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Guyanese are angry: a tourist story

Sep 04, 2012 Letters

 

Dear Editor,
Three weeks ago, my four daughters, ages 10 through 15-years-old, visited Guyana. Everywhere we went, my children heard people cursing each other. My children never heard so much cursing in their lifetime.
My family lives in a small town in America where most people still treat others with respect. So my children’s experiences in Guyana were new. My children were shocked to hear the frequent cursing.
It seems like most Guyanese are angry. I don’t know why. I asked several people why so many Guyanese are so angry. I was told that it was because of the Value Added Tax (VAT), lack of jobs, and inability to provide for family.
It seems like many Guyanese are so angry that they are like a time bomb waiting to go off. So the slightest thing you do to them they explode on you.
One example of this time bomb exploding took place on a minibus we were traveling on. The driver and a passenger got into an argument over where the passenger was dropped off. The passenger wanted to be dropped off in front of Survival Supermarket. The bus driver said he can’t stop at Survival… he can only stop at the bus stop.
The passenger argued that the driver was willing to pick him up at a non-bus stop, but he wasn’t willing to drop him off at a non-bus stop. In front of my young children, the driver and passenger cursed each other out for about five minutes. I tried to intervene to prevent my children from hearing the offensive language but was unsuccessful.
To me, the verbal argument had nothing to do with where the bus stopped. It had everything to do with a bigger and hidden issue. Where the bus stopped was the effect and not the cause of the argument. Arguing about where the bus stopped wasn’t the real issues. It was just the symptoms. The real issue that caused the argument is that people are angry. Where the bus stopped gave these men an opportunity to vent their anger and frustration out on each other.
There was a simple solution to this problem. The driver could have said he was sorry, and kept driving and the argument would have been avoided, but he didn’t because he is so angry himself and needed to blow off some steam. This is why the argument escalated, and my innocent children and passengers were subjected to the offensive languages.
When people are angry like many Guyanese are, it is dangerous to be around them because you never know what might set them off. And when they are set off, you don’t know what they might do and even the innocent children may get hurt. My experience in Guyana and being around so many angry people taught me that Guyana is a dangerous place to live.
As a child, I grew up in one of the toughest area in Guyana, Albouystown. During those days, most people were angry and would curse out each other out daily. Today, it seems like the old Albouystown people have extended to the whole of country and Guyana have become like Albouystown with a lot of angry people who like to curse out others.
I wished that my children didn’t have to experience the cursing during their vacation, and I hope and pray for the people of Guyana to be less angry and for them to be more happy. May God bless Guyana.
Anthony Pantlitz

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