Posted by WHAT DO BRILANDERīS THINK ? on August 15, 2001 at 18:08:38:
In Reply to: Briland's future posted by Colin on August 15, 2001 at 13:19:00:
: As a reporter I like to stir the pot. As a friend of Briland, I want to hear what Brilanders and their friends think about this.
: Briland, in common with much of the Bahamas, is soaking up a great deal of American culture. The songs of the past seem to have dried up, with James and one or two others reviving them occassionally. I find it hard to believe that rap will represent Bahamian life, but I may be old fashioned.
: Television isn't a bad thing in and of itself but it does not encourage the communal life that so marks Briland, even today. And so much of the programming is American that I cannot believe it contributes much to the quality of information or quality of life Bahamians enjoy.
: While I am glad so many VERY rich people from Australia, Europe and America visit Briland and may own homes on the island, I worry that many of these people contribute less to the life of the island than their somewhat poorer cousins did in years past. I wonder if their greater isolation from Brilanders doesn't generate greater suspicion and resentment. I'm not sure about any of this, but I do worry about the effects these largely American economic and cultural forces are having on Briland and on the Bahamas in general.
: And when American booms or does something really stupid (Prohibition, the Civil War), historically the Bahamas benefits. I hope these latest effects are the problems of prosperity.
: All that said, I love no place more than Briland, for its lovely people, its quiet, its great physical beauty and its culture.
: Let the debate begin!
: Colin
The important question is how do the citizens of Briland feel about recent developments over the past five or six years in particular....with the accelerating real estate costs, the invasion of "day-trippers" from Nassau on the Fast Ferry, the
glut of traffic at certain times of the year...perhaps these are blessings (?) of a sort to our Briland friends who can benefit from the escalting values of their property, however humble it might be..not to mention the added influx of jobs and economic advancement. Perhaps
all the negative attitudes are coming from those of us who, as "old timers" resist this change and
disruption to what we liked in the "Good Old Days". I would like to hear what the citizens and residents of "our" lovely island have to say
about all this.