Violence in Bahamian Society

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

There was a hope that after the experiences of the last century humankind would have been seriously committed to the elimination of violence from its affairs.

After all, it was the bloodiest century in history when well over 100 million people were killed in wars, revolutions and persecutions. Modern technology flashed the news of mayhem around the world almost instantly, and long before the century was over much of it could be seen in living colour.

At the end of World War II, leaders like Winston Churchill and Franklyn Roosevelt set up a world organization to serve humanity in various ways including the settlement of disputes and the avoidance of wars. This no doubt helped to prevent a third world war fought with nuclear weapons.

Another great leader, Mohandas Gandhi, demonstrated that even great revolutions can be achieved through non-violent means. His theory was also successfully put to the test by an American disciple, Martin Luther King.

Still, it appears that the proverbial gods have not yet had enough blood and so the slaughter goes on around the world. The men of violence continue to unleash the dogs of war at the controls of awesome – and expensive – killing machines. Some, deluded by religious fanaticism, blow themselves up along with their innocent victims while others indulge in the savagery of genocide.

Even in this beautiful part of the world “where every prospect pleases” it seems that violence is becoming more commonplace and a threat to our peace and security as well as our economic well-being.

At the moment we are beleaguered not only by ordinary criminal violence but by an apparent surge in domestic violence as well; and we now there are police officers in schools to keep our children from doing violence to teachers and to one another.

We can hope that the current spate is mere co-incidence and not indicative of a permanent upward spiral, but the prognosis is not good.

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It is fascinating that among all the species only the human animal has been able to entertain angelic visions of universal civilization. But his propensity for violence is a big stumbling block and great minds have given much thought to its origins and how it might be suppressed.

Some say it will be a long struggle since homo sapiens evolved out of a distant past with violence and aggressive instincts deeply ingrained in his survival apparatus along with sexuality and territoriality.

According to one theory, modern humans first appeared some 200,000 years ago after millions of years of evolution. Although this theory is widely accepted in today’s world even by many religious people, it is still hotly contested by the biblical literalists whose latest formulation of a counter-argument is called intelligent design. They attribute violence and all other human failings to the Fall.

The evolution advocates point out that strict biblical literalism was demolished by the Italian astronomer Galileo back in the 17th century. He was punished by the church for his heresy in proposing that the sun was the centre of the solar system and not the earth. Galileo was right, of course, but he had to wait nearly 400 years for a posthumous apology.

Professor James DeMeo of the University of Kansas about 20 years ago published a book, Saharasia, in which he cites evidence from seven years of research to show that some 6,000 years ago humans were not fighting wars and killing one another.

According to Professor DeMeo, our African ancestors lived in a society that was essentially non-violent and far more social and loving than most humans today. What happened to upset this Eden-like existence, says Professor DeMeo, was that dramatic climate change dried up the verdant Sahara causing starvation, forced migrations and conflict over dwindling resources.

“Something happened around 4000 BC which forced the drying-out of this vast desert region, which I call Saharasia, and the drier conditions created social and emotional havoc among developing human agricultural societies in these same regions.”

No doubt these humans had within them a pre-existing capacity for violence but Professor DeMeo argues that the culture of violence we have today started as a result of that cataclysmic event six thousand years ago.

Whatever the origins of human violence, it is clear that it is a well-entrenched tendency which can flare up all too readily in certain circumstances. It may take many more centuries of evolution before this destructive genetic coding can be eliminated or at least mutated into a less virulent form.

In the meantime we must confront it intelligently and effectively if the civilization movement is to succeed in the end and if our own little society is to survive in the short run.

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The government is no more responsible for violent behaviour than is the society as a whole. But the government does have the responsibility to provide adequate resources and laws for the protection of society and for the apprehension and incarceration of violent criminals.

Emergency measures must be taken, if only on a temporary basis, so that the courts can catch up with the huge backlog of criminal cases awaiting trial, especially where accused persons are being held on remand. Additional judges and magistrates should be appointed.

It is wrong to keep people in prison for years awaiting trial. Those who may be innocent will have suffered a grave injustice and some may be tempted to turn to crime as a way of life. On the other hand, it is quite intolerable for the public to be exposed to violent criminals who are let out on bail or whose sentences are unwisely reduced.

What can we say to the parents whose daughter is assaulted by a known rapist who should be behind bars, or whose son is slaughtered by a previously convicted killer? And what do we say to the police who work so hard to bring them to justice only to have to go all over it again?

Dangerous criminals must be locked away and more imaginative ways must be found to punish non-violent criminals, especially first offenders, rather than locking them up. Public service may shame them and heavy fines will help maintain the justice and penal systems. In the case of common thieves, restitution should be mandatory.

The government also has a responsibility to take the lead, along with the church and civic organizations, in tackling the circumstances which contribute to violent behaviour in our society.

We are in serious trouble from the all-too-familiar flaws in our own society as well as from the mounting cultural detritus produced by western society. It seems there is a breakneck race to the bottom, a competition to destroy or undermine the very foundations of civilization.

About the latter we can do little, but we have to acknowledge and deal with the weaknesses in the local culture. Clearly, one of these is the failure of parenting which is producing too many social misfits who in turn become biological parents ill-equipped for the task of socializing their own young.

This is undoubtedly the principal sociological problem facing the Bahamas today and cries out for a national campaign of correction.

Churches should be encouraged to reach out to the thousands of young people who are at risk with programmes designed for them and implemented by trained professionals. There have been some remarkably successful cases at single-parenting which some attribute to strong religious influence.

Teachers must be trained to deal with the realities of the school population, a large number of whom need to be taught lessons they are not receiving at home, and the government must make greater efforts to recruit more male teachers for the system.