Explain this to me (Especially the men)

[Diplomat]

This has happened a number of times, always with men and it happened tome again yesterday when I was waiting for the transfer bus at the hotel.

Out of the blue, a man will walk up to me and say "You're Jamaican right?" It's always Jamaican men who does this, never women.

Now I can understand if this happens in Toronto as the Jamaican community is sizeable here but I am talking places like New York, Vegas and Florida where the majority of Black people are African American and there are also a ton of Black Latinas.

I don't have a Jamaican accent so how are these men spotting me....or is this a pick up line and do they just walk up to every Black woman they see and ask "You're Jamaican right?" or "Are you Jamaican?"

Excuse the analogy, but if you throw a stone in a pen full of pigs, chances are good you will hit one of them. A Jamaican man asking a black woman if she is from Jamaica shouldn't be surprising - largest English-speaking Caribbean nation and all. Also, for the most part, our women carry a certain presence/attitude that a Jamaican man can usually recognize without the woman even opening her mouth.

[Diplomat]

Oh dear...it looked like too much was going on in this thread so it got moved.

Still hanging around "bad" company? Be careful they don't rub off on you

[Tropicana]

Still hanging around "bad" company? Be careful they don't rub off on you

Don't worry, while I have heard "lay down wid dog wake jup wid fleas" I am in no danger of

Glad to see you back by the way. You were missed.

On the question of men assuming Black women are Jamaican, I can understand that in Toronto but not in cities where the majority of Black women are African American or Latina.

Anyway now I am on to this approach every woman and ax and some will be Jamaican trick.

Man some a onoo man ave more rackets dan de mob.

[j-kid]

Could bi di bright colorful garments, wid Caribbean colors yuh wearing?

[Tropicana]

Could bi di bright colorful garments, wid Caribbean colors yuh wearing?

I was not wearing Caribbean colors.

Maybe as soon as they hear a Black woman and her accent is not African American dem assume she is one a dem transplanted Jamaican sisters.

[Diplomat]

Glad to see you back by the way. You were missed.

Awwww... I do look in from time to time even if I have not posted much over the last little while. Being in the classroom and balancing that with my regular job has been quite the challenge.

On the question of men assuming Black women are Jamaican, I can understand that in Toronto but not in cities where the majority of Black women are African American or Latina.

Oh, I understand it well. Men do not necessarily distinguish between black women; for some, every black woman must be a Jamaican. Plus, African-American women have nothing on their Jamaican counterparts.

I remember being in South Africa and being asked the same question by a guy who was Jamaican. I have also had black people tell me there is no way I am from Jamaica

[Tropicana]

Well do come by more often. I need some backing when I am catching heat from your female counterpart and some other member of your team for pon , slackness and slutty attire.

[Diplomat]

Well do come by more often. I need some backing when I am catching heat from your female counterpart and some other member of your team for pon , slackness and slutty attire.

Alright then

[Suesumba]

our women carry a certain presence/attitude that a Jamaican man can usually recognize without the woman even opening her mouth.

i just fell in love for the first time

[Xavier]

I don't find it strange at all. Here is South Florida I will sometimes look at person and know they are Jamaican. They don't have to dress in Jamaican colors or even open their mouth. We have a look, mannerism and demeanor that just says Jamaican.

PS: You mentioned that South Florida would be majority Black American but that may not be true. Especially in Broward country the majority of black people are from Caribbean and Jamaican descent.

[Tropicana]

Really? I don't know that area. In the past when I was in Orlando, Clearwater and St. Petersburg it was mostly African American and Latinos. I was in Palm Beach last year and while it was mostly White, there were a lot of African Americans and Latinos. The hotel itself did have a lot of Jamaican and Haitian employees who come up every year to work for the season.

Now in Vegas and New York, the majority of Black people would be African American or Latino so it surprises me that I would be approached and asked if I am Jamaican when I don't have the accent.

I don't live in the states though so I can only go by fleeting impressions. I have to really on those of you who live there for the inside scoop.

So Xavier then, do you think when a Jamaican hears someone and the accent is not African American or Latino they are going to think "I bet dollars to donuts it's a yardie and there is nothing sinister about it as Suesumba has suggested."

[Xavier]

So Xavier then, do you think when a Jamaican hears someone and the accent is not African American or Latino they are going to think "I bet dollars to donuts it's a yardie and there is nothing sinister about it as Suesumba has suggested."

It is not about the accent. In some cases it is not even about skin color. Is is a look, demeanor and mannerisms. You have people with American accents but you know they are of Jamaican descent. I can't explain it. I am not the only one hear in South Florida who I have heard say they can "spot" a yardie.

[CeaBee]

When I went to school in S. Florida - the Jamaicans thought i was Jamaican, the Haitains thought that i was Haitian...the Bahamians wondered if i was one of them....a man ask me if me from Dom Republic.

so i not too sure about Xavier theory. I think in S. florida that there are so many Jamaicans that the odds of you being right are just in your favour.

[Tropicana]

Well I do get spotted....

Glad to hear that this is not a case of men approaching every Black woman with the same line.

Sometimes on the phone even if the person does not have a Jamaican accent I can spot it. I am not sure why. Maybe the turn of a phrase or something. I dunno.

[Tropicana]

When I went to school in S. Florida - the Jamaicans thought i was Jamaican, the Haitains thought that i was Haitian...the Bahamians wondered if i was one of them....a man ask me if me from Dom Republic.

so i not too sure about Xavier theory. I think in S. florida that there are so many Jamaicans that the odds of you being right are just in your favour.

When did all of these Jamaicans arrive in South Florida? I have a cousin in Jacksonville and her brother is also in Florida, Miramar wherever that is. I have an uncle near Jacksonville. I guess I have to remember that my family is no different from any other Jamaican family and the same patterns apply.