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)

Seeing the Beauty of Life in its Challenges

NUFAZ SELF PRESERVATION "MY BODY CAN DO THINGS YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE" (If It's Treated Right) What do you want yours to do?  - Martino Redwood

In writing these E-Mails, I share with you my opinions on many things. My remarks, observations and recommendations to you regarding health and fitness serve to support all the services that I offer, services which seek to promote mind-body unity essential to the optimal functioning of the human system.

Fitness coaching, shiatsu, the talks on spirituality and the 10 day eating experiment are all designed to be part of a whole system, one that embraces every aspect of the human experience; mental, physical and spiritual when considering health and well being.

It is very tempting to see advocates of any particular ideology (spiritual, dietary or physical) as slightly arrogant, they promote their modalities with such passion almost as if to say that when you embrace THIS WAY (vegetarianism/raw foodism/fruitarianism/macrobiotics/paleolithic /crossfit/ long distance running/ bodybuilding/ seventh day/ Jehovah witness/ Mormon/ Christian/ Muslim, etc) you will never get ill again, never suffer, you will gain eternal happiness, even live forever.

Please forgive us, we are but lowly humans, we are ninnies, who for some reason cannot see the big picture, EVER!

We forget that we start off as single cells, then divide, differentiate and specialize, this happens not only in human beings but this phenomena occurs on every level of energetic existence. This is all to say, that we are all the same at first, then become different and we are going to find different ways to express being one at the source. What would life be like if we all loved the same kind of foods, excelled at the same activities, or were drawn to the same kind of people?

People, there cannot be any ONE way,

Except to appreciate the great diversity of the life experience, be happy NOW, know thyself and love each other as ONE.

Anyway, as usual I’m rambling.

The reason why I chose to write this E-Mail is because I have close friends who are now faced with great challenges – Life threatening illness, career instability, and relationship problems.

And while I can stand here on my soap box and preach ;  think positive, eat well and workout with intensity, when you’re not in the trenches and under heavy fire, these things are much easier to say.

So I’m going to try to put into perspective the value of a “healthy lifestyle”.

The popular prescription for a healthy lifestyle usually includes not smoking, good nutritional planning, regular exercise and adequate sleep. Following these recommendations should give someone significant control over their health and well being.  Right?

Maybe…

Personally, I try to stay away from the term “healthy lifestyle” instead I promote the idea of a lifestyle that supports a life of vitality and contentment, one where you can pursue your big dreams, your passions with vigour and excitement, one of balance.

But the thing is this, in spite of what we say or do, no matter how good our diet is, no matter how physically fit we are, we share the same destiny, we were born, we will die, and we will have struggles/challenges.

We WILL get sick, we WILL lose our loved ones, our relationships WILL end, we MAY be victims of violent or property crime and we MAY lose our jobs.

How resilient will we be in dealing with these events?., is the first question

And secondly, do these events serve any purpose?


Embracing a lifestyle that makes us physically, mentally and spiritually energetic prepares us to face life’s major upheavals, but also imprints a pattern of behavior on our spirit that supports a better quality of life, a life that aligns itself with the extraordinary and not the mediocre.

 

 Illness for example is our bodies in a mediocre state usually caused by poor quality foods, poor environmental conditions, lack of activity, and poor state of mind. KNOW THYSELF!

If you choose to see things from this perspective, these challenges can give us an opportunity to slow down, to look at our lives through a microscope, to examine our motivations, to understand who we really are, to find our true purpose,  to learn and grow, and to  enhance our life experience.

We often think that we are victims, we blame people, society and fate for many of our problems, however, according to the founder of macrobiotics, George Ohsawa, “You are the cause of your own disease”, This statement might seem inconsiderate but really what he is saying is that you are responsible to understand which patterns of your behavior do not enhance your life energy, whether it be your job, your diet, your relationships, or your way of thinking.

Rushing too much, selfishness, a chronic need to please others, feelings of low self-esteem, anger, resentment, feeling burdened with the struggle of life, and inability to express oneself emotionally are just a few examples of patterns that contribute to the manifestation of illness.

We need to listen.

Daily our experiences tell us where we need to be. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, environmentally, socially, we are being guided, we sometimes stubbornly ignore the signs, a lot of times because we want to stay in our comfort zones, and so we become conflicted and difficulty arises.

Often by understanding what your challenges represent, through the pursuit of self knowledge we can change destructive habits, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs, and transcend to become a better version of ourselves, seeking to embrace our true potential.

-Live with awareness

-Train Hard

-Have Fun
Martino Redwood

Nufaz Centre For SELF PRESERVATION

More about → Seeing the Beauty of Life in its Challenges

Registrar General's Department: Thieves in the temple

-Breakboy Nrg (Social Graffiti)

Defacing the clean, tidy walls of the perfect little doll house of society

 

As the new school year approaches, parents who have children about to enter primary schools have a slightly intimidating and overwhelming process ahead of them, first trying to find a school that is close to you and also one that has a good reputation , unfortunately for us in the corporate area, if you don’t have that $60-$70,000 a term to send your child to a private prep school, a government funded primary school will have to do, the problem is, as you can imagine, primary schools whose students achieve the academic performance that prep schools students do are very limited.

