Preserving All Of Our History

Many Jamaicans have a romantic notion of life in old colonial Jamaica, somehow they feel that life was better for all under British colonial rule and I sometimes wonder just where they got this idea from. Yes life was very good for a chosen few, yes it was a simpler time but back then a vast majority of Jamaicans lived in poverty.  Just before independence one quarter of the adult population could not read or write, one quarter of the total workforce had no jobs and the distribution of land ownership and the means of production represented gross and growing inequalities and at that time pre-independence Jamaica had a very small middle class.

If you ask some old-timers about life back then they would go into great details about how wonderful it was when they were a child, what they use to do, it was a fun simpler time but they were children, with not a care in the world, most not responsible for putting food on the table. However when you sit down and do the research into the lives of the people, read the social and economic historical archives, you get a completely different picture of life in colonial Jamaica, yes it was safer but harder times and most seems to be contented with the hard life they lived, no light, running water, horrible living conditions and very little hope of progress.

I think people were very simple back then and accepted and enjoyed simpler things, I think they accepted their status, position and station in life and did not question it. A lot of times the life they described was not their own but the life of the British colonial class, a life they could not take part in but could only observe and they seemed happy that the colonial class was able to live so well, usually at their expense. I love to interrogate the older generation about life back then, I once spoke to an old friend of the family who loved to talk a lot about the glory days but only in terms of the big house she use to work in, not the house she lived in, how great the lady of the house was, how stylish and upper class, they were, a fine white Lady and gentleman who belong to the upper echelons of Jamaican and British society and even though these people lived in Jamaica most did not consider themselves Jamaicans, Jamaica was not an option for them after independence, the gravy train had ended and so they packed up their belongings and returned to the mother country.

The words Jamaicans used to describe colonial Jamaica was taken from the British, the idea that Jamaica was the pearl of the Caribbean or the jewel in the British crown was a British concept based purely on the benefits Britain received at the expense of the native population and not its development. Britain cared very little about how the native population lived, cared very little about their education and well-being and more about pacifying the people so that they continue to work hard and support the British economy.

Sometime ago I joined a Facebook group called the Jamaica Colonial Heritage Society created by Brett Ashmeade-Hawkins, who is a passionate historian with a wealth of knowledge, he presents historical artifacts with detail descriptions of names, dates and places.  The Jamaica Colonial Heritage Society’s group love of history excites me and I support their desire to preserve our colonial past, I love the artifacts they have on display and I understand why each time they see another colonial artifact from our past being destroyed they get very upset. I too get very upset that we as a people have not taken advantage of our history, we see it as something to forget, to push aside, as we set out to destroy everything colonial but unlike some members of the group I will not lash out against the Jamaican people in a very stereotypical way, painting all with the same ignorant brush. Somehow some of these people believed that the British had created a perfect society, instilled the perfect values in us but for whatever reason we are incapable of retaining values, thus reverting to our savage dark nature destroying the perfect society that was created and given to us.

Greenwood Great House

One thing I most admire about the Jewish community is how they set out to preserve various Holocaust sites and Jewish artifacts because they realized that these sites have value and needed to be preserved even though they represented great suffering and hardship for their people. The sites are preserved so that future generations will not forget what had happened to their ancestors.

 

I view the plantations and the great houses as a Holocaust sites that should be preserved for future generation to understand what had happened to our ancestors, how they suffered, to see how the ruling class lived at the expense of the slave class. It is amazing that in almost all the plantations the slave section of these estates have almost vanished leaving behind the majestic mansions of the white colonial class, which makes it difficult for our young people to imagine the human suffering that took place, out of sight out of mind, as everyone involved push the greatness and sing praises to the people who lived in these massive Great Houses.

I am particular interested in our colonial architecture but most Jamaicans seem to see these old buildings as something to knock down and rebuild into something awful. It is correct to say that most Jamaicans do not see any value in preserving historical artifacts from our colonial history because they were never educated to see any value in it. Our past Colonial Masters did not set out to create an educated society with values or else we would not be in the situation we are currently in since values are normally passed down from generation to generation and our current Home Grown Colonial leaders learned from the very best, they too are not too concerned about values within our society.  My estimate is that if we have 100 historical sites 85 percent of them are almost gone, turning into dust.

The shocking thing is, we expect poor, uneducated, ignorant, low income, materialistic people to acquire a sense of value and historical perspective as if people are genetically engineered with values or acquire them through osmosis. The fact is not even our foreign minded, foreign educated, middle and upper-class have these values, at least the poor have an excuse, what is the excuse of the educated class? A well traveled educated Jamaican will tell you about the old historical ruins in Greece, England and France with joy while totally ignoring those at home.

I am a huge admirer of Jamaica’s Environmental Groups, they play an active role in preserving the natural eco-system. They organize lectures and various events such as beach cleaning days, they are environmental activists/warriors as they protest and fight to force our government to put in place measures to protect environmentally sensitive areas, they create petitions so the world wide community can assist them in their fight, they go out to schools and communities, they reach out to explain the importance of the environment to young, old, rich and poor alike, they try to make uneducated low income people understand the importance of the environment to their existence.

There is a need to duplicate this effort with regards to historical sites and artifacts, there needs to be a more pro-active group that is interested in the complete history of our people, not just trying to glorify Colonialism and Slavery as if they wish to return to the good old glory days. It is not suppose to be about which plantation Slave owner you are related to, like any association you can draw elevates your status in life, the nostalgia of a life you did not live but now try to live by proxy, as they praise how great their ancestors were, how big their plantation was, how massive the Great House was and how many heads of slave they had at their disposal, I cannot imagine descendants of Nazi Germany boasting the same way about getting rich at the expense of Jewish suffering. This is not the way to get the Black population on-board, when they read things like this, they then want nothing to do with preservation of these sites. History is suppose to be inclusive, the story of everyone involved must be told, lay bare for all to see and read.

One of my favorite author and Historian is Niall Ferguson even though I do not agree with some of his conclusions on British Colonial History, the fact is he is a brilliant writer and historian and have the ability to describe history in details and take me back in time. In a part of his book Empire “The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power” Ferguson states “If not the British then who?”  As if to say, who would you rather to enslave you, use you and abuse you, beat you and rape you, the French would have made your life 10 times worst and the Germans would put you against the wall and have you shot, so count your blessing it was the British. That is what I dislike about his writings but his writings are so much more than this.

