25695: Hyppolite (reply) Re: 25692: Nlbo: (Reply)Regarding Peterson's comments (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Hyppolite Pierre <hpierre@irsp.org>

The truth is, Nekita and Peterson, that if you are in Haitian politics in one 
way or the other, unless you are a radical, you won't go too far at all. You'll 
be considered as someone in la-la land. That explains why you have so much 
radical positioning in our politics. Sadly enough, it is something that even 
permeates Haitians' private lives. After all, why do we respond "N' ap boule" 
(we're burning) when someone asks us "sak pase" (What's up). We only like to 
"koupe" and "boule". 
The kinds of comments I've heard, I've read, from educated Haitians of all 
stripes and colors, have helped me somehow develop a cynical attitude towards 
it all. The most basic of things becomes controversial. Everyone is always mad. 
What I'd like to get my hands on, is a statistics as to how many Haitian 
politicos die of a heart attack, or what I like to call, cerebral constipation. 
Funny as it is, even the "blan" who get involved in our politics become radical 
too. Everyone gets into this attitude of, the existence of one implies the 
negation of the other. No one in our culture has yet the courage to admit that 
the truth always has at least two sides. 
Some of the "blan" (rent-a-revo, Greg likes to call them) may be perfectly 
constitutionalists in their homeland, they may be the most rational and 
reasonable individuals when discussing politics in their homeland or somewhere 
else. But when it comes to Haiti, the whole place becomes a Mecca for 
stupidity. I often laugh instead of crying. Granted, once in a while it's good 
to talk a little bit like a radical but by the end of the day, like we say in 
Haitian, A Pari pat bati youn sèl jou (they didn't build Paris in one day). 
Yet, we all want to do exactly this. That was the 21 billion dollars story 
yesterday; today, it's the kidnapping story. Tomorrow, it shall be something 
else ... oh I don't know .... Funny, funny, funny. Oh oh ... Where are my 
cigarettes? 
Hyppolite