Fear

Many of the Trinidadians that I have encountered since I arrived here in Trinidad & Tobago have commented on the rise in crime and the lack of safety that has recently become an issue here. Though I understand the unease that comes with an increase of crime, sometimes the discussions seem to allude to a different issue. One instance stands out to me in particular. I was coming out of a Chinese restaurant with a woman, as we got into her car she turned around to look at a young man walking past the restaurant and remarked “I don’t trust those young men.” Something about this bothered me deeply. All I saw was a young black youth, dressed like most of the young black youths that I have encountered since I have been here. What exactly made him untrustworthy? What makes a human being fear-able? As people repeatedly warn our group that this place or this corner is unsafe, who are the one’s we should be afraid of? When does a person go from being a person to being someone to fear and what criteria are we using to make those judgments? What does it feel like to be feared?