THE EDITOR, Sir:
IT IS most unfortunate that people who do not know better, associate illiteracy with stupidity, and anti-social behaviour. I am not trying to launch an illiteracy campaign or discount the value of literacy. I am making the point that if we stop to think, we would stop blaming the illiterate people who cannot read and write for the social ills in this country including driving without due care and consideration for other road users and disobeying traffic signs.
Being able to read and write does not make one a good human being. The converse is also true; not being able to read and write does not make one a bad human being. I will not digress to a discussion of what it means to be a good or bad human being. Suffice it to say that a good human being respects other human beings. Reading and writing are unlike listening and speaking, which are natural to all normal human beings.
There was a time in human history when there was no alphabetic writing system. No one was able to read and write as we can today. Everyone was illiterate. The people who read and write other languages using other writing systems are illiterate as far as the alphabetic writing system that we use is concerned, and we are illiterate as far as their writing systems are concerned.
Let us stop blaming illiteracy for our social problems and learn to love and respect each other.
I am, etc.,
WINNIE
ANDERSON-BROWN
winab@cwjamaica.com
Bagatelle District
Ashley P.A.,Clarendon