Please Also Read: That oh so special time

For the average Jamaican, colonialism was not pretty, life was not easy and the British for all its 350 years of rule did not invest out of love for Jamaicans, they did not invest in Jamaican minds, They were never interested in building a nation, they just did not create a society capable of valuing, understanding  or embracing history.  History can be a very profitable business, if we take the time to invest in our past, we could have a very bright future, a revitalized Downtown Kingston to recapture 17 Century architecture, how it use to be, centuries old quaint villages across the island rebuilt to capture historical life, Spanish Town the 16 century capital of the Island, in any other country would be a major tourist attraction with the ability to transport its occupants back to the 16 Century, to see and feel history.

Now I agree that people who know better should do better, it is not enough to just curse poor people because they do not share your superior sense of value, you the materialistic educated class is a waste of space if you do not attempt to use your education, wealth, position in society, your proximity to power to mold our society for the greater good, to build a nation state with values to appreciate our history and historical artifacts, so that everyone can get a better understanding of their future. Today’s educated middle and upper-class have no excuse for not pushing values unless they are truly bankrupt of it , by not doing so you are behaving like the British Colonial Masters of the past but this time with an American outlook on life, if its old… bulldoze it.......

I am a huge fan of shows that trace people’s heritage like “Who Do You Think You Are?” on the BBC. It is fascinating to see how far back these people can go, finding relatives that are spread across the globe.  The British Government seems to keep records of everything and everyone and all has been computerized, just by entering your name in the search engine and you can track your family roots going back centuries, even with pictures in some cases, now how cool is that? My mother died when I was 9 months old and I have no idea how she looked as the family have no pictures of her, it seems strange in this day and age but back them people had more important things to do than to stand around taking pictures it seems, so I cannot even connect her face to mine.

I know my last name, is my last name but not really my last name, I know it was given to me based mainly on which plantation my ancestors was sold to. I know name assignment was a simple process, for example, there goes Stewart’s slave and before you know it an entire generation of people with the last name Stewart started spreading all over Jamaica and Stewart could be the owner of the plantation or the overseer, so tracing my heritage is not as easy as I would like but it does not stop me from wondering who my ancestors were, what were they like, what did they do? Are there people in other countries who are related to me, separated only by which ship went left or right, do they look like me, it boggles the mind. I remember going to England for a little family reunion and was shocked to see people who look like me, my father, my sisters and my grandmother so just imagine how many extended family I may have in others countries.

I remember the exact day and time when I read the following text, I will never forget it, certain things can mark you for life and this is one of them, not out of anger but shock and disappointment with humanity, it is my firm belief that no one should get angry over history, upset yes, disappointed why not but anger no. History represents how we use to be, not who we are today, not where we are going, we must use it to shape our future.. 

Cecil Rhodes embarked on war with Lobengula in Matebele, his troops used a new "secret weapon:" the Maxim which could fire 500 rounds a minute. In 1893, in the battle of Shangani River, 1,500 Matebele warriors were killed while only four British died. The English Liberals penned a bitter satire on the victory, which Rhodes' men --- the Chartered Company Volunteers --- then cynically adopted as their anthem (below):

The Rise and Demise of The British World Order and The Lessons for Global Power

Niall Ferguson

Onward Chartered Soldiers, on to heathen lands,

Prayer books in your pockets, rifles in your hands.

Take the florious tidings where trade can be done,

Spread the peaceful gospel --- with a Maxim gun.

Tell the wretched natives, sinful are their hearts,

Turn their heathen temples into spirit marts.

And if to your teaching they will not succumb,

Give them another sermon with the Maxim gun...

When the Ten Commandments they quite understand,

You their Chief must hocus, and annex their land;

And if they misguided call you to account,

Give them another sermon --- with a Maxim from the Mount.

I remember when my Primary school teacher had us repeat the following over and over until we got it right. The words did something to me that day, I began to question myself, who am I and where am I going, and how I am going to get there.. It was then that I realized that my principles and my word is all I really have to go by, it is what defines me as a person, I will not turn my back on my principles and my word is my bond.

If We Must Die :

Claude McKay (1890–1948)

IF we must die—let it not be like hogs

Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,

Making their mock at our accursed lot.

If we must die—oh, let us nobly die,

So that our precious blood may not be shed

In vain; then even the monsters we defy

Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!

Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;

Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave,

And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!

What though before us lies the open grave?

Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,

Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back!

The following week she had us do the same thing to Mango Time...

Mi Gone!

More about → Preserving All Of Our History

Removing the Jamaican Menace (2003)

Yardies are destroying Her Majesties Perfect Society

I wrote this on: January 1st 2003 and decided to Blog it.

It seems that almost all crimes committed in the UK is expected to have a Jamaican connection, it is the first thing the authorities look for.  The British media is constantly reporting about Jamaican drug gangs, Jamaican criminals and yardie violence. It seems that yardies are destroying Her Majesties perfect society. Jamaicans are being blamed for everything except the terror attack on the World Trade Center and if the Home Office announces a Jamaican connection I would not be too surprise. If one follows the British media, one would think that every Tom, Dick and Harry who commits a crime and who just happens to be black, is a yardie, thus creating a negative perceptions of all Jamaicans in the minds of the British public.

 I am not opposed to the British Government imposing visa restriction on Jamaican citizens, it is the right of the British government to protect itself from whatever it considers as a treat to its people, its society and its way of life and if restricting Jamaicans from traveling to Britain returns Her Majesties country to the perfect society that it once was, then you all have my blessing. However I am wondering at what point does, the British Government and its people accept some responsibilities for the increase in crime and gun violence that is sweeping the country.

It is not relevant that the British citizens who are committing these crimes may be of Jamaican parentage, the fact remains that most of these criminals are British Citizens born in the United Kingdom or were transported there from childhood. At what point does the responsibility of the Jamaican Government ends and the responsibility of the British government starts, are we to assume responsibility for first, second or third generation British citizens with Jamaican lineage. I have seen reports that blame the influence of Jamaicans culture and Jamaican criminals on British youths, the British government and people are blaming Jamaica for its failures. The government is also blaming gangster rap and the influence of Black American culture for the problem it faces within its society, It seems to be everybody else’s fault. 

The fact of the matter is, black British citizens have been ignored by their own Government for far too long, they are not seen and treated like equals and are the underclass of British Society. They represent the failures of the British society to properly socialize and to properly educate British youths regardless of their lineage or colour, so as to make them good upstanding people. They are the product of years of exclusion from mainstream British society, poor education from a failing education system and no prospect of making a proper living in today’s society built by new Labor.

 I am not here to defend Jamaican criminals; because God knows they need no defending, criminals are a major problem in both our societies. Nor am I here to oppose the visa restrictions because if Jamaica had a problem with British Hooligans, I would also support measures to prevent British Hooligans from entering Jamaica. What I am against is a move by the British government and media to vilify the entire population of a country base on the actions of a few Jamaican criminals and also the action of blaming Jamaica for crimes of British born Citizens of Jamaican lineage, these people are a product of British Society. Believe it or not most of us are hard working people, with normal jobs, families to feed and a life we enjoy. We don’t all live in those places the media loves to show, most of us lives in normal places where our children go out and play and grow up to be good honest citizens. Just like not all British citizens are hooligans or criminals not all Jamaicans are dangerous yardies. 

