July 22, 2010
Dear Editor:
I read last week’s editorial entitled “Scared of Our sisters,” with no small measure of dismay. It leaves one with the notion that in this moment of grave danger, the men of Belize have decided that the danger is too great, so the women will be left to confront the danger and try to solve our problem.
It brings to mind the thought of what would occur, God forbid, if we were threatened militarily by our neighbor. They have a lot more weapons and are even more vicious than those on our streets, if that is even possible.
Some might say, Britain would save us. The maxim in personal relations as well as international relations is this: if a man is not prepared to defend himself, no one will help defend him.
It is quite correct to conclude that one man who comes out publicly declaring war on the murdered in a chest-thumping manner, on his own, without credible backative, will probably die very early. However, there is one thing that characterizes Belizeans; it is their love of gossiping. Everyone seems to know what is going on with their neighbors. It is probably one of the hardest places in the world to keep a secret for long.
Another habit of our people is for groups, in which they discuss the doings on in the community.
Now I will tell you, these men who get together over drinks may not know the full dimension of the problem. However, those particularly in the neighborhoods concerned, know the “bad actors” and know what they have done.
Others know the ways in which the system has been compromised, and who can be trusted and who is too far gone. These groups of men need to form networks and share information. Eventually, they will begin to get a clear picture of the problem and then courses of action will become apparent.
And there are solutions to this problem. Understand that though it may seem that gangs are everywhere and the youths are brave and ruthless, the fact is their number is still quite modest and only a few are really courageous.
And it is not the courageous ones we need to worry about. It is the psychotic who, contrary to appearances, are very few. Deal with that few, by any means necessary, and much of the outrages will cease. And then the overall problem can be dealt with in a more deliberate and safer manner.
Men, we cannot abdicate our responsibility because it is dangerous. By using our social habits we can begin to gather the information required to come up with action plans to deal with this problem. Remember, you cannot hide from danger behind your door. One day, as night follows day, it will come knocking.
To the editor: I request anonymity, because, although I am not in the country, I will be back soon.