Swan's Coded Song
Not only was John Swan's recent tirade wildly inaccurate - it was also chock full of racially insensitive innuendo. What was Sir John really trying to say when he made the following comment?
Back in the 1960s the Bahamas was a big player [in the financial services market]. One bad political decision and business got up and left. The same thing in Antigua: white landowners were treated with no respect so white landowners got up and left; as was the case in Guyana. History offers us all these lessons.
Is Sir John trying to somehow equate race with wealth or the ability to manage an economy? Is he trying to say that Bermuda's majority population should just sit back and accept the stratified economic status quo? And, what "history lessons" is Sir John talking about? We hope he's not referring to the economic hardship experienced by some slaveholders after slavery was abolished.
But, the offensive innuendo doesn't stop there. Sir John also said...
We have the most successful black-run country in the world, the most successful black and white middle-class economy in the world, and the most travelled people in the world; all that could evaporate overnight.
What is that supposed to mean? Is he saying that Bermuda's success is somehow in spite of the race of government leaders? Is he insinuating that most "black-run" countries do not have vibrant middle classes because of the race of their leaders? Is he trying to rally racists to his party's banner by playing off of race-based fears?
It's the height of irony that in the same speech where he said that "people are tired of having race shoved in their faces," he went on to do just that by peppering his entire speech with references to race and class.
Thankfully, overt racism is no longer en vogue. However, coded racism is alive and well. And, sadly, Sir John's speech is full of reasons why Bermuda needs to continue The Big Conversation. And, Sir John's perspective is a prime example for why we need policies that will ensure that all Bermudians have economic opportunity on the island.
(To read why Sir John's economic analysis was wildly off the mark, click here.)
