A Fashionable Public Servant

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly a fashionista or a prima dona. Just ask my roommate Julie who has on occasion walked into my room and said “are you really going to wear pink ballet tights with that dress?” I like to call my wardrobe choices “inventive” or “thinking outside of the box” but perhaps she was right on that particular occasion.

I’ve been here 9 weeks, however, and I’m completely bored with every choice of clothing I have which to be honest is like 3 or 4 options. The tank top with the grey skirt, or the tank top with the wrap around skirt, or maybe the tank top with the capris. Hey it’s really hot here! But even my clothes look tired and worn out. It’s like they want to be taken out on a long walk in the forest behind the house and be put out of their misery. . .

You know what this reminds me of? If you’re thinking of that Simpsons episode where Marge buys the pink Chanel suit and sews it into various styles of dresses that would be correcto! Congratulations, you have just won a cookie. Payment to be made in full later. IF only I had brought a sewing machine. Note to self: tell Class 6 to bring a sewing machine or bee dazzler to liven up their outfits on IPSP’s.

So without further adieu here is the complete episode, an oldie but goody from 1996: Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield. (Trivia: this is the first instance a female writer and director were credited in a Simpsons episode.)


The Simpsons 714 Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield

As Lisa Simpson exclaimed, “You look so sophisticated. Just like Mary Hart!” May you all look as sophisticated as Mary Hart on your public service projects this summer. [insert laugh track here]

DOH!

A few years ago a documentary called Cane Toads: An Unnatural History was recommended to me. Something you should know – I love weird documentaries! The weirder the better and even if I don’t know a thing about the topic, I enjoy learning about whatever the subject is. Hence an entire documentary about a giant freak of nature – the cane toad – is not entirely a stretch for me.



See Australia was having some problems with its sugar cane crops. The cane grub was attacking it. So some smart people got together in the early 20th century and over a conference talked about what to do. Because Hawaii had a similar problem which was fixed by their native cane toad that ate the grubs – someone decided that cane toads should be brought to Australia.
But what the scientists didn’t know is that the cane toad lays about 40,000 eggs because in its natural habitat only a few survive. Without the cane toads natural predators present in Australia, the cane toads quickly took over. It became a real problem, and today almost a 100 years later, is in fact, a real problem. The cane toads have a toxic residue on their skin which make them out best even the deadliest predators in Australia. (Ironic since every critter is deadly there!)

So as I was reading the news this morning (preparing for a virtual Professionalism class no doubt) I came across an article that the cane toad has reached the Caribbean!

"To our knowledge, this is the first report of cane toads causing mortality in naturally occurring predators outside of Australia," say the authors in the journal Biological Invasions.

"Although cane toads have been present on Jamaica for more than 160 years, it is clear from our observations that Jamaican boas have not yet learnt to avoid this toxic prey species." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8728000/8728758.stm)

The introduction of the cane toads in the Caribbean and Australia have created disastrous effects which have lasted decades. As I’m here in the Caribbean, I can’t help but be reminded how unfortunately all too often us “experts” in the field visit distant lands and think we know what’s best to help out. The truth of it is we’re learned in special academic fields that might not necessarily apply to communities and populations across a broad spectrum. Listening is really the first step toward social change, because when we invite voices that are often unheard we discover the answers are already there. Thus, I believe in a life which pursues public service, we're really just facilitators.

Just so you know, I’m listening. I promise not to bring any cane toads back to Arkansas. I'm not making any promises on the cute kittens I find here though. ; )

And now, time for intermission…

Last Sunday marked the fifth week Sarah and I have been in St. Lucia working on projects to create attitude and behavior changes on climate change. It also means that in terms of our project we’re no longer ascending the mountain, but descending it, as we’re half-way done! I can hardly believe it. It feels like just yesterday we landed here and were excited about all the different breakfast juices St. Lucia has to offer (Tamarind, Orange, Cherry, Lime, Mango, Papaya just to name a few).

So, if you don’t mind indulging me by allowing me to prattle on – below are a few thoughts on the project and environment thus far.

