THE EDITOR, Sir:
IRONY KNOWS no bounds. The same persons who tell me that an individual should have a child regardless of the fact that they are unemployed and living from the "hand to mouth" epidemic, are the same persons upon hearing about the heinous crimes plaguing our country, hold their hands to the heavens and asked the immortal question of why these men have to be so wicked.
Most of these criminals are the same men who are the 'by-product of mere sex.' As such these men grow up on 'nothing.' Hate for the world replaces love for themselves, abuse replaces comfort, hunger pains replaces being satiated, and the list goes on. I am not trying to find excuses to why these men are criminals, but circumstances forced them to become criminals. Persons are conceived as the 'by-product of mere sex' syndrome, yet turn out to be positive influential people today, but exceptions do not dispute the fact, it merely clouds the issue.
STANDARD IN MANY
COMMUNITIES
Going are the days when a child is planned for well in advanced then conceived, it has become the standard in many communities that once you reach at least age 20 you are expected to bring forth a child. Anything less and you are looked upon as a threat to human survival. Slavery might have ended a long time ago but its legacies live on in the lives of so many people. During the days of slavery, black people were encouraged to have more children, and if this was done they were allotted certain privileges.
Is this what all the freedom fighters worked so hard for? Isn't it time we shed the legacies of slavery? We may not be what we wanted to be, we might not be what we hope to be, but at least let us not revert to being that which we once were.
I am etc.
L.S. WILLIAMS
stephanosja@netscape.com
Portmore
St.Catherine
Via Go-Jamaica