Jamaica is a country with many different problems most of which stems from our colonial past and I do agree that Jamaican criminals have no business disrupting the perfect lives of British citizens. On the other hand Jamaican prisons are filling with British citizens trying to traffic drugs.

 The Jamaican Government is now charged with the responsibility of protecting other peoples Borders, other peoples society, we must make sure that drugs do not enter the United Kingdom and the United States of America and if they do, then there will be hell to pay. Day after day however barrels and barrels of guns turn up at Jamaica’s ports of entry. Countries like the United States of America and Great Britain manufacture guns and do not care where these guns end up or whom they kill so long as they are able to sell them and make a profit. 

 These are the rules, the bigger and stronger countries sets them and we must follow, they do not care that their guns and their demand for drugs are destroying my country. I must fight a war on three fronts. I must prevent the drugs from coming into Jamaica, prevent the drugs from leaving Jamaica and prevent your guns from coming into Jamaica.  At what point will the international community step in and play their part.

Multiculturalism, Assimilation and Respect for British Culture:

I wrote this around 2005/2006 after the events of 7/7, rising racial attacks fueled my the media and the murder of Anthony Walker pushed me to write this.

I find Great Britain to be one of the most beautiful countries on the face of this planet. The land is green and when the sun shines it is absolutely, the most fantastic sight to behold, rolling green hills and fields as far as the eyes can see.  I find no fault with the food, which is as diverse as the commonwealth, real, natural tasting and the local real ale tasting like nectars from the gods themselves. The positive about Britain is its rich history which includes its colonial past and the commonwealth and the way the land and society holds on to that history, not everything is bulldozed and rebuilt into some boring monolithic modern structure.

The negative is definitely the mindset of the people; Britons are the most miserable people on the face of the planet. The British have mastered the art of complaining, I have never heard a group of people who complains so much, they complain about everything, always moaning and groaning, always whining, “...The way this bloody country is running”.  All this built up frustration must find an outlet it must be released in some way. Could it be that the continuous wave of anti-social behavior across the UK is as a result of this, why else would people go out get drunk and beat each other to bloody pulps? If you are miserable to begin with and drink then getting drunk will increase that misery to the point of aggression. 

Rex Anglorum-Saxonum

Another way in which this misery and frustration finds an outlet is to always blame someone else for whatever problems they have, real or imaginary. The British are professional scapegoat artist and the problem is only getting worst. Everything that is wrong with the United Kingdom of Great Britain is the fault of Immigrants and British born minorities. Even before the events of July 7th 2005, the British Anglos represented xenophobia gone mad, for a people who supposedly hate diversity they, historically went out of their way to create a very diverse Colonial Empire of which they are still reaping its benefits. If British born minorities and immigrants work hard and take care of their families and are successful, they would complain that they are taking jobs away from Anglo Saxons who regard themselves as the one and only true British citizens. If they don’t work they complain that they are a drain on British society, using up their hard earned tax dollars that should only be spent on Anglo Saxons.

The events of 7/7/05 is like fuel on the fire, it has created an environment where British Anglos can act upon their feelings in a society where people are more willing to turn a blind eye to racial abuse. Assimilation is a two way street and British society has been practicing exclusion for years. Britain as long since declared itself a civilize society with a civilize police force to deal with crime, Tony Blair attacked Iraq because he thought they were behaving in the most uncivilized manner, yet the British public have set out to prove to the world that they are also capable of the most uncivilized behaviors. Hate crimes soared since 7/7 as white British citizens set upon immigrants who inhabit their land. The number of racially motivated crimes recorded by police in England and Wales went up by 12% to 59,257 in 2004/2005, according to Home Office figures. Within British society the Government and the media continue to emphasize the negative effects of Immigration while continuing to ignore positive contribution of immigrants to British Society, throwing fuel on the fire for political points. One such attack was against a young black kid who was killed by a group of cowards hiding in the bushes. They jumped out and chopped him in the head with an axe, Anglo-Saxon ignorance at its worst. 

Enlightenment

In order to assist Immigrants and British Born Minorities to achieve a higher state of British-ness, Anglo-Saxons came up with a series of mile stones to help them on their journey. Concepts like Multiculturalism, Assimilation and respect for British Culture, are just some of the words being thrown about. The problem here is how will anyone know when any of these milestones have been achieved, how will this manifest itself within society, at what point will white British citizen wake up and embrace their fellow non-white citizens and immigrants? English speaking commonwealth countries has been under British rule for 350 year, if they have not achieved “Britishness” in all that time then either they will never achieve it or the concept of “Britishness” is a moving target, designed never to be achieved by non-Anglo-Saxons. I find these buzz words to be extremely dangerous, it’s an historical reminder of how the Nazi’s use to talk about the Jews just before they started throwing them into Ovens.

Now I am not saying that immigration should not be controlled and I am by no means condoning illegal immigration, I am all for standardization of the process which can come about without fueling the fire of racial hatred and bigotry. If the politician and the media took the time to listen to legal immigrants and British born minorities they would realize that they also want standardization of the process, a reduction in illegal immigration and asylum seekers. What they do not want is for the politicians and the media to ponder to people’s fears, to raciest groups and to stir up racial hatred among the general population thus converting Britain into a Neo-Nazi state-of-mind.

 Apart from the few murderous radicals, who exist in every society, how does the other British Born Minorities and immigrants show disrespect for British Culture? What is British Culture? Is it getting piss drunk and beating the bloody pulp out of someone, anyone, is it football hooliganism, singing “En-ga-land, En-ga-land, En-ga-land” while you put the boot in. How was Anthony Walker disrespecting British culture, he was assimilated, a modeled citizen, a son any mother would be proud to have, he did not drink or smoke or beat people up on the streets, well educated and a member of the Church of England how much more assimilated can you get but he was black and no amount of assimilation can change people’s perceptions of you when you are not white.

Even if the Muslims tear down their house of worship, dress is European style clothing and eats pork pies they will never be fully accepted in British society, nor will any other immigrants or descendants of immigrants. This I know because black British have long since given up their culture over the past 350 years and have accepted a European existence and they are still not accepted.  Nothing will ever change in the United Kingdom until this British culture of constant misery, moaning, groaning, whining and blaming others is overcome and the people learn to accept the fact that they live in a multicultural society and embrace the difference around them.

also read: Whites Have Become Black ...WTF!!

 

Justice For Stephen Lawrence !!

