Deep-rooted fear drives atrocities

Those victims are our neighbours, May 17

Since the beginning of our species, we have tried to annihilate others who don’t look like us, who don’t live like us and who don’t share our beliefs.

Too primitive and not very long on this planet, Homo sapiens will take perhaps many countless more millenia to weed out this behaviour.

Until then, the “never-again” rhetoric rings hollow when there is another war, another genocide, another mass shooting, another act of racism fomented by insecurity fuelled by fear of different religion, skin colour or misogynism.

It is difficult to be shocked by anything these days. Julia Bowkun, Toronto

‘‘ Post-convoy Canada is not immune from (American) afflictions. MUBASHIR SYED MILTON

SCOTT OLSON GETTY IMAGES People participate in a vigil Tuesday to honour the 10 people killed in the mass shooting at Tops market in Buffalo, N.Y.