1 : to saw with a whipsaw
2 : to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents
I think that for most of us, the first image to come to mind was that of two men holding either end of a whipsaw to cut a giant log. Thus, I thought of this:
They come from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, one of the few games I was any good at on the Super Nintendo. But I digress....
Every conflict has two sides, whether they are two people, two countries, or just two ideas. Whipsaws are two-sided objects, needing two people to make them work. However, those two people are using their force to enable a sharp-edged object to cut something else in two - an act of violence, even when it's just a saw on a log. All too often conflicts are mired in violence, and now is no exception. Martinique and Guadeloupe, two French islands in the Caribbean, are on strike at the moment, demanding higher wages to offset the high cost of living. Protests are becoming violent and destructive. Things were formerly worse in Guadaloupe in terms of the level of violence, but as recently as 6-7 hours before this post was made, negotiations seemed to be showing some progress (though the strike is still on as of now). Martinique is still in turmoil (article in French). In what way is this a whipsaw situation? Not only is there effectively a tug of war between the two sides attempting to find an end to this strike, one way or the other, but the people living on these islands are being beset by the high cost of living that brought this on, the economic standstill that has been going on for 37 days, and the destruction, violence, and fear that has come about as a result of the protests. These two islands have relatively high unemployment rates in comparison to the rest of France, so the pressure is heightened by that as well.
To see a video about this situation (in English), click here.
This isn't a unique situation worldwide, of course. Here in the USA, and in other countries all over the world, economic issues are greatly affecting our daily lives, as we all know. I wasn't aware of this until very recently, yet it has been going on for over a month now. It's something to think about, though....
That is a horrible situation. I just got in the habit of watching the news to keep in touch with the rest of the world and what is going on AND let me tell you, I'm not liking what I'm seeing. The economy is pretty much in a whirlwind of changes and none so far have been positive, and by the looks of your post, we are not the only ones suffering such effects.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good example of the "whipsaw" concept. These are not affluent countries to begin with. Even with our own economic situation what it is, we don't know how blessed we are.
ReplyDeleteI like your take on "whipsaw". It is quite amazing to me that the rest of the world isn't so different from the USA. This summer, there were Spanish truck drivers protesting the cost of gas. In the winter, airlines were protesting low wages. I guess it really is a small world after all.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that these countries are committed to a nationwide (or protectoratewide maybe) strike, something that is virtually unknown in this country.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if we blocked the roads to protest the high cost of healthcare or the Iraq War then we would actually get something done.