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In today’s Caribbean society it is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust on all levels. This is because of a number of factors such as history, society norms and even culture. These have all influenced the growth of intolerance and mistrust amongst the Caribbean Islands. In this article, we will examine how intolerance and mistrust with respect to religion, identity and education has shaped the way we as a Caribbean think.

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Intolerance can be defined as “the unwillingness to let other people act in a different way or hold different opinions from you". (Collinsdictionary.com). In fact intolerance has always existed in the Caribbean including during the precolonial era. For example, the two native Amerindian tribes, the Kalinagos and the Tainos. The Kalinagos and the Tainos would war with each other and fight with each other based on their differences and ways of life. When the Europeans had arrived at the end 9f the fifteenth (15th) century, they were quite intolerant and distrusting towards the people and the already existing cultures that they met when they arrived. The Europeans characterized the Neo- Indians as barbaric and would have called them savages. This was because they did not understand their ways of life. The Amerindians that had been encountered within the Caribbean were nothing like their European counterparts and because of this they were considered as lesser beings. This type of intolerance gave justification to the Europeans for their atrocities they would seem to commit towards the Amerindians people.

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Mistrust can be defined as “a general lack of trust or confidence, sometimes based on instinct.” (Dictionary.com). Mistrust became prevalent in the Caribbean when the Europeans first arrived. When the Spaniards first encountered the Tainos and Kalinagos, they were very skeptical and suspicious of their practices. The Spaniards had their own theories about those practices and this led to a number of myths about the first people. Some of these myths included that the Kalinagos were referred to as cannibals meaning they would kill the Tainos and eat them. This drove a wedge between the two native Amerindian groups giving more justification towards the European for their actions and almost completely erasing the Amerinidian culture. Mistrust continued to be seen when the various groups came to the Caribbean such as the Africans, Chinese, and Indians. These groups all brought their traditions and cultures, hence causing each group to have their own suspicions and mistrust about each other. Above all the European standards and customs were expected to be adopted and learnt in each ethnic group. This sometimes created hostility amongst each other.

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Homosexuality is another example of intolerance. In today’s society people refuse to tolerate and respect this group in all aspects whether it be socially, culturally or politically. Pertaining to the politic aspect there is laws in effect in nine Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados. This goes to show that homosexuality in these islands is not acceptable and tolerated because the governments of these nations have gone as far as enforcing laws pertaining to homosexuality. Therefore the Caribbean is characterized as a homophobic territory. This has now caused most homosexuals to not display their homosexual behaviors in public to prevent them from being endangered and harmed. In conclusion the law forces these people to conceive their identity and hope to not be discovered in order to not lose their civil rights. In terms of culture pertaining to homosexuality, it can be seen in our type of music where various musicians or artistes promote dwellings against the LGBQT for example the Jamaican musician Bunju Banton sang “Boom Bye Bye" as well as Vybz Kartel sang “Faggot Corrections”. Homosexuals are now caused to isolate themselves from society. Some families kick their loved ones out of their household if they turn to the LGBQT community. They are now forced to live in secluded areas.

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Creole is another characteristic of identity. In the days of slavery before emancipation of 1845 the colonizers spoke various languages such as Dutch, French, and Spanish. They forced their languages on the slaves, however they put up all forms of resistance to their colonial officers. Because of this each territory in the Caribbean developed their own unique creole language which up to this date continues to evolve within the younger generation. This shows a form of intolerance as these people did not accept the languages from the colonial officers but instead they mixed the African, European and other natives to create their own unique style.

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Intolerance and mistrust pertaining to religion and education has played a big role in the shaping of today’s society. Before emancipation of 1845, education was for the privileged few. This meant only those who could have afforded education were granted access. The education system allowed the whites to attend Sunday school where as the blacks had to remain on the fields working. In the education system they taught the women more needle work and cookery to prepare them to be housewives where as the men were taught arithmetic, reading and Woodwork as they prepared them to be the skilled and leader of the house. During slavery it was known as a patriarchal society. This meant it was Male dominated and that males were seen as highly skilled and capable of doing work women would not be able to perform. This has however impacted the Caribbean society today as women are downgraded and seen as incapable of doing things men can do. This is seen in the workforce as well as in the households. Society view women as not being able to do carpentry work or mechanical work.

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There is evidence of mistrust and grave intolerance at the level of religion in the Caribbean. Males are still seen to be more suited for religious roles such as priests, deacons, archbishops where as women are seen in the church as the decorators and florists. This was predominantly evident during slavery. However this is still seen in today's society where the male counterparts continue to play major roles in the Catholic, Muslim, Hindu faith.

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There is evidence of mistrust and intolerance at the level of racism in the Caribbean. Once your skin color was black you were not privileged to many amenities during colonial times.  They were considered as the field slaves and was mistreated and had to slave on the plantations no matter their condition or age. They were not granted access to health nor education. In today's society racism is still seen as some companies refuse to hire persons of African descent because it is believed that they are incapable of doing the job. Some people feel a sense of unsafe when associated with an African descent person. Not only d they fee that way but in some schools across the Caribbean, young African descent girls are criticized of their hairstyles where as girls of color are given more opportunities and privileges with their hairstyles.

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Sarah Baartman showed how women were being violated and discriminated compared to a man."Sara grew up on a colonial farm where her family most probably worked as servants. Her mother died when she was aged two and her father, who was a cattle driver, died when she reached adolescence. Sara married a Khoikhoi man who was a drummer and they had one child together who died shortly after birth. Due to colonial expansion, the Dutch came into conflict with the Khoikhoi. As a result people were gradually absorbed into the labor system. When Sarah was only sixteen years old Sara’s fiance was murdered by Dutch colonists. Soon after, she was sold into slavery to a trader, who took her to Cape Town where she became a domestic servant to his brother.Sara Baartman’s large buttocks and unusual coloring made her the object of fascination by the colonial Europeans who presumed that they were racially superior. Dunlop who is the trader brother wanted Sara to come to London and become an oddity for display. She was taken to London where she was displayed in a building in Piccadilly. Englishmen and women paid to see Sara’s half naked body displayed in a cage that was about a meter and half high. She became an attraction for people from various parts of Europe. Sara Baartman died in 1816 at the age of 26. It is unknown whether she died from alcoholism or smallpox. Cuvier obtained her remains from local police and dissected her body. He made a plaster cast of her body, pickled her brain and genitals and placed them into jars which were placed on display".(SouthAfricanHistoryOnline.com). It was then Nelson Mandela requested her body parts be sent back to Africa so she can have a proper burial and can rest in peace. Her story goes to show how women were disrespect and mistreated and in today's society this is still seen.

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Indeed because of slavery today's society has been gravely impacted with intolerance and mistrust on all levels as black persons have resorted to bleaching their skins as well as doing various treatments to their body to be accepted by society. We as Caribbean people have also remained quite homophobic towards the LGBQT persons. We still show signs of racism politically and socially.