of gas and electric heaters. Later on, P.M. Thatcher introduced her privatisation programme, which rapidly took hold, opened up ‘get-rich-quick’ opportunities to youngsters, and greed eventually took over. This is the downside of Americanisation. Now, Brits of a certain age group know no other way of life.
Guyana is not alone. Our friends and contacts of ‘first generation Guyanese’ tend to see ourselves not as mainstream but as people with values broadly remaining the same as those we grew up with in Guyana, and are happy with that.
We live that life and keep in touch with one another, as a support group. Parents will have to instill in their children the values they would like them to carry into adulthood. That should work. At the same time, try not to let them feel ‘left out’, while their friends have all the fun. Regard it as a passing phase.
Geralda Dennison
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