Zahra Gordon

Yesterday, an employee of KFC in Trinidad poured hot oil over customer following a dispute. Read more here: Hot Oil For KFC Customer

If you want to know how something as simple as a WRONG ORDER at Killing Foolish Creoles can turn into slaps across the face, second-degree burns and assault charges, let me tell you a story. 

Today, I witnessed a woman publicly berating her daughter. She called the child, who looked like she was in Standard 3 or 4, stupid and told her repeatedly that she would beat her when they got home. She announced to another woman nearby that the child had “licks to get” when they reach home. The other woman laughed and said she too big. This other woman didn’t say, “You shouldn’t beat your daughter and you shouldn’t call her stupid in public.” And trust me I am sorry I didn’t say anything. Why was the child subject to this? The child did not come out of the classroom in time for the taxi to take her home. So the mother had to go and pick her up from school. This is the status quo: beating children for being children; for missing the school-bus,  for coming home with their clothes dirty, for inconveniencing you when they’re not the ones who asked to be here; beating children.

And then everybody want to ask how this could happen? How de man could slap an employee for getting his order wrong? If the slapping is only alleged then, how could the employee follow him out to the street and douse him in hot oil? How could people be saying that this man deserved what he got? How could this much violence ensue over a TT$30 piece of chicken? If the mother I saw today is any answer to these questions then it could happen because the status quo is LICKS. And if you are advocating and perpetuating violence in your homes when things like this happen do not blame the service industry; do not blame the education system. Blame yourselves because these are the violent KFC children you have raised.