The Country – it’s very apparent what a long lasting impact exists when a country was once under colonial rule by another country. Though St. Lucia has many conveniences of the states and is relatively close in proximity, it really has more in common with England than the U.S. Most notably is that cars drive on the left side of the road, which still confuses me to all get out. I’m trying to cross the street and looking in the wrong direction for an oncoming car. It’s amazing I haven’t been run over! The government structure, BBC news, and love for cricket, are all byproducts of England’s influence over St. Lucia. Fun fact: did you know St. Lucia was ruled 7 times by France and 7 times by England as the two European powers fought for control over the island?

The Project – my work plan has changed at least twice, in unexpected yet interesting twists, since arriving here. It’s become increasingly apparent that in my short time here I’ll not be able to even scratch the surface. More like gently touch the surface. I’m ok with this, but it’s been a good practice in learning how to figure out what I can realistically do in a given time frame and that no matter what, there’s always more work to be done on a service project and I’ll always wish I had more time. It’s a little bit like getting ready in the morning. Back in Little Rock I would wake up hours before class began while Julie my housemate (HI JULIE!) would wake up a mere 30… sometimes 10 minutes before class began. She somehow always managed to be ready before I was. I just had too many things I wanted to complete before class begins. (Dean Rutherford, please note that while it may appear to be a sign that I was unprofessional in arriving late to class, it was really an issue of being an overachiever because I wanted to get as much done as possible before the day starts. ; ) So you see it’s really a good problem.)

The Connections – what I will walk away appreciating most and remembering well after this project is complete are the connections that I’ve made. It’s been great hearing Sarah’s many ideas about involving youth, and I’ve no doubt she’s going to do some big things post-Clinton School with theatre, youth, and social change. Our time here with our supervisor Alleyne Regis has been wonderful. He’s a great boss and client in all areas. Not only does his expertise working in Entertainment Education provide us with great insight and direction, but he’s someone we genuinely enjoy spending our time with. We’re so lucky! Below is a picture of us taken not long after we arrived.

Sarah Leer, Alleyne Regis and me

What is Public Service?

Over the entire academic year my classmates and I have been asked to define public service as it relates to our work and our future. How can you really define public service though when it's different for each and every person and is based from any myriad set of values (community driven/faith based/political/law etc.)? It’s almost like asking “what is the meaning of life?”

From time to time we are faced with situations or events that really ask us to probe a little further on our own definitions and meanings as it relates to public service. For those of you who aren’t aware – there is a serious situation going on in Jamaica right now. Living in the Caribbean we in St. Lucia hear a lot about what’s going down over there and are concerned for our stakeholders who reside in Jamaica. (We are far from the conflict here in St. Lucia however, so do not be alarmed.)

Last August Christopher “Dudus” Coke was requested by the US to be extradited back to New York on drug and firearm charges. The US justice department even went as far to put Christopher Coke on the “world’s most dangerous” list. While normally this would be a situation that is worked out between the US and Jamaica the situation has been marred with public opinion, action, and some pretty heated opinions on both ends of the spectrum.

You see Christopher Coke isn’t just any run of the mill drug dealer. Yes he did engage in the selling and pushing of drugs in the US but back home he is considered a protector, benefactor and even Christ-like figure in Tivoli Gardens (an area of Jamaica). According to news articles he's helped put kids through schools, provided food for those hungry, and jobs to those in need. Christopher Coke has helped (served?) his community to such an extent that they are acting out violently in attempts to prevent his extradition back to the US. It all plays out much like a modern day Robin Hood story – where I can honestly see both sides of the story.

To show you just how dialectical opposing the beliefs are, here is a picture from the Associate Press of a supporter's sign regarding Christopher Coke. (Wow!)


I guess my immediate reaction and questions are:

• Do the means justify the ends? Especially when lives are being harmed not only in the US, but Jamaica as well. To date some 60 odd Jamaicans have already died in the conflict that has risen out of this.
• As this falls under the realm of international law, which country gets to decide the fate of what happens to Christopher Coke?
• Is it possible to be both a public servant and criminal?
• What are the ethical implications of Coke’s decisions to provide for his people by using drug money?

Dean DiPippa if you’re reading this – please give us your wise and thoughtful insight! This no doubt calls for a refresher in your Law and Ethics class.

*please note the factual information of this post was extracted largely in part by news articles from the BBC. Check out these articles for more information:
BBC’s Profile: Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke
BBC’s Jamaica violence ‘linked to US drug market’