Is our behaviour giving evidence to racists that we are inferior?

Editor: Vincentians, I know some of you get offended when I say that your politics is primitive. But it is indeed primitive the way people cuss and fight. This is simply uncivil behaviour. Every individual has a right to his or her feelings. Feelings cannot be litigated. There can never be a law that punishes someone because they don’t like me and vice versa.{{more}}

However, there are laws that regulate behaviour. You are not free to slander and libel individuals. That is not free speech. Cussing individuals and using profanity demonstrate a lack of decorum. The behaviour demonstrates that you are lacking in social graces.

I really don’t understand why all of the noise. Why must we cuss each other and tear each other down? What is the fascination with degradation? By degrading one Vincentian, aren’t you degrading yourselves too?

What is with this political party gang mentality? These political parties are reminiscent of chattel slavery. Individuals are not free to leave. If an individual makes a decision to leave one party and support another, he or she is castigated in the worst way. During slavery, when a slave tried to escape, he or she was hunted by men with dogs that wanted to capture him or her, dead or alive.

I see Vincentians who are said to be professionals that reside in developed countries where no one is cussed, threatened or vilified for their political affiliations, themselves engaging in this type of behaviour. One would think that these so-called professionals would set a better example by encouraging those who practise this primitive form of politics to ween themselves from it. But, that’s not the case. They seem to enjoy the primitive and destructive engagement.

Folks, in this day and age, slavery is illegal. A political party does not own you. Blind loyalty is deadly. One should never allow loyalty to trump what is right. Vincentians, what is really happening? Do we need the white man, colonialism to keep us civil? One can make a very convincing case that we were much more civilized before we gained independence.

What does this say to the people who deem blacks inferior? As I said, they can look at our civilization prior to 1979, compare it with today and it will be very easy to see that we have become more uncivil. One of the racist claims of the British is that they brought civilization to Africa. Is our behaviour providing supporting evidence for this claim, or does it refute it?

Some argue that people in Vincy are destitute. However, I am willing to bet that they were even more destitute during British rule. So, what really is our excuse for this primitive way of living where we cuss, fight and kill each other? I grew up in an environment where people were dirt poor, but we left our doors open and nothing went missing. Some of you will miss the message, because your ego will immediately take offence. You may even call me racist; but before you jump on the high horse, look at the evidence and see yourselves as the world sees you. Everything today is measured not in feelings, but rather in statistics; so, if there was less cussing, fighting and killing before the white man gave us our independence, based on the evidence, it will be reasonable to make the case that we now have a much more inferior culture. Don’t get mad. Do something to change it. You can start by stop cussing people on Facebook.

Helena R Edwards

Mount Vernon, Ny