  Murderer, blood is on your shoulder Kill I today you cannot kill I tomorrow, Murder your inside must be hollow, How does it feel to take the life of another? 

Buju Banton

 Murderers of Stephen Lawrence 

 

Murderers of Anthony Walker

More about → Removing the Jamaican Menace (2003)

To Floss or Not to Floss that is the Question?

“How come you are staying here?” my client exclaimed when he dropped me off at the Altamont Court hotel in Kingston, JA.

“Because this fits my needs. It’s efficient, safe and clean. I am family when am here plus, it’s fantastic value for money. Why?” I am curious.

“Because someone of your stature should be staying at the Spanish Court Hotel, you should be holding your meetings there to show people who you are. And act more white!”. He replies with open conviction.

Nowhere else is the appearance of wealth and social status more ridge and important for display than in Jamaica in 2011. The need to show ones ability is no longer judged by ones credentials and authority those solid foundations have been replaced with gauche peacock parades of bling and wild grandiose titles they have self bestowed online. “CEO’s” without staff, “Presidents” without revenue and “Tech Guru’s” and “Consultants” who aren’t even bankable by a major brand to hire them as staff. So many, just Kings new clothes….

The diaspora moved to foreign lands and worked hard for ‘the man’ and created the barrel mentality arriving back looking like they’ve been ‘in farin’. But times have changed and as anyone who is abroad can tell you. The life in Jamaica is often a much better quality than the struggle for ‘stuff’ here. There is a lot of hard work to be done and quite frankly many that I know on the Rock couldn’t even stomach the long hours and the tough environments that workers have to make that $. Plenty of times I’ve been approached by people with laundry lists of high end items they want, yet these same people when I have found them work, quit so soon as they “won’t be working for no slave driver!”. Interesting how they would see the long hours I put in and the trudging through the winter snow, hail and rain to be there on time. OK for me to work for the man? But it’s not for them.

Why are so many folks buying into this flossing? This hyperreality that they back up with online gusto? Putting on pedestals the worship of goods and faux social status over value and endurable credibility of solid education and employment resumes. Personally, I think it’s the degeneration of ‘Jamaica the brand’. People are looking to America and having all those brands be the badge of their success. There’s little perceived value to buy-Jamaica or be-authentic-Jamaican anymore. There’s no respect or fair-trade ethos to support anything other than the flash named brands. The disinterest to preserve the vibrant valuable culture is seen in JTBs global campaigns that bolster the glossy All-Inclusive market over the meet the people smaller hotels. The only way we can buy back that trust is to not, hook line and sinker buy into the floss. The more Jamaicans buy into the brand floss like debt riddled America the more negative an impact it will have on the country and culture. Jamaica you don't know what you have till it's gone.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." -Lost with the seduction of crass consumerism - It’s costing folks their lives, literally.

- Jane Buchanan
jane@stooshpr.com

More about → To Floss or Not to Floss that is the Question?

I do not know where this is going, so bear with me. ….

This is a collection of disturbing things that I have experienced over many years, things that sometimes come up in certain political, social and economic conversation with friends.  

• I remember my first job on leaving school, I was working for the Government and my neighbor was kind enough to offer me a ride to work in the mornings since she also worked in the same location. Each morning I would stand by my gate waiting for her since she lived just two gates down from my house.  I remember her early morning rituals between leaving her front door and driving away from her gate, each morning her helper would open the gates for her to back out of her driveway at which point she would immediately start to issue orders to the helper like a drill sergeant to a private at the top of her voice and I remember feeling so embarrassed for the helper because such things should really be said in private.

• On a recent visit to café Blue at sovereign plaza one morning, trying to enjoy my morning cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (The best in the World) and reading the morning paper I was disturbed by an upper St. Andrew gentleman, talking at the top of his voice for all to hear about his Range Rover Sport in the car park, totaling up its cost and informing the people around his table and in the cafe that he has one more on the wharf to clear. Some of the other customers who were not a part of his group were visibly impressed… I was not one of them.   

•  Before cell phones, Jamaicans discovered two way radios, one day while in the plaza, a friend constantly used his radio to call his wife “ Smith I to Smith II, come in Smith II, I am approaching Tropical Plaza, over” he did this continuously for all to hear.

• A female friend of mine came down to Jamaica and was invited to a garden party up Jacks Hill where she met a young man, thinking she had struck gold only to be disappointed 10 minutes into the conversation, it seemed home boy got a new car that he could start remotely from the keys in his hand, he spent the first 10 minutes starting and stopping the automobile and explaining to her the various features of the car, such was the depth of his conversation, she said “instant turnoff”.
   
• A person whom I have not seen since high school immediately started to tell me that he was going bird hunting with the Minister, I had to wonder how we got from “hello, how are you, long time no see” to his weekend plans and why.
   

• While waiting to checkout of a hotel in Port Antonio, we had the misfortune of over hearing a “upper class” Jamaican couple's conversation with the hotel clerk. The bill that was given to them was incorrect but instead of having a polite and civil conversation to correct the issue they decided that the best way to deal with this situation was to talk down to the clerk, as if they were on a plantation and she was their slave. “Are you an Idiot?” the man shouted at the clerk, “Don’t you see this Bill is incorrect, did they not teach you simple Math in school?” the clerk apologized for her mistake and took the bill to correct it. The couple then turned around to an English gentleman also waiting in the office, with a look on their face as if to say…  look at how well we are carrying on the grand tradition in your absents. This English gentleman expressed to me how disgusted he was at their behavior towards the clerk, he felt really bad for her as she did not deserve to be embarrassed in that manner. 

Everything comes down to how we elect to deal with certain situations. Too many Jamaicans take the aggressive approach as their first resort instead of their last. I think as a society we would accomplish so much more if we just take the time to think out a solution to some of our problems instead of flying off the handle. What is the point of higher education and class if we deal with problem/solutions the same as others who do not know any better?

It seems for some the Perception of Success means everything and in almost all cases the sole measurement of success is the accumulation of material things regardless of cost, happiness is no longer being content with life regardless of financial standing or position within the class structure and as such Jamaicans could do well with a bit of Buddhism injected into daily life. For these people MTV cribs is not just a show, it is a way of life, as they parade their earthly possessions for all to see,  trying to influence the way people think about them. I thought it was considered bad manners and vulgar for one to brag and boast about ones wealth, a sure sign of being low class, “hurry come up”,” neva see, come see”. I am sure this high profiling by some Jamaicans is the reason why some small businesses fail, the desire to be seen as making it or in another class destroys any common sense approach to business development, they are consumed by their own self importance.

