When Did my Beautiful Jamaica become this Hell?
I recently travelled to the United Kingdom for two-and-a-half weeks.
While there, I was asked by quite a few people where I was from after they heard me speak. After answering that question, I was asked: “How do you live there with so much crime?” or “Are you not afraid?” Others say: “I have heard so much about Jamaica, but I would never go there!” One said: “I would love to see where Bob Marley came from, but I am afraid.”
All the comments were of this nature, negative. Of course, I would respond in the usual fashion: “It’s not as bad as it sounds” or “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Then, I arrive home and I am greeted with the headline ‘Slaughter’.
I do believe it is time to stop trying to fool my myself and other people that it’s not so bad. That Jamaica is a wonderful place with nice people. We are not. We are a society full of sick, depraved, violent people who are lazy and not prepared to work and support themselves and who have no regard for other people’s life. All they want is the next spliff, a money to buy “a food” and a money to buy the next “outfit” to attend a funeral or a dancehall event.
When did my beautiful Jamaica become this hell? When did we stop being outraged at the way people expose themselves in public, the language, the lack of respect for authority, the elderly and the disabled, when teachers are not allowed to discipline our children at schools and the road code applies only to a few?
When are we going to fix this? When are those in authority going to make an effort to get the guns off our streets? Are we going to remain content with just condemning every shooting, with consoling the bereaved families?
We have very short memories, I say this because all it takes is for our athletes to go abroad and do well — as they always do — then we start rejoicing, banging our pot covers, patting ourselves on the back claiming to be this wonderful country and pretending that all is well. All is not well!
Disillusioned
L Smith
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The answer to your question is when we stopped praying, when we shut our hearts and expelled God from our society. When started accepting leud lifestyles because its ok in other places. When we started playing follow the leader. Solution: Pray because your life, the life of our children and our country depends on it.
Marilee,the fact is there are places that exercise tolerance and people live in relative peace. We have more churches than any place on earth.
While in England maybe you should have picked up a newspaper. In the UK people get murdered practically everyday, people get mugged and robbed here too, young people go missing and are found a few days later in some damp undergrowth and are then found to have been raped and battered to death. In the UK there is also a lack of respect for authority and the elderly . In the UK people are having to go to “food banks” because they cannot afford t o buy food. Jamaica is no worse than anywhere else!!!
We will never get better till we admit , that we are sinking, we rationalize with “others do it , all other places has crime” sure but that’s their country not mine. we need to stop saying “make every body do their thing” its destroying us to say the least.
When the lack of respect by the authority for people that allowed the sub culture of the jungle mentality to be the prevailing culture.
This started when teachers and neighbours were no longer allowed to scold children.
Not so long ago there was a Riot in England, why didn’t you respond in kind. Certain parts of London is very dangerous to live, or walk, stabbing, shootings, gang violence, and rapes, why didn’t the writer asked them about that. We have to accept who we are, and look at the broader picture, yes there are crimes in Jamaica, when was the last time you heard any bombs exploding. London is a Police State, every move you make; you are being monitored, if it’s so safe there, tell them to take down those millions of Cameras. There are no… Read more »
well said my brother big up
So what is the purpose of reporting thid issue if a solution is not desired. What is the point just to run your proverbial mouth. I a decendant of a people who stood up for and enforced change. Talk is cheap. Lers worl together to fix the problem. At the end of it all politicians are not affected. Its you and i and our families.
Apparently that is who YOU ARE. You cannot heap everyone as being the SAME. Not even the Lord who is God do this. He separate the Light from the Darkness, the Sheep from the Goats. Persons who have negative perception of Jamaica by hearing and not going to see for themselves hates TRUTH. Anyone can speak the name of God but not everyone can speak the TRUTH of God until they are drawn unto His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. Someone coming and telling you about God is not your personal experience. You must have your OWN EXPERIENCE with things… Read more »
Prayer is a powerful tool but when it is coming from the heart , u cannot slave for two masters you will love one and hate the other, man cannot guide his footsteps how is he going to lead a nation if the head of the stream is dirty what do you expect of the bottom,this corrupt system will not change until the king returns.read your bible
The problem is always at the top.
