Dear Editor,
The media has been using expressions like ‘intellectual authors of heinous crime’ when reporting on incidents like the discovery of a grenade in the Kaieteur News compound and several actual or perceived criminal activities.
I find such use of the word “intellectual” very jarring when one considers its normal usage or how the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it: “possessing a high level of understanding or intelligence, cultured…”
What is cultured or given to a high level of understanding in these heinous acts, some of which result in serious psychological trauma or physical injuries or the premature deaths of innocent, decent, productive compatriots? In any event, there is much contradiction between words like ‘intellect’ and ‘heinous criminality’.
Yours faithfully,
Nowrang Persaud