Made In Jamaica

A public relation company came to Jamaica back in the late 70’s and performed an experiment, they invited some ladies to look at two sets of brassieres, one set marked made in Jamaica and the other set marked made in the United States.  All the individuals taking part came to the same unanimous decision that the Bras marked made in the United States was of better quality, hands down, they went into details, showing superior stitching work, the professional quality of the bras that was made in the United States as oppose to those made in Jamaica, which they said was poor workmanship and lower quality, not good value for money and will not last long. At the end of the showing when all votes were cast, they were then told that the labels on the brassieres had been switched and that the ones marked made in the United States was in fact made in Jamaica and those labeled made in Jamaica were actually made in the United States, to their shock and awe. 

Tourist Harassment of Locals

• Once after a long stretch of hard working I decided to treat myself to a very nice vacation, so we booked into the Cibony all-inclusive resort, after a couple days the tension began to melt away. One night after dinner we decided to have a nice relaxing drink in the lounge. While having a conversion I was interrupted by an American tourist who rudely tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around to see who it was and he said to me “there is no paper in the bathroom”. Now here I thought I had left all this behind in North America and I was safe at home enjoying my wonderful country. The Crazy thing is at the time all Cibony staff wore uniforms with a very big name tag so why then was I being confused for a member of staff, I knew exactly where this person was coming from and I was not afraid to let him know where to take it. A simple “excuse do you work here” would have changed the situation a bit but not even that was offered.

• We hear a lot about Tourist Harassment by locals but we never hear anything about Local Harassment from the Tourist. On another occasion, here I am on my vacation in my own country with friends sitting at the bar having a drink and a nice relaxing conversation when along came a tourist asking for drugs, I politely said I do not have any drugs, he left only to send his female companion over to ask where they could score some drugs. I firmly said I do not have any drugs, I do not use drugs and I do not know where to get drugs from.  About 45 minutes later another tourist came up and asked the same exact question this time my response was very abrupt with words I care not to write.  This ruined my evening it was then that I vowed never again to vacation in tourist country (Negril, Montego Bay or Ocho Rios). It seems regardless of what you have accomplish or how good you live your life, to some people you will only be seen a certain way.

• Long ago, I met some Black Americas after their visit to Jamaica, they complained that they never get the same treatment as white tourist, well after further discussion I realized what they were really saying, which is that Jamaicans do not make the same “initial” assumption about Black American tourist as they do about white American tourist. The determination as to whether they are tourist or not is only made after speech, they are assumed to be Jamaicans until they say something in an American accent, after which for the most part they are treated like an American tourist but the “initial assumption” can make or break an entire experience. Companies need to develop and implement a sterile, standardize way of dealing with everyone regardless of colour, gender etc. Only when this is done will we avoid making stupid ridiculous superficial assumptions.    

• A friend of a friend who lives in North America decided to treat his white girlfriend to a vacation in Jamaica, he booked both flight and hotel then decided to surprise her with the grand vacation. They arrived in Jamaica and checked into their hotel, all was well until the next morning when the happy couple went out to enjoy what tourist country had to offer. On their return to the hotel his girlfriend walked pass the guard at the gate and she was greeted warmly, followed by her Jamaican boyfriend bringing up the rear with the days shopping. He was promptly stopped at the gate by the guard who refused him access, the guard called back his girlfriend to ask her if this man was in fact with her. The basic assumption by the guard is that this man is not vacationing at the resort and was a rent-a-dread of some sort, his assumption also was that the girlfriend was in fact a valid guess just because she was white.This caused the mother of all confrontation as he was not having any of it. Companies need to develop and implement a sterile, standardize way of dealing with everyone regardless of colour, gender etc. Only when this is done will we avoid making stupid ridiculous superficial assumptions.  
• On my first visit to New York City my cousin took me to West 4^th park, I was very excited, looking at the sights and having a wonderful time with friends and family I had not seen in a while, I was a tourist in another country and loving every minute of it.  I was walking across the park when a white girl ran from the grassy area toward me, thinking my good looks and magnetic personality was working its magic, I stopped to find out what she wanted. She stopped in front of me and asked me if I had any drugs to sell her, WTF! If I wanted to be bothered about drugs I would have visited tourist country in Jamaica but it did not matter where I was, it did not matter which country I was in or on which continent. I am a Blackman and by definition I must be either be a drug dealer or a drug user or intimate with the knowledge of where to score drugs. Well I am sorry both my cousin and I pointed out to her the error of her ways.

Assumption is the Mother of all Fk-ups

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Customer No Service

• At JFK I gave the man two dollars American to carry my bags to the check-in counter, he said thank you and put the money in his pocket. At Norman Manley airport I gave the man five dollars American to take my bags out to the curb, he took one look at the $5.00 and gave it back to me, saying that it cannot buy anything and if that was all I was going to give him. I gladly took back my money, put it in my pocket and told him thanks for helping me with my bags. The man at JFK understand the concept of one one cocoa fill basket much more than the man at Norman Manley who wants an already filled basket from each person.

• I had a wedding to attend one Saturday morning and realized that I needed to buy a pair of socks, so at 9AM I drove down to the plaza near manor Park to see if I could get a pair. When I got to the store it was closed and because the wedding was at 12:00 noon, I decided to wait.  At around 10:45 a lady came to open the store but I decided to wait another 10 minutes to give her a chance to settle in before I enter.  I went in and look around but could not find any socks, by this time she was on the phone, I said “excuse me, do you have any socks” with the phone still pressed to her face she said “Ova deh so!” with a motion of her head, so I went “Ova Deh so” to see if I could find it but still no socks. After a while I said “excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I could not find any” and with an annoyed look on her face, she told the person on the phone to hold on, then said “So hold on, is want, you want me to go ova Deh So and show you?.. “.  With more detail instructions and searching I was able to find the socks but it was not “Ova Deh So” as she first instructed.  I really should have walked out of the store and go elsewhere but it was almost time for the event.  Most businesses would do a lot better if the right customer service practice was in place but most Jamaicans feel that their employers do not pay them enough to turn up, much less to care.

• I was talking to a friend about customer service and good business practices at which point a certain food place came up. I stated that it takes the entire lunch time just to get to the counter to place your order.  In this particular place the manager behaves like the cashier or the cooks, happy go lucky, Jokes and fun to be had. The cashiers spend most of their time talking to each other and playing around with the back room staff than taking and placing orders. In most cases they almost always get your order wrong and at times you end up at work with someone else’s order. One would think that the manager would put in place a better system to deal with the lunch time crowd. My Friend then declares that sometimes it is the customers who are slow.  Here he outlines the following conversation between the customer in front of him and the cashier:

Customer: "How much for di oxtail?”

Cashier: “Large or small?”

Customer: -"Large"

Cashier:  $8

Customer: "Dat come with rice and peas?”

