Young people aren't dumb

July 30, 2007

Dear Sir,

I am a young (24 years old) black Bermudian male. I am writing this letter in regards to the front page of today's newpaper. I was in attendance at the Collie Buddz concert when the premier took the stage.

I would just like to acknowledge the fact that the Premier was not being booed because people don't like him. The reason most people were booing was because of his blatantly obvious attempt to 'win' some youth votes. The young people in Bermuda are not dumb.

We saw Dr. Ewart Brown's presence on stage as not only petty and pathetic but also as patronising. The concert goers saw straight through his attempt. Dr. Brown stated during his brief but memorable moment on stage that he called someone in Jamaica and asked him about Collie Buddz¿ Collie Buddz is Bermudian!

He could have asked his neighbour and got a more relevant response! Whoever told him to get on stage deserves to be fired for that move. Also I applaud his support of the local talent but to wear a T-shirt that says he's "blind to haters" shows exactly how much he cares for the people of Bermuda.

He is not a superstar he is the leader of our country. Obviously, in a democracy everyone will not vote for him. Is he saying that he is blind to anyone who doesn't agree with his views for the island? Like I said it was just a bad move.

BERMY'S BEST BREDRIN

Sandys

Confused by sentences

July 20, 2007

Dear Sir,

Apparently, you can get five years in jail for buying property with a non Bermudian spouse.

Wow, that's a bit harsh don't you think?

Ah well, at least you can walk after slashing three people with a sword.

Yours totally disgusted,

Christopher Broadhurst

City of Hamilton

The death of whiteness

July 22, 2007

Dear Sir,

"The racial situation on the island is the worst I can ever remember", "white people are angry", "there is more polarisation". These are some of the myriad comments I have heard about the current racial situation on the Island.

People believe the 'race card' is being played again as a political ploy, and I am not denying this, as it is 'card' that I have witnessed being played by both parties over six elections. Why does it get brought up at every election? The answer is simple, post-election we have gone back to our old ways and failed to address the critical underlying problem of racism that still exists in Bermuda.

White people cannot understand why black people are not out there marching to save the Southlands property, or aren't beside them on the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Human Rights Act, or aren't willing to be active members of the myriad predominantly white charities on the island.

It is not because black people don't care about these issues¿ it is because black people have been tired of waiting for over 40 years since desegregation to have white people stand up on their behalf.

They see white people marching to save trees but they do not see them marching for social justice and equality. This is not to decry the environmental movement which is critical for Bermuda, but where have the majority of white people's voices been as they've watched the public education system fail over successive years under different parties?

Where are their voices, when statistics all too plainly show the true status of racial equality on this Island?

Why do we continue to live in our glass bubbles and refuse to believe that as a black person living in Bermuda you will not have the same chances or opportunities to achieve the way white people have?

Why do we not listen to those black people of integrity who have persistently written about racism on this Island, and have paid the price in so many ways in order for their voices to be heard? Yes, there are black people who have succeeded, but it is despite the system, not because of it.

There is a saying amongst black people that you "have to work twice as hard, to get half as far". What does this say about the stereotypical view that so many white people hold against blacks?

Yes, there are well intentioned white people in our community who are worried about race relations, but is it not surprising that we are viewed by so many black people as yet more "do-gooders" who never take any kind of real personal risk for what they believe in. I know there are many white people in our community who long for Bermudians to become a united people but until they are willing to truly stand up and let their voices be heard, they will continue to long for that day for it will not come without action on their part, both personal and social.

For 40 years our fellow black Bermudians have tried to tell us, have put up with one-way integration, have given us the benefit of the doubt and tried to do it our way. Is it not surprising that so many have 'given up' on us? That they are tired, hurt, frustrated and fed up with waiting for us to do something about this terrible inequality.

We as white people have always been in denial about racism, but now we are in denial and angry. I have tried to understand why and I can only believe it is because we are going through a process similar to the five processes of death ¿ that process is denial > anger > bargaining > depression > acceptance. But acceptance is not doing nothing, defeat or submission¿ Acceptance is coming to terms with reality.

