About two weeks ago I read about an incident that took place in Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara which resulted in Dameion Gordon and Vernon Beckles enduring a merciless beating and verbal abuse (inclusive of racial slurs being thrown at them).
The vicious act was committed by local residents who were from a mainly Indo community and under the impression that the two were responsible for some missing car mirrors from a vehicle that was parked in the vicinity. My initial reaction was blank; I suppose that was so because violence across the country has been normalized and we have somehow been conditioned to accept it as a way of life. Then, the context of this particular situation wasn’t alarming either as racial undertones find themselves in every corner of our society, so as sad as it sounds, my reaction was blank.
We often hear racial slurs being used almost casually, sometimes by our friends, relatives, workmates and acquaintances. This sort of thing is usually not alarming, as Guyanese have been laying the groundwork for such an offensive feud for decades. We are an angry society.