Cashier: -Yes

Customer: “How much for the small one ?"

Cashier: -$6

Customer: "Ya have stew chicken?"

Cashier: -mm hmm

Customer: "What di small plate look like?”

(Cashier walks to stack of plates to point to the small plate

The thing that bothers me is there are only two plates stacked up

LARGE AND SMALL!!!!)

Customer: "It come with plantains?”

Cashier:-Which one, the oxtail or the stew chicken?

Customer: "Di Oxtail"

Cashier: -Yes

Customer: "All rite den, Make mi getta small oxtail, and a carrot juice"

Cashier: - what size carrot juice? Small, medium or large ?

Customer: - "How much for di small one

(Now not to drag this one but we go through a question and answer session with the cups about price and size. Yes, there are THREE stacks of cups again, in size order.  Now homeboy’s cell phone rings ....... he answers.)

Customer: "Yeah man whattagwan ?

-

Customer: "Me here at Mckenzies gettin some food."

-

Customer: "Hold on, lemme ask her ....

Customer: Miss , how much fa di Jerk chicken ?

Cashier: - What size?

 ….

(At this point I’m ready to box the dude in his head!)

 

Miserys West Indian Restaurant

• Given the choice between bad customer service in Jamaica and raciest customer service I would take bad customer service any day, I remember entering clothing store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and immediately picked up two tails, who followed me everywhere I went or entering the supermarket and being asked continuously where certain items were even though the staff wears a uniform, a situation that was to be repeated many time in the United States, again no "excuse do you work here" just the assumption that you must work here. 

Blue Collar Beggars

• Sometime ago I followed by sister to a Bank in Liguanea, she drove around the back and parked under a tree. I noticed three man having a conversation, one was very tall, fit and well dress, as soon as the car was parked I saw him telling the other men he was with to hold on, he will be back soon, he needs to do a little business, which obviously involved my sister and myself, he walked over to us and said “Hi lady, beg you something nuh?” (asking for a handout), my sister is about 5’, 4” so it took her a while to look up from his feet to his head, one of those long nasty look before walking off, at which point he said “boy a so dem people yah stay these days, nobody naw let off nothin” (no one is giving handout anymore). Here we have a big strong man capable of doing so much more with his life but instead prefer to hang out at the bank and beg money. A friend of mine said he would not be there if it was not successful and I wondered, who the hell would take their hard earn money and give it to this strong, completely worthless man. The streets of Jamaica are littered with worthless Jamaican male doing absolutely nothing, walking around looking for a handout they are an insult to the male species. Most women in Jamaica do not have that luxury, they are more likely to work for a living at every level of society because they are forced to be both fathers and mothers to the children of these worthless men.  

• My sister hired a man to fix her windows which he did but then called her a couple days later with a long sad story that his mother was in hospital and he needed some money, he was recommended to her by a friend, the story was not true but since it must have worked in the pass he thought he would give it a try, no longer satisfied with just working for a living, he now tries to con people out of their money as well.

Professional Beggars

• I once saw the former Minister of Finance boasting in Parliament that with only a weekend trip to Washington he was able to borrow $50 Million US, so just imagine what he could do in a week … and with that Parliament went wild, banging of tables and shouts of great financier. Jamaicans don’t care anymore where the money is coming from to stock supermarkets shelves with over the top imports, French wines and Range Rover Sports, so long as it is stocked. Our finance Minister is both a juggler and a three card Monte trickster who practices Anansi economics. 

Dixon of Dock Green

• “There is nothing worse than a bent copper”… it is my view that the government turn a blind eye to police corruption as a way to supplement the salaries of the police.  It is far too easy to be stopped and given the choice between “drink money or ticket money”, this highway extortion must stop. A friend of mine kept an event and at 2:30 the police came by and asked for the music to be turned off, which they did, the officer then turned to the organizers and requested $16, 0000.00 Jamaican if they wanted to continue with the merriment, they paid and was able to continue partying until about 6 am. While driving along with a friend one Christmas we were stopped by a police party, the officer came over and said “you have anything to give me” at which point my friend pop the trunk and told him to take a crate of beer, he then said that if we were stopped again we should tell the next officer that John already checked us.  I once stopped to ask a female Police Officer for directions, I was downtown and the last thing I wanted was to make the wrong turn and end up in a location I have no business being. I said “Good evening officer, can you tell me the best way to get to… ” and the response I got was disgusting, people skills zero, I get the impression that Jamaican police officers do not fully understand their role within our society. Each and every Jamaican is a foot-soldier in the nation building process but our Politicians, Police Officers and military forces are the gate keepers and leaders of our society. They play an even more important role in the process, they have been selected by us to not only keep the foundation of our society intact but to keep us focused on the task at hand and as such without these individuals our nation building initiative will fail.

• Some Jamaican Police are equal opportunity extortionist they will stop anyone they feel they can make a buck from regardless of colour but not so in the United States of America where you are stopped simply because of your colour. The New Jersey turnpike is famous for stopping black people simply because they were driving while black. I remember once a group of us went to Pace University in Westchester County, NY for an event and was followed for most of the night after leaving the Event, eventually we were pulled over with lights flashing and told in no uncertain terms that we need to vacate the area,we told him after we drop our friend back to her dorm we could comply, he followed us there and then made sure we got on the highway back to NYC.

Political Feasibility

• My software group was commissioned to development an application for a particular government department, this software was design to add accountability and efficiency into the working of the department thus reducing corruption, fraud, overcharging and missing items. Before final roll-out and installation to the department’s computer system it was agreed that high level agents of the department must first preview the application, user buy-in is always a good thing, it enables us to fine tune the application before final release.  A conference room was prepared and a presentation made as to the ins and out of the application, then the high level agents was given hands on use of the system.  About an hour after using the application the head agent declared that this application cannot work (“boss dis caan work yu nuh”), which got all the software analysis and designers attention. We then proceeded to ask what was wrong with the application and how we could make it better, this was the type of user input we required but the agent only responded that this application cannot work at which point he and his fellow agents left the room and finally the building without giving us an answer.    The next morning we were paid a visit from a very high ranking government member, who declared that the project was cancelled because it was not “Politically Feasible” at this time and that the software would be shelved for future use… in any case the verbal sparring that took place after resulted in me being dismissed from the room.

Crazy Diehard Supporters

• I get the impression that people who support the PNP wants the JLP to fail and people who support the JLP wants the PNP to fail, giving that the party support is almost 50/50 I think we are heading nowhere very fast.  I can understand opposing bad thing regardless of party and supporting good things regardless of party, it is amazing to find people with bad things to say about some good things that have been implemented by both parties. We will not get anywhere if we are so entrenched and lacks objectivity, nothing can come of this but ignorance and stagnation.  (http://jamaicantillidie.blogspot.com/2011/03/jamaicas-political-parties-and-people.html)

A Question of Leadership

“Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task, it is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen”.  