As a result, parents will do almost anything to get their children into a desirable school. This process as I said before can be extremely exhausting, parents have to submit applications with supporting materials which may include transcripts, personal statements, recommendations from past teachers , medical histories, immunization cards and most importantly the child’s birth certificate.
I would expect that as the new school year approaches, that the registrar general’s department , knowing this trend, would put procedures in place to address the increased request for applications.

However, I am way ahead of myself, before I ask for that, I should ask for integrity and competence, we hear every day of the JPS and other private companies overcharging for service, but why isn’t there more of a public outcry when a government agency daily commits consumer fraud.

On May 24, 2011, I made an application for a copy for my 6 year old step son’s  birth certificate for the purpose of  applying to a preferred primary school,  it was needed almost immediately as we were trying to meet a deadline so we paid the extra  $1600 for the express service which promises delivery in three days, five working days later no birth certificate, we try calling and all we get is a recording asking for a 12 digit tracking number, there are, of course only 11 numbers are on the receipt (they have since amended it to include a zero).

The school administrators try to be patient and give me an extension, they say that others parents with this experience (it seems to be many), return to the RGD to make an additional request and often receive it then, so we take their advice, we return to the downtown office, the clerk promises to do another search, one month later and after the school’s extension has long passed along with my step sons chance for admission, we receive the certificate.

In order to avoid repeating this experience, I apply for my 3 year old daughter’s birth certificate using the “late entry of name” process, I paid $2950 for delivery in 7 days, its been three weeks .

Why can’t I learn?

The Jamaican people have to put up with much in the way arrogance and poor service by those in the public sector; lack of accountability for politicians, slow police response to criminal activities, harassment of citizens by the police, long waiting times in public hospitals, the passport office, the tax office and registrar general department, and poor road conditions, these are only a few examples.

Isn’t it criminal that the arrogance is so blatant that the government can continually commit consumer fraud? Collecting money for a service that it cannot provide without any feelings of remorse.

Please boycott the Registrar Generals Express service, a ridiculous and unlawful service indeed.

 Breakboy Nrg

More about → Registrar General's Department: Thieves in the temple

Fillet of Place

I’d never been on a bamboo raft.  Never knew they existed. So I sat and gazed at the couple reclining on the bamboo raft as it skimmed the water.  It was coming on twilight and the sun tinged pinky orange the bleach white villas behind them.  The air was cool underneath the overhanging branches.  I could hear their leaves rustling and the ripples as they formed on the water’s surface.  Grasshoppers and crickets began rehearsing the first tentative chords of their nightly orchestra.  I could see the eddy currents forming off the raftsman’s oar as he piloted the raft forward.  I could even hear the mumblings of the conversation being had by the couple. They didn’t mind my voyeurism.  Didn’t even know I was there.   Only the raftsman knew.  He was looking directly at me.

How romantic! I thought. 

I knew this image was taken in Jamaica, but where in Jamaica?  In the pre internet age of my early teenage years Google wasn’t at my disposal.  No.  Where was this place and how do I get there?  This powerful - provocative image became increasingly so each time I saw it repeated in subsequent issues of the magazine it was featured in.   So much so, that I wondered at the advertiser’s aim.  To me, the ad advertised the place and not the cheap cologne foregrounded.

This ad was my initial visual introduction to the Blue Lagoon, or Blue Hole.

Its genius loci had such a profound impact on my young teenage mind, even in 2D, and I decided definitively at that moment that this is where I’d spend my honeymoon.  Wherever ‘this’ was.  Even had the groom already picked out.  No surprise there.  Teenage girls envision this soppy stuff waaay ahead of time. We think of Love, Gossip, Fashion, Boys, Parties, Music, … .  Not necessarily in that order.  Maybe in that order.  It’s how we’re conditioned. That’s what the sociologists say.

A rarely seen vantage point: The courtyard entrances to two Villas

Fast forward three-ish years and I actually had my first real encounter with Blue Lagoon.  I was on a sixth form field trip.  Some wicked trip that.  Rocking and dancing in the aisle to Pinchers, Lt Stitchie and Tiger (Damn Ting! I put Jamaica white rum in di damn ting!) belting out of the superb sound system of the quarter million bus we hired for the day; half of us flirting (not me of course) and quasi-flirting (??  Maybe not quasi-…call me naïve; you wouldn’t be the first). Seventeen year olds: a hot mess of hormones and faux nihilism.

