How do we break racism in Guyana?

Sep 23, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
We know that racism exists in the world and in Guyana? How do we break it down? How do we get people to trust each other when they have been conditioned into believing their race is superior and always right? Racism is a learnt behaviour. It can certainly be unlearnt. It is a psychological belief in one’s own superiority and spreads through the environmental conditions, which allow it to do so unchallenge. Racism is not just about hurtful words that people speak to each other; it is also about our attitudes and behaviour to each other. Let me be emphatic and say that no one race have the solutions to all of Guyana’s problems and no one race is 100% correct all the time.
The competition for political power and scarce resources has intensified and hardened racism in Guyana. Do we need a political solution when some politicians, across the political divide, allegedly use racial incitement to scare their supporters? Or, is it better to have a grass-root NGO to tackle racism thereby negating the need for a political solution?
Some politicians tend to be self-righteous as Ian McDonald noted in his Sunday Column “Beware the self-righteous”. A solution may lie in the way we treat each other. That is, if you wish to cause offense to another person then don’t be too offended; should that person then turn around and offend you? Likewise, when you respect someone for who they are, then that person will respect you for who you are.
Sean Ori

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