August 16, 2011Dear Sir,Sir, if you will, permit me to convey my perspective on the current barrage of rhetoric regarding our social ills, the economy and race relations.In my opinion, all three are intertwined. My reason for stating this is the western world capitalistic society/philosophy. I occasionally tune in to the popular radio talk shows, where these three topics ‘reign supreme’.It is my view that the same “system” to which we credit our prosperity/affluence, is also responsible for our flaws/inequities. I had previously, some months ago, submitted letters in reference to the origins of capitalism and its objectives etc. Anyone can go online to research this. Analysing this, one can see that, our current system is designed where those who choose to explore their entrepreneurial potential, basically have the opportunity to prosper from those who choose not to.That said, the western philosophy, has now dominated the world, to the extent where those in position (i.e. Establishments and in some cases governments), utilise the definition of capitalism to exploit the uneducated or those without financial resources to challenge the status quo. We as a people have become accustomed to accepting “what is”, fearing the challenge of trying a different approach/system.Therefore, all the rhetoric, in my opinion, is unfounded. It is all by design! Why blame local governments for social ills, when one should consider the bigger picture. We’re all caught up in a global (western) philosophy, over which we have little or no control unless we are willing to make sacrifices for the long term. Yes, we have become accustomed to certain “luxuries”, not needs, hence our predicament.The race subject bears special mention. Having researched the origins of capitalism, I’m inclined to believe that the slave trade is a perfect example of this. Taking it a step further, albeit slavery involved other ethnicities, where only those with origins from Africa are considered black. There are black Portuguese, French, Indian and many others, yet those with a certain hair type, these days, are classified as black. Even when it comes to employment, there are provisions for race identification. Asian, Indian, Portuguese and ‘Other’ are not races — “food-for-thought”. This said, there seems to be a certain agenda targeting people of African descent. Why is this? Could it be out of guilt and shame?GLENN CHASECity of Hamilton