I think – I’m sure, that was my absolute first trip to Portland.  Our destination was Fairy Hill beach, but we stopped at Long Bay and Blue Hole on the way.  I was secretly excited to finally go to a place I’d only vicariously been.

It did not disappoint.

A bunch of us ran out excitedly to tromp all over the grounds…or just to get out of the bus.  The lagoon was aqua-emerald-turquoise-teal and the saturation more intense than I could ever have imagined. As was the foliage.  After catching my breath, I and couple of girls walked alongside the lagoon's edge and into a dense part of the foliage on the almost opposite bank.  Climbing up through there reminded me of climbing through the steep backyards of some of my neighbours’ houses in Stony Hill, sans limestone boulders. 

Eventually I found what had called to me across the water:  Two villas. One in total, exquisite ruins; the other only just.  We conveniently did not hear our teacher call after us to be careful.  We climbed up and lobbed ourselves over the temporal threshold of the latter villa.  It was constructed of wood and painted white.  Inside was silent.  We subconsciously responded to this silence by reverting to our hushed voices.  The chatting and laughter from our party outside reduced to incoherent white noise.  The rooms were a shadow of their former selves, but discernible nonetheless. The villa wasn’t big, but it was bright and well planned.  Much of it remained true and we were able to walk its corridors that led to the remains of room after room and climb a partial stairway leading to what was once upstairs.  It was easy to imagine residing in this space now coloured the faded white of deteriorating clapboard, cloaked in bright green moss and grey-green lichen. 

Easy to imagine sitting on the balcony observing a pinky-orange sunset to the tune of a thousand crickets, easy to imagine falling asleep in the rooms facing hillside to the lull of rustling leaves and the muffled, melodic klaxon of the occasional country bus rounding the bend of the not too distant A4 road above, easy to imagine being awakened by the seven-tiered coo of the white-wing doves and arising to see the morning sun reflecting off the still, glassy surface of the aqua-emerald-turquoise-teal lagoon, easy to imagine planning the day’s occupation whilst lounging in the living room with its French windows flung wide to let in nature.   

Wandering through the villa I noticed that philodendron and other foliage had crept up and vined and snaked their way through the rotted away portions (even the plants wanted to see inside this folly), weaving in and out as they found their way to the sunlight above, tiny bits of which floated down through the holes of the soft, rotted cedar shake roof to rest on the floors and walls, highlighting that peculiar shade of chartreuse that new moss has in the sunlight.  One could hear the intermittent sound of leaves rustling in a cascading crescendo and feel the coolness of the now semi-enclosed space.  The sublime takeover of nature transformed the villa in ruins into a cathedral in the treetops.  A monument to what once was.

It was hard to reverse track and exit this ruin.  A stark contrast to the solid, sure, concrete villas on the other side of the lagoon, yet just as majestic in its faded glory.  I found myself lamenting,


‘Who didn’t love it enough to preserve it?’

Few things last forever.  I suppose.

Pastel drawing of Restaurant

'Orchid Cay' with foliage

I was in a very pensive mood on our departure from Blue Hole and on to the next stop, Fairy Hill beach, which held its fair share of delights.  My pensive mood returned once evening fell and we headed back to Kingston.  I knew I would return but I never knew that I was destined to see my first moray eel and spotted eagle ray at the Blue Hole.  That I’d go on several trips to Portland with friends when on vacation from college and revisit the lagoon each time; that I’d get my diver’s certification there and nearby Trident Wall; that it would take eight different shades of blue and nine different shades of green pastels to recreate an image of the lagoon for an art class; that Master Bates, the unofficial mascot of the lagoon would remain long enough to gain a bit part in a YouTube feature decades hence; that I and my schoolmate/blindly-unbeknownst-to-me future husband (who was also on the trip) would, on our honeymoon,  swim out to the tiny little cay and climb it, stand at the top, and in youthful, destructive ignorance, pick two purple orchids as I selfishly and carelessly exerted my power over nature.


I regret doing that to this day.   That cay is now bald, that marriage long dissolved, Master Bates half rusted and shabby, the wooden shed in my pastel itself a ruin, the once lush bank to the left of the lovers on the raft now transformed into an abhorrent man-made, polluted, dumped-up beach.

I’ve been accused of being naïve, and a hopeless romantic to boot. Guilty as charged.  And I wouldn’t have me any other way.  It’s probably why it never occurred to me that Blue Hole’s timeless, startling, ethereal beauty would not go unnoticed by anyone who encountered her; in either 2D or real D.

The systematic destruction of the lagoon draws my soul and pierces my heart deeply.  I am at a loss as to why such a move was undertaken and why nearby inhabitants of the lagoon, some of whom wield significant power and influence over public policy and decisionmaking, have turned a blind eye to its demise. I find myself asking myself,

Do they not love it enough to preserve it?

Master Bates

 - Torsdag

 See also - My Favourite Parish: Portland

Save Blue Lagoon

More about → Fillet of Place

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?