Why do I liken it to a death? Because in a way it is a about the "death of whiteness", about coming to a realisation that as white people we have been blinkered to the benefits bestowed on us because of our "whiteness" and blinded to the true reality experienced by black people. And by denying the privileges that our "whiteness" have given us we do not have to acknowledge the effects of "blackness" on 65 percent of the Bermudian population.

If we are indeed going through this "death of whiteness" process ¿ I see it as hopeful ¿ because it means we are at last talking about race, thinking about it and discussing it, which means we are no longer making black people invisible in our lives. We are angry ¿ but at least we see them! This election will come and go, but will we as white people go back to the status quo which has so clearly failed in the past? Are we brave enough to go through the process that is needed to fully understand ourselves, and what our fellow black Bermudians have so desperately been trying to tell us? We as a country need this dialogue, we need this process to become the people we have the potential to be. We should not be critical of any organization that offers this dialogue, because we as the people must make it about the process in the room, not about politics.

As with any crisis in our lives, it will cause pain, discomfort, hurt. I liken it to the process of going through a death, illness or divorce. We go through it, we suffer, we learn, we survive, but what is surprising is that we come out the other side, stronger, wiser and more focused on the important things in life. Why should this not be the same for a Nation? We must ask ourselves, why are we so afraid of the Truth?

LYNNE WINFIELD

www.curb.bm

The problem with parties

July 20, 2007

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to Dr. Hodgson's letter in today's Royal Gazette. I am a white Bermudian female. I am in the process of reading Dr. Hodgson's book titled "First Class Men, Second Class Citizens" in an attempt to learn more about the history of my island home, in particular with respect to black people and their struggles. Reading this book has certainly opened my eyes to the importance of, among many other things, the Berkeley Institute and, of course, the PLP. I can certainly now better understand the truth in Dr. Hodgson's letter that, no matter what the PLP do, the people will vote for them. The PLP was formed as a black party to fight for the rights of black people and at a time when that was definitely needed. The PLP is, in 2007, still viewed by most people as being a party whose basic underlying purpose is to do all that they can for black people. So ¿ we have one party that is considered by the majority of people to be "a black party". By default, therefore, in a two-party system this leaves the other party as being "the white party." As a white person, this is where the frustration really lies. Most of the UBP members are black, yet it is still viewed as "the white party."

I would venture a guess that even if there were no white members of the UBP it would still be called "the white party", being controlled from behind-the-scenes by some group of nameless and faceless white people (I can assure you that if such a group exists most of us white people are as clueless about their existence as the rest of Bermuda).

If the UBP was to disband, and an entirely new party formed, so long as the PLP is in existence this other party would still be viewed as "the white party" and as being the same old UBP but with a different name. So, what are white people to do? There are those who view white people who vote for the UBP as being racist because they continue to vote for "the white party" - but what choice do we really have? Sometimes, the way that black people speak so vehemently against white people, or against the UBP, it seems as though they feel that we don't even deserve a voice in this country and yet it is our island home, too.

How is this island to move past the stigma of the UBP being "a white party" and no longer the UBP of old?

How is the PLP to move past the reality (for it's certainly not just a perception) that it is "a black party"?

The onus is really on the UBP to open its arms and appeal to the masses if they want to win an election. So long as the PLP can appeal to the majority of black Bermudians then they will always win; therefore, when it comes to a party's basic need of accumulating votes in order to stay in power, the PLP has absolutely no need to reach out to white people. Sadly, as long as we have a "party system" in place I don't think these viewpoints will ever change.

FED UP WITH POLITICS

Paget

Why did you stay?

July 24, 2007

Dear Sir,

Assuming the article in today's Gazette regarding Andre Curtis' press conference is correct, why would the media bother staying at a press conference when they had been instructed not to ask any questions?

JOHN BARNETT

Warwick

Traffic solution

July 19, 2007

Dear Sir,

Although by accident, it seems we have stumbled upon a feasible solution to the rush hour traffic congestion.

After several days of trial and error the Police have found an effective way of getting traffic into Hamilton in the morning, despite the road works. Well done to them!

My question is, why stop when the road works are finished? Surely the cost of placing a few officers on traffic duty for an hour or so in the morning would be less than redesigning the roads or alienating the expats.

ANDREW LAING

Warwick