Jamaica is lacking leadership, our politicians are not leading from the front they are as confused as the people who elected them. They are too worried about their political future, so much so that they refuse to take any stand on anything fearing that they might upset the people. They govern by pondering to peoples wants while ignoring the needs of the country. Just recently the Minister of Security decided that he will change Jamaica’s noise laws to allow people to keep more parties/dance for longer hours, he proclaimed that people need to enjoy themselves, as far as I am concern the last thing Jamaica need is more merriment but since we are coming up to an election year, common sense is no longer required.  It is this leadership vacuum that gives rise to the DJ’s, Dons and warlords as leaders in the poor sections of Jamaica. There is saying that “water finds its own level” and it seems that our politicians have found theirs, the only thing worse than a bent copper is a corrupt politician.

Politicians over the years have failed to speak out against things that have a negative effect on our society simply because these things have become popular and may affect them at the polls. I am not a conservative person, well I am conservative about some things and I am very liberal about others but I do believe that Jamaica lacks a conservative movement, an organization or group not afraid to speak out against certain behavior that is harmful to our society and hurts the Nation Building Process. I have yet to hear a politician take the platform at any event such as a Party convention and deliver a speech on morality, outlining social responsibility and how to be good citizens of this country, asking men to take responsibility and be good fathers, outlining to men and women that the things they do in the dancehall is not acceptable but disgusting and not how young men and woman should behave in a civilized society.   I think the politicians are afraid to demand better from the people because the people may start demanding better from them. I also think the people are afraid to demand better from our politicians, it could well backfire as the politicians would start to demand better from the people.  

We are not going to change anything until we get a government that cares more about the “upliftment” of the Jamaican society and nation building and less about re-election.  When a politician can stand up and say “this is what I am going to do, because I believe it is the right thing to do, for our country, our society and the future of our people, this is my vision of Jamaica and I am going to do everything in my powers to implement it within the next five years, regardless of the political consequences” then we will truly be on our way to Building a Nation State future generations of Jamaicans and the world will be proud of.

The Myth of British Politeness
I started going to school at the tail end of “Colonial Britishness” after independence, this was the period when our Ministry of Education was determine to beat the Britishness into us, that period lasted until the end of the 70s. We were told that we should be more like the British, to be as polite as the British and they were not afraid to use the cane or the leather belt to beat that into you. My school was created by British Missionaries who was also in charge of discipline, I remember passing one teacher on in the passageway but I was preoccupied and forgot to tell her good morning, it was detention for me. Saying your Please, Thank you, Excuse me, Miss and Sirs was compulsory because that was the British way.

Just imagine my shock and horror when I first arrived in England, expecting all that Britishness that was beaten into me from the British and did not find it, no good mornings, no sirs, no miss, no excuse me, I found few polite people on the streets of London and things did not improve when I visited the English countryside, there I got the “I see you, but I do not want to see you” look, the Martian effect, wrong planet, you are not suppose to be here. British Politeness is a Myth, it does not exist well certainly not how it was told to us, I get warmer greetings on the Streets of New York than I do on the Streets of London.

Unless… the problem is interracial politeness ….. I wonder…

Here is an article from the Guardian that disagrees with my findings/experience
Rude Britannia is a myth - we are among the world's most polite people A new survey shows that all people in sections of society value politeness in others and try to show it themselves

More about → I do not know where this is going, so bear with me. ….

RE-Brand Jamaica

What is Jamaica, the brand? What is the image your mind conjures when you think of Jamaica? Sunny beaches, ganja and guns perhaps? Or how about laid back work ethic, homophobia or backward banana republic on the brink of civil unrest? Credible words or great misnomers?

An American colleague remarked, “My wife and I have been going to Jamaica now for 8yrs we just love it.” Then he paused, took a deep breathe and said, “But don’t you feel as you drive to the compound and see those shanty huts that any minute now they might rise up with machetes!”

Bangkok street riots

This is ‘Brand Jamaica”? Is this fear of a black planet or fear of the folklorist bravado that Yaad likes to perpetuate; the bombastic bad bwoy Buccaneer. We know this is the media image of Jamaica, search online and you will be floored by the amount of off-balance reporting and negative reports on gangs and drugs. During the time of the Dudus drama you would think the whole isle was ablaze with unrest and uncertainty. A time that cost Jamaica dearly. Meantime in Bangkok street riots took many lives but still Conde Nast placed the city as the Best Place to Visit. Proof that it is perception not reality that reaps the revenue.

Ironically, it’s the tourist beach hustlers who understand Brand Jamaica more than anyone. It’s a symbiotic relationship; the tourist start with their need for drugs or their yearning for sex and it end in a toxic trade and an understanding that the more brazen they are the more most tourists will in intimidation, pay. They understand that the key factor in revenue for Brand Jamaican spending is entrenched with fear and distrust. They have cleverly capitalized on this with lotharian tactics that flip on a dime to aggressive hustling and intimidating swagger.

More sluggish to catch on is the Jamaican Tourist Board. The approach of the JTB is that of a band-aid on a cancer. When your brand image is that of unrest, corruption, danger, drugs and guns, a pretty picture of an exotic beach won’t work. More pretty picture campaigns and a social media push that posts banal “How is your day” posting to the thousands of potential customers. However, it is clear their strategy is to build up “all inclusive” market, (a mainly foreign owned industry). A strategy that shoots the brand in the foot as it fortifies the salient factors that Jamaica is not safe and the locals are not to be trusted.

When there’s negative brand connotations the key strategy is to change that perception fast before it spreads. Deflection is a weak tactic when you are up against a media tsunami of negative misinformation.
 
 Identifying the main issues as fear and distrust in the brand. Knowledge, perspective and exposure to facts will reinvigorate the lost revenue. Steering revenue to the smaller hotels of Jamaica and encouraging tourists to visit Kingston is key towards the transparent drip of trust. The fact that JTB pretty much ignore the smaller hotels and Kingston again strengthen the fear. JTB need to stop herding their social media masses to endless banal clips of reggae artists videos but post human interest stories of real people in real communities doing great initiatives alongside pretty pictures. Show the cosmopolitan aspects of the people and the culture. Applaud the victories in education, industry and the arts. Bombard people with facts and real perspective. During the Dudus drama not one major media put out that Tivoli was the size of Sandals resort in a small contained area miles from any tourist area. When there is a hurricane the story is the same huddles masses of foreign journalists relish in the scaremongering, “A city on the brink of Civil Unrest” I heard last time on CNN. Then there’s other media reports like that video report on the Wall Street Journal about returning Jamaicans who come home for retirement but invariably killed in robberies. Who is managing Brand Jamaica here? Where are the global media watchdogs who protect Brand Jamaica and where are the lobbyist groups who instigate the more truthful real balance in reporting. What litigation surrounds to protect Brand Jamaica when such unbalanced reporting continues.

