Dear Editor,

With reference to the letter captioned 'Words that wound' (SN, 27.1.02), I brought my first son to Guyana at 18 months old and my neighbour and friend promptly nicknamed him "Coolie Boy," a name which has stuck until now. This name is often used by her with love, with a smile, with hugs and kisses and sometimes impatiently when he is disobedient to her. My second son is now being referred to as a "Real coolie boy" by everyone who sees him. He is neither uncouth nor uneducated, he is 3 months old.

My three brothers who live in Queens, New York call each other 'Nigga' all the time, and this has nothing to do with racism.

Let us as Guyanese stop all this verbal wrangling; it only serves to divide this nation. Instead let's find ways and means to develop this country and so make it a better place for all our peoples.