So well expressed. Sadly the situation is being accepted as normal–it is not
One of the problems is that the government is more concerned with controlling the population than ensuring rights and justice; so it is inconvenient to empower law abiding citizens to defend themselves and seek justice. So criminals have the upper hand whenever the police are not around.
It’s not that bad. Jamaica has lots of positive things and kind and responsable people!
I left since 82. Each year I get more nostalgic now but each year I hear how we are treated when we go home. I’ve been so long away and am not that brave anymore. I lift my hat to those, including my daughter, who go back each year or so but that’s all I intend to do. It’s just sickening…
This could have been written by Marcus!
The person who wrote this is a damn Liar!!
The headline of the blog was “When did my beautiful Jamaica become this hell”. The “guest writer” claims that during a 2 week trip to the UK “quite a few people” upon realising the writer was from Jamaica expressed totally negative views of Jamaica. I must take issue with that blog. I have lived in the UK for almost 26 years and yes I am often asked where I am from, but not ONCE has anyone ever gone on to express sufficiently negative views to result in them saying they are “afraid” to visit. In fact it is fair to… Read more »
I am really surprised by the reaction you received in the UK. Whereabouts were you, a village under a rock?? I am a Londoner, and visit Jamaica as often as time and money allows. I grew up with many first generation Jamaicans, Jamaican restaurants are common place and we have the biggest Caribbean Carnival the world. In London we are street wise, we have to be. I have never received that reaction from anyone here, when I talk about my Jamaican holidays – most people are well jel : – D Walk Good x
i live in the uk and have been to Jamaica twice on holiday, and im coming again in May i never stop at the tourist places i stop in Kingston, yes its not the safest place in the world and i would never walk around some areas on my own at night but that is the same in any country in the world, there are places i wouldn’t walk around here in the uk, but most of the crime i read about in Jamaica is gang or drug related, I never hear or a tourist been killed , kidnapped or… Read more »
No… I beg to differ. We have more churches per sq mile than ninety percent of the other countries. We pray and Jamaicans worship more than any other people..but it is all for SHOW. Our people march and protest for respectability but they harbor and aid criminals who can give them a “food”; shield and protect friends and family that are molesting and abusing young girls; ignore the failings of our govenment along party lines and continue to ignore the signs of moral bankruptcy. I say less prayer and more ACTION. All Jamaicans shpuld commit to holding goverment accountable for… Read more »
No… I beg to differ. We have more churches per sq mile than ninety percent of the other countries. We pray and Jamaicans worship more than any other people..but it is all for SHOW. Our people march and protest for respectability but they harbor and aid criminals who can give them a “food”; shield and protect friends and family that are molesting and abusing young girls; ignore the failings of our govenment along party lines and continue to ignore the signs of moral bankruptcy. I say less prayer and more ACTION. All Jamaicans shpuld commit to holding goverment accountable for… Read more »
I reject the notion that “Crime is everywhere” . Teens kill a 79 year old woman who has retired and is giving back and we shouldn’t be OUTRAGED? Grown men are having incestuous relationships with underage daughters and we whisper about it? Birth control is available and 16 year olds have 3 small children with 40 year old men who refuse to provide child support. When do we admit there is a problem? WE ARE THE SIXTH MURDEROUS COUNTRY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE!!!! Are we to wait until we are number ONE. White sandy beaches are fine but Houston WE… Read more »
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I read some of the comments and I am baffled. When will black people stop putting down black people in Canada the other day one man killed how many people? In the Asian and some parts of Europe there is how much killing. But we getting down on our own Jamaican black brothers, remember children live what they learned, we were thought to hate each other let us change the cycle train up a child in the way he or she most go and when they get old they will not depart from it
I am a jamaican, i lived in America for over 30 years, and its the same there , now i live in a spanish speaking country and its the same here too. This problem is not pertinent only to jamaica ! Its the same all over the world WHY ? ask yourselves that question WHY ? every problem has a cause ,and every cause has a question , and every question has an answer,so who or what is responsible for this problem all over the world, and why who stands to gain from the demize of people/country if its not… Read more »
That is the problem ppl always reverting to pray well that has not helped Jamaica yet sorry this is not a bash at religion but its deeper than simply praying to the almighty like deb says ned new solutions