The Parrot
The Parrot hasn’t gotten over the horrific accidents which occurred over the last few days in which at least four people, including two children, were killed.

My related anger was vented in my previous squawk. However, my “non-recovery” has been compounded by the reports (if you can call it that) aired on the Chicken Noodle Station (to use Bill Cotton’s phrase) pertaining to the deaths of the two children.

While these matters must be reported on by those in the reporting profession, it is common knowledge locally that the person who did this particular report is not a professional.

This fact has been known long before the accident, so why am I surprised? Maybe it’s because I believe that people would “mature” in their “profession” with time and that decency would be a by-product. But boy, was I wrong; “dead wrang” as we say.

“Dead” seems to be operative. Not to offend the relatives, but an apt description of the “reporter”; “dead”, “brain dead”.

He has to be forcing a microphone in the face of a mother in total anguish. This woman just received the worse news any parent can; the death of a child; a child who just left home full of life and with a promising future; a child who, along with another, was slaughtered by a reckless driver.

For the rest of this mother’s life, that pain will be imbedded in her. How can anyone in his/her sane and live mind ask someone in such anguish-How do you feel? What was she supposed to say? This?

Mother (in unimaginable pain) “…Oh, Mr. TV Man, am…how do I look? Is my hair OK? Well, am I feel…you sure my hair look good? People does watch yuh program yuh know, and I want to look good. What yuh ask me again? Oh, yes well yuh see my daughter just get killed by a driver who get away from the scene. She was a nice girl, but now she dead. I gun miss she. Am…when yuh showing this program?”

Yeah Right? I don’t want to offend the grieving mother, but what did the TV
Man expected to hear? For goodness sake, didn’t he see the woman was in pain? To make matters worse, he, assisted by another insensitive person, lifted the sheet and filmed the dead child who was decapitated! How uncaring! Some people say and do the darndest things! He did not even indicate before the “report” was aired, as is expected, a warning to viewers that graphic scenes are about to be shown.

The professionals know that you do not have to show a dead body to tell viewers someone is dead! But then, as I mentioned, the chap is not professional. This, however, is not an excuse for such insensitive “reporting”, the “report” was not aired live from the scene. Editing could have been done.

That said and with the “report” shown many times, the Parrot cannot find a comparison for the TV Man and his Video man other that the two main characters from the movie “Dumb and Dumber”.

What? Somebody said something? Who? Peter Griffin? Not a bad comparison too.

These two local guys make the three international ones look sane. The word “dumbest” comes to mind. But where is the ACB?

Remember them, the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting? That “report” contained images that are in bad taste. What would you do guys?

Anybody home? I know Pat has left. Probably has “dialled” another “number”. But the ERP is there. Not Hoyte’s Empty Rice Pots, ah…I meant not his failed Economic Recovery Programme, but Evan Radhay Persaud, the new Pat, sorry, the new Chairman of the ACB; Allowing Crudeness to be Broadcast. Where is ERP? At UG?

At Everest? At a Mela? Hopefully in proximity of a television monitor looking at the “report” in question in an effort to ensure any such “reports” are avoided in the future.

The “dumbness” regarding this case didn’t stop with the “report”. The driver has been remanded. A report in the Big Market paper on the hearing revealed that the driver denied that he drove the said car, denied that he was involved in the accident and denied that he failed to render assistance to the injured (dead).

His lawyer, in the same report said that, if his client hadn’t taken certain action, eight children would have been killed instead of two!!! Lawyer saying driver was involved. Driver saying he wasn’t. Dumb and dumber? Which is which? Time will tell. Follow the reports, not the immature “reports”.

Squawk! Squawk!