Antisocial Behaviour of Jamaican Students in USA threatens Cultural Exchange Programme
Last year my son returned from the Cultural Exchange Programme under which he was able to work during the summer in the United States.
So impressed was his boss that they begged him to return and also asked for 5 more Jamaicans like him. My son’s impression on his boss was as a result of the values we pushed on him.
As working class/working middle class we gave him the values our family in St. Ann instilled in us.
Unfortunately many youths and many Jamaicans at large, despite their educational status have lost good values and operate each day with indecency, lack of respect for others, false personalities, pomposity and the propensity to explode into self destruction.
The recent article by the Gleaner’s Ryon Jones that the Cultural Exchange Programme Sponsor (CCI) will slash the Jamaican quota by close to 50 percent was expected. The writing was on the wall. Their behaviour, lack of respect for authority, and poor time management, has resulted in the programme now begin geared towards China and Thailand. It is the “same ole , same ole. “
Black people are self destructive. Last summer (2015) , five students from Mico and UTECH were caught shop lifting in North Florida. Video surveillance captured these students who disgraced our island and the local media made a killing by circulating the news. To make matters worse, the students had shoplifted simple things that would have cost them a few US dollars if they had only spent from their pockets.
The behaviour of many students according to CCI is atrocious. They believe everywhere they go has a carnival atmosphere. They forgot that they are in a country of principles, rules and regulations. Our students carry this ring road carnival psyche, forgetting that when you go to Rome , you do as the Romans do.
Many of us are offended when white folks complain that black people are too loud. We need to understand the culture of others and respect their space and their need for silence and solitude. To those who advocate dances and loud noise being part of ‘yard culture’ and our cultural practices, they need to realize that the US is a serious country. Our students are saturated by too much entertainment packaged as culture and it robs us of productive hours and output.
CCI has complained about the focus of students. I am aware that students want to maximize their earnings of US dollars but they should remember the programme is not one of for only earning money but one in which students travel to share and enjoy the culture of others.
But greed and selfishness has pushed many to even abandon their sponsors and original employer in the middle of the summer. I have heard from close family members how some students have abandoned their jobs just prior to returning to Jamaica and create disfavour towards prospective Jamaican applicants. This is not fact tale it is a fact.
A student who I know who is a dedicated employee had time on weekends and wanted a second job. He could not get it because students who went in 2012-2014 to those stores in the US North East abandoned their jobs before the end of their contracts. Simple conduct of one’s self to demonstrate good social skills are time and again lacking. I am told students demonstrate greed at socials and other events as they keep eating and drinking voraciously, without thinking of others. Food and drinks are consumed repeatedly in front of directors of the businesses which sponsored them as they have no respect for others needing to be served.
Tact and diplomacy are deficient as some of these these tertiary students behave like pigs or loosed animals at times. The females are part of the problem as some hustle their bodies to other foreign students from wealthier countries. It is a whole mix of violations, bad behaviour, disrespect, demonstration of poor family life, lack of values and morals which CCI has been observing. So now the sponsors have agreed to act. Enough is enough and students will be impeded come 2017.
At the outset, these cultural programmes received limited negative feedback. The reviews were good as students in those days were intrigued by travelling and experiencing the largesse of the cosmopolitan countries. Times have changed since the 1990’s and perhaps because of the hard economic realities coupled with the significant fall in values in the society and the poor examples set by our political, social and business leaders, students have mimicked everything negative.
The genteel middle class with its values of conformity with the law rarely exists today. Even those who are rich are bending the system by non tax and non statutory deductions compliance and some have even been skewing their companies accounts for selfish reasons and for greed. The current middle class and rich have not set the examples expected from them. So the ‘DNA’ of the students is just a copy of those who should show good leadership. Can we expect better behaviour from our students when those in power and leadership constantly violate our tax laws, pensions codes, contracts and commerce?
It is not so strange that this generation has taken its cue from the previous generation which has rarely set good examples. There is a saying , “The good suffer for the bad.” That is exactly what is going to happen come 2017. It means also that the “food” of some agents in Jamica will be reduced significantly especially those who do business with CCI.
We can only hope the next batch of students will realize that conforming to rules and regulations is necessary to have a civil society and is also important towards fostering good relationships between all stakeholders in a cultural exchange programme as people try to live together in unity on this earth.
I am Yours truly,
Maurice Donald Christie
Aboukir , St.Ann
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