Good morning, Dominica, to our towering mountains, flowing rivers, sleeping volcanoes, and the strong people who give this island its soul.
Dennison +Dice” Joseph – “Puppet Master“
His song perfectly captures what has been recognized for years as Political Stockholm Syndrome – the condition where control is mistaken for care.
When a people are kept poor, fearful, and dependent, loyalty stops being about ideas or progress and becomes about survival. The Puppet Master pulls the strings, and too many are forced to dance – not because they want to, but because they are afraid of what happens if they stop.
“Dice” puts into words what so many feel but struggle to say:
- Manipulation disguised as leadership.
- Dependency mistaken for loyalty.
- Struggle normalized as “just how things are.”
The cartoon says the rest.
This is not about party colours. It is about control versus freedom. Fear versus courage. Dependency versus dignity. At some point, the strings have to be cut.
- Listen carefully.
- Look closely.
- Think for yourself.
And even though “Dice” uses satire and wit, do not mistake it for something light or harmless. The humour is a vehicle, not the message. Beneath it lies a serious warning about power, control, and what happens when people are conditioned to accept less than they deserve. Laugh if you must – but listen carefully.
What makes “Puppet Master” even more powerful is how old the warning is. This is not a new message reacting to today’s headlines. “Dice” was sounding this alarm decades ago, long before social media, long before hashtags, long before many of today’s political players even held power.
The fact that the song still feels current is the real indictment. He tells us about the system of control, which did not begin yesterday.
Multiple generations before this song were already living under these conditions, and two full generations have been born since its release. All of them have been warned – over and over – about manipulation dressed up as leadership, dependency sold as care, and fear used as a leash. When a warning lasts this long, it is no longer a moment in time; it is a pattern that we have allowed to continue.
“Dice” song survives because when Roosevelt Skerrit’s power was threatened, his only response was the one he always resorts to when exposed:
- Entrenching control.
- Manipulating loyalty.
- And ensuring the people remained dependent and fearful.
