We More Dan Mad

It is said that the character of a nation can be judged by how it cares for its less fortunate. Probably the least fortunate institution in Trinidad and Tobago is the St. Ann's Mental Hospital, or affectionately, the mad house. Recently I heard about the confession of a former mad house worker who said that, "The grounds in St. Ann's better than the General Hospital...that's about it." The end, no more no less. The mad house hovers like a spectre in Trinidad society. When there are discussions on health in the nation, it always centers around the needs of the 'normal' citizenry. At few occasions are the needs and the plight of the patients at St. Anns ever voiced or even met for that matter. Clamouring for beds, medication and doctors are only the concerns of us, the 'normal'. And why are we normal? Because of how we are able to fit into the fabric of a society where people park on a highway the night before a holiday to observe their religion? Or perhaps our willingness to continually not wear seatbelts, or taxi-drivers that make their daily living on the emergency shoulders of our roads? Maybe what makes us normal is our satisfaction with our present position of 'choice', most happy with that 'choice' being reduced to a free stained index finger every five or so years. Yes, us the 'normal' ones will work eight hour days and drive four hour traffics. We will pat our sons on their heads and tell them they should be strong men, while they observe us lusting after women other than their mothers. We will be more interested in what tasty bits of commess our leaders offer up, rather than addressing real issues. We are 'normal' because we can continue to vote on race. We are 'normal' because the political parties know they can win elections simply by appealing to race.

I think I will take my chances with the not normal. I think it makes more sense to be in a room with 'crazy people'. Let me shit in my hand and throw it on the ceiling too, because that's where I'm supposed to behave like that. It's not as if we 'normal' people take our waste and just dump it whereever we feel. You will never find our rubbish in the rivers, drains, and once beautiful natural areas of this land. Of course not, cus we 'normal', and the mad house is for mad people.