WHO WALKS LATE AT NIGHTS?
July 17, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, Source
There used to be a time when generally there were only two types of persons who would be seen walking the road during the wee hours of the morning. The two types were those from the oldest profession in the world and those who were out to break- and- enter the homes of others.
Much later, a third category of strollers emerged during the wee hours of the mornings. When questioned by the police as to why they were on the road that late – or rather that early – they would contend that they were by their girlfriends and were now going home.
This was when the rot stepped in. A lot of them were indeed going home after visiting their girlfriends. But what sort of parents would allow a young man to be courting their daughter and leaving the girl’s home in the wee hours of the morning. This represented a total breakdown of societal norms governing these matters.
Back in the day if you were courting a girl, you were expected to be out of the girl’s home by nine o clock latest, and that if you were lucky. If by that time you had not left, the female elder of the home would begin to close the windows, thereby signaling to the suitor that it was time to leave.
These days if this happens, it signals another thing. The suitor feels that the parents are now going to sleep and therefore he has to just wait a little longer before he begins his own private rituals with the girlfriend.
These modern days if you find somebody on the road at 4.00 am, you are likely to find them in female company. If asked why he was out so late, he would be shocked by your question. He would say that he was out having a good time with his girlfriend.
Parents complain how difficult it is to find decent boys these days. Young girls always ask me if I have any grandsons that are available, since good boys are hard to come by. Well how are good boys going to emerge when parents are allowing them to stay long hours talking to their daughters?
I would love to see the young man who is going to take any of my granddaughters out and not have her back home by midnight. But even before he has the opportunity to date her, he has to come home and introduce himself to the family.
These days, boys and girls are sneaking out on dates – or rather escapades – without the knowledge of their parents. What therefore we have is a total breakdown of the traditions of courting.
No wonder so many persons are out in the streets into the wee hours of the morning. The police, who have a limited number of ranks on duty in the evening, not only have to contend with fights, bad behaviour and accidents, they have to also be on the lookout for criminals. All these responsibilities entrusted to those manning the night shift means that the police are stretched thin. This is what many people do not understand and why they are opposed to the cut-off time for pubs and bars.
The 2.00 a.m. cut-off for the sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages, and the turning off the music at bars and pubs are working effectively. Those involved are complying with the law.
This is how it should be. People have a right to express their opinions. Often these opinions are based on self- interest. Those who do brisk business selling after 2.00 a.m. will obviously feel that to close operations at that time will be adverse to their interests.
Others will oppose the measure because they are averse to change. People do not always accept change well. They prefer things as they are and therefore resist having to make changes as innocuous as they may seem.
Then there are those who have an ideological objection to the issue. For them it is not the time that the bars and clubs have to close or to tone down their levels of the music. For them it is the fact that the State has the right to determine when people should stop partying. Those who toe this line claim that people, not governments, should decide.
Freedom, however, always comes with limitations. A person may be free, but not free to do as he or she wants. The majority of the Guyanese people recognize this fact. This accounts for the support that the recently introduced measure enjoys.
And do not forget, if a suitor comes knocking at your door asking for your granddaughter, ask him what are his intentions. If he comes back, he may be a good boy!