See, this is why people never take us seriously. Last week, I was following the events of what I called 'Dark Tuesday' (the day the Opposition called for the public to wear dark colours to protest the Government's tax package) when I happened upon some interesting photos and audio clips of the activities of protesters. First off, thank heavens that things were relatively mild but some interesting quotes and signs caught my ears and eyes, respectively.

'Black' the road

First off, some women said Sista P told them to 'black' the road. When the reporter mentioned that she told them to wear black, he was rebuffed. They were adamant that was what she meant, repeating black and using it for block. Apparently, they believe the opposition leader is quite the cerebral type and was trying to pull a fast one. But, I don't think she would resort to talking in codes to achieve the desired outcome. She's always struck me as the type to talk straight. Why that was the first possibility they thought of is another matter.

Moving on to the placards, two of them I saw referred to Mrs Big Man. Who exactly is that? I'm sure people know the difference between a man and a woman and therefore the difference between Mr and Mrs. Yet, the sign clearly says, Mrs Big Man! Are they implying that Prime Minister Bruce Golding is a woman? Or is he acting like a woman? Or is this poor individual even aware that Portia Simpson Miller is not the prime minister anymore?

Then, the sign to its left was an attempt (albeit futile) to rhyme. It read: "Mrs Big Man, a jus di way yu move, yeah yu collect di taxes money and yuh gone pon curse."

I'm not blessed as a mind reader, but I think the person was going for cruise which doesn't exactly rhyme with move but is much closer than curse. Furthermore, curse placed there makes very little sense. So, like a cruise with a bad navigator, the message got lost!

The point of my whole diatribe is that if I were a foreigner looking on from somewhere else on the globe (provided I understood Patois), I may start to wonder how educated the folks down here are. I might start to think that maybe they don't deserve my sympathy.

Matured as a people

An effigy of Bruce Golding hangs on phone lines at the intersection of Old Hope Road and Chambers Lane, Liguanea, as part of the recent protests. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

On the other hand, let's commend the majority of Jamaicans who, unlike the shutdown of areas of the island in 1999, didn't try to burn the whole place down. That, I hope, means we've matured as a people and realise brute force doesn't always (in fact hardly ever) get the results we want in situations like this.

Aah, perhaps some light at the end of the tunnel.

Light me up at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com