Title: Preface (Page 5)Why did we choose St. Vincent over the other islands? The fifth reason was that it has a significant history that may well have a continuing influence in the world.
One of the mysteries of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which are discussed in more detail in the history section, is that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines may well be the least racist anglophone country in the Antilles. It might be the least racist place in the world.
The results of the UN conferences held recently at Durban and Johannesburg, and of the follow-on conference to Durban held on Barbados, strongly hints that the next focus of tension in the globe is going to be between the euroamerican nations and the rest of the world; in other words between the melanin-deficient people who call themselves "white" and the normal and melanin-rich people that the melanin-deficient people don't call "white".
Saint Vincent provides an example of a society in which that division technically exists but is not an everpresent focus of social tensions. In a sense, that means that Saint Vincent is an oasis of sanity in a world obsessed with the fantasy that "race" means more than appearance. [See here for an explanation of that phenomenon.]
It may not possible to avoid escalating the global racial tensions to conflict, especially as long as the George W. Bush Administration's war polic is interpreted as a crusade against Islam. If that crusade drags the rest of us into a war that is based on people's perceptions of melanin-concentration as an indicator of "race" it will be important to maintain societies like Saint Vincent so that Vincentians can show the world how it can put itself back together.
Clearly, in addition to the beautiful weather, the beautiful beaches, the beautiful mountains and the beautiful people, there is a secret excitement involved in being part of the future hub about which the world may well turn.
So Sally and I had both sensual and philosophical reasons to settle on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. That's why I am writing this book. It will be useful for off-islanders to take a closer look at Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Visits by off-islanders will be useful for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as well. The United States has attempted to destroy the caribbean banana industry so that Dole and Chiquita may more profitably exploit Central American labor. To survive, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines must get more income from tourism. So one of the purposes of this book will be to make it easier for tourists to enjoy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
But I think it is also important for visitors to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vincentians as well, to have the opportunity to understand why it is such a pleasant place to visit aside from the geography.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has long had a reputation for being populated by friendly people: now, more than ever, the rest of the world needs to learn from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines so we can become a friendly world.