We really are a funny society. As the price of mas costumes increase exponentially some of us still willingly give our salaries wholeheartedly to these mas bands. We won't ever rally together to express our outrage over what is clearly a rip off.
I love Carnival, but these very basic pieces of underwear with feathers and beads stuck to them should not cost as much as they do. I've heard the attempts at justifying the cost of these adornments: labour, so-called high-end materials, time spent on creating, logistics and paying for an incomparable experience. These are the same scanty pieces of clothing that you use for a few hours and then discard. Sounds like money well spent to me. But that's just my opinion–to each his own. We earn our keep and we should spend as we desire.
But what I find baffling is patrons were upset over what was allegedly Machel Montano's disrespectful behaviour at the Fatima all-inclusive fete. This is where I find so much humour. The patrons paid $950 per ticket but complained when Mr Montano expressed his right and need to have a properly-functioning sound system at the venue.
Patrons expressed disappointment and disgust at Mr Montano's behaviour. Really? Mr Montano still remains the consummate professional and delivers consistently every time. Anyone that is objective in their stance would be able to easily identify that. I see no reason for him to apologise as he was well within his right to point out the faulty system. The organisers should have done a better job in preparing. They should be the ones to apologise!
I honestly have no problem with playing mas and I love seeing our people having a good time. But let's be fair and objective. We can't complain when one of our own has a standard to maintain, so Mr Montano's obvious disquiet with the set-up at Fatima does not warrant an apology. Patrons spent far less for the fete tickets than one would pay for a costume, but made a point in stating Mr Montano disappointed them. That we complain about when he was trying to give them their money's worth!
I'm aware that not everyone that fetes plays mas, but a significant portion does. So tell me, do the band owners apologise to you when they continue to blatantly rip you off? Or how about soca artistes that sing songs with a total of four or five words? How about those that habitually talk more than they sing at every fete? What about those that use the stage to complain about being "fought down" all the time? Do we demand apologies from them?
We take so much crap and say nothing. But when Mr Montano legitimately expressed his anger and frustration we were deeply offended. Enough with the double standards.