This re-brand needs to be a cross platform initiative to survive and really reap the potential global revenue. Manufactures of Jamaica need to protect and promote “Buy Jamaica” to rebuild that trust and knowledge that the country has authority and is worthy of investment. Education should have a component in to build back the pride the people have in the land and culture and should also tie into the Buy Jamaica ethos. Politicians need to be mindful of the Brand Jamaica image when they play verbal ping pong throughout each campaign promoting crime stats and the other parties corruption. Jamaica is the only nation in Caricom who print so grandiosely the crime statistics. Meantime, throughout the rest of the world crime statistics are ‘re-classified’. What use is this negative branding?

Local media needs too to be held accountable with watchdog monitoring committees. Accountability is key in order to bring back Jamaica the positive brand onto a global stage for revenue potential.

Who is driving this brand and what is their strategy? I think they are asleep at the wheel.

Jane Nina Buchanan
jane@stooshpr.com
www.stooshpr.com
Originally from Liverpool, England Jane started her career as producer and presenter of the SONY award winning show "Streetlife" on the BBC. From radio she moved on to television with seasons as Entertainment Producer for the network Granada TV show, "This Morning" and later "Jameson Tonight" on Sky TV. Headhunted from Sky TV by Sir Bob Geldof and Lord Waheed Alli company at 25yrs old, she was appointed the position of US Producer for Planet 24 Productions. Based out of NYC she coordinated and produced all US strands for the controversial show "The Word" and later, "The Big Breakfast". When Planet 24 relocated to LA to produce the successful "Survivor" reality show, Jane decided to make NYC her home and continues to live and work in the media. She has held positions at New Video Group/Docurama (Home Video arm of A&E/The History Channel), Disney Theatrical (Lion King,, Mary Poppins and Phil Collins' Tarzan) Maxim Magazine/Dennis Publishing, and Bad Boy Entertainment.

Stoosh PR Home

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Branding, Marketing and Public Relations

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Collective Guilt?

Collective Guilt - The unpleasant emotional reaction that results among a group of individuals when it is perceived that the group illegitimately harmed members of another group. It is often the result of “sharing a social identity with others whose actions represent a threat to the positivity of that identity. 

-Wikipedia

Most Jamaicans lose their minds whenever they hear that a black person in England or in America is charged with a crime, they would log on to various messaging boards, posting messages of hope, that the culprit is not a Jamaican or of Jamaican origin. It seems that Jamaicans regardless of geographic location suffer from collective guilt and shame only when a person of Jamaican origin, who lives in a foreign country, commits a crime, however no such guilt exist when a Jamaican commits the same crime in Jamaica. 

If one Jamaican commits a crime in a foreign country he is blamed for making all of us look bad…  US?  …. Excuse me... where did this “US” thing come from?

Why should I share the guilt and shame for another man’s crime when I am a hard working and law abiding person and he is a damn criminal, when did this become my responsibility, my shame and my guilt even thou it was not my crime. I do not see this collective shame and guilt happening in the first world, so it must be a third world thing. When a white American or British citizen travel to faraway lands and commit crimes like murder, drug smuggling and child molestation I do not see collective guilt coming from the people of these countries. When their Governments sends their armies to some poor third world countries and drop 500lb bombs on innocent woman and children, I do not see them holding their heads in shame. When they are caught at my airport trying to smuggle drugs out of the country I do not see collective guilt and shame form their countrymen. I have as much control over the hearts and minds of my fellow Jamaicans as an American or British would have over their citizens and I have no control over a person who is a citizen of another country but either descended from a Jamaican or migrated from Jamaica at a young age.   

This collective pity party by Jamaicans must stop, this is meaningless collective punishment, I know you are concern with how people in the outside world will look at you or treat you but believe me, regardless of what you do certain people will only look at you the way they want to look at you, even if you have a halo above your head and wings on your back. What is more important is how you view yourselves and others around you, refrain from making generalized statements,  take each person one at a time, there are some good people in this world and some very bad ones regardless of colour and nationality. If you have not broken any laws and you are good honest hard working inhabitants of this planet then you have nothing to be ashamed for or feel guilty about.  

The British media takes extra pleasure in identifying black British citizens as either Jamaican decent or Jamaican born, even when that person have never been to Jamaica or left Jamaica at birth. Take Germaine Lindsay for example (No seriously …. Take him because he is yours) the British-Bomber of “Jamaicans descent” was described as Jamaican. The man was born in Jamaica, yes but was NOT bred in Jamaica he left Jamaica at age 5 and spent his entire life in England, got all his education and all his socialization from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, he was a failure of British Society but that did not stop one British reporter from saying "He had British soil under his feet and Jamaican blood in his heart” that speaks volume to me.

At what point does the responsibility of the Jamaican Government and people ends and the responsibility of the British government and its people begins, are we to assume responsibility for the crimes of first, second or third generation British citizens with Jamaican lineage. The British government and people are blaming Jamaica for its failures to properly educate and socialize their young people.

When a Jamaican-born person or a person of Jamaican descent represents Great Britain and achieves greatness then that person is presented as a product of the British Society and Jamaica never gets the praise, no report of Jamaican blood running through that person’s heart. However, the opposite occurs when a person commits a crime or disgraces themselves in any way, we then find out immediately that the person is associated with Jamaica. Ben Johnson was Canadian when he was winning races and breaking records but as soon as he failed his drug test Ben Johnson became a dirty no good Jamaican, we found out almost immediately that he had Jamaican blood running through his heart. A number of the current England national football team have origins in Jamaica and if we go by the British media standards when reporting on crime, we would have to list them as follows, The Jamaican Darren Bent, The Jamaican Aaron Lennon, The Jamaican Theo Walcott and the Jamaican Shaun Wright-Phillips but since us Jamaicans lay no claim to them in their height of glory for England, we want no part of them if they fall from grace.

If Germaine Lindsay or Delroy Grant (the rapist) had ran the 100m in 9.77 sec. flat for the UK at the Olympics they would have been British and no mention would have been made about their Jamaican connection. The British double gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes father is Jamaican, so too is the father of Jessica Ennis and countless others yet the British press makes little or no mention of them as Jamaicans, no grand news headline stating “Jamaican Dame Kelly Holmes or Jamaican Jessica Ennis” and I don't expect them to.

Notable British Jamaican people:

More about → Collective Guilt?