VRR - a short note.
Our wishes too to Victor for a life with good health, great friends and
the ability to continue in the work he so loves.
Hi Frederick,
Thanks. We think this is a great article. We do love your affirmation
of VRR,
his achievements, in particular that he is still actively involved with
all that goes with editing, his desire for higher standards, and last,
but not
the least, your remark that you like to interact with such expats ...
and we pose
the question ... And why not?
We also appreciate your remark, wishing the Goan society the ability
to treat
its senior citizens with more respect! We totally agree with this
sentiment.
Sadly, we have observed that there is, many a times, a total lack of
this important
ingredient in our society! Guess if our elders did not indulge in the
Crab
Mentality, our youth, our children and our Grandchilden would emulate
their
Grandparents / Parents.
Incidentally, we both have been intrigued by the frequent use of the
phrase
'Crab Mentality'. In our endeavours to understand this better, we
consulted
our Dictionary and it confirmed our understanding of the phrase !! See
below.
It certainly makes interesting reading.
Richard and Betsy Nunes
Crab mentality
of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it,
neither can you."
The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs. Individually, the crabs could
easily
escape from the pot, but instead, they grab at each other in a useless
"king of the hill" competition (or
sabotage) which prevents any from escaping and ensures their
collective demise. The analogy in human
behavior is that of a group that will attempt
to "pull down" (negate or diminish the importance of) any member who
achieves success beyond the others, out of
envy,conspiracy or competitive feelings.
Crab mentality, sometimes referred to as crabs in the bucket,
describes a way
This term is broadly associated with short-sighted, non-constructive
thinking
rather than a unified, long-term, constructive mentality. It is also
often used colloquially
in reference to individuals or communities attempting to "escape" a so-
called "underprivileged life," but kept from doing so
by others attempting to ride upon their coat-tails or
those who simply resent their success.[1]
To: Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!
Subject: [Goanet] VRR ... a short note
I wishes Victor Rangel-Ribeiro a very happy 86th birthday on the
GoaWriters
network, but forgot to do so here on Goanet! Better (almost) late than
never. Thank goodness for the time difference between India and the US!
VRR is an inspiration to quite a few of us -- surely to me. When I see
him
working so hard, in the heat of the Goan afternoon, editing texts,
volunteering with some of our books, holding editing workshops for us,
and
goading us on to strive for higher standards, I feel really blessed to
be
able to interact with such expats!
Here's wishing VRR (as I call him fondly) many more productive years.
Who
can say what could be possible, considering that ex-editor (The Navhind
Times and founder-editor of Goa Today) Lambert Mascarenhas gave a
perfectly
logical speech the other day, at the age of 97! Here's wishing Goan
society
the ability to treat its senior citizens with more respect, as it did
in the
past, and the abilities to tap on their lifetimes of achievements with
even
more enthusiasm!
Happy birthday Victor, from me personally and on behalf of Goanet. FN
--
