About being a Jamaican-American

[Guest]

Re: About being a Jamaican-American

Originally posted by Tropicana:
[qb]If you are in a small town, expect your sons to be called the N word and beat up on a regular basis. [/qb]

Not just in small towns and not just the sons (except I've never been beaten up).

But if N. America has so many negative aspects, why live there?

[BlessedLadyOfZion]

Re: About being a Jamaican-American

Thanks for posting that article boogoo. I've never seen it b4.

[neochin]

Re: About being a Jamaican-American

Why people live in N. America:

With every move there are possitives and negatives. Most jamaicans move to N. America for the greater economic opportunies. It is easier to be and maintain middle-class status in N. America than in Jamaica. There is also the rampant crime in Jamaica. Living in jamaica is not like living in America. When you're living in jamaica, it becomes part of everyday life to be constantly aware that criminal activity could occur at any moment. You don't leave your belongs out. You never leave your grill unlocked. You always watch your back. Because jamaica is so small and so poor, it is much easier to be affected by crime than when you live in a sprawling north american city where the large numbers work in your interests.

The negatives are also evident however. America is not all people say it is. Crime is still there and depending on where you live you are almost just as likely to be affected by it often. Jobs are sometimes in short supply and people do struggle to maintian their families. The sense of isolation and culture shock is often over-whelming when you are not surrounded by your native environment and people you can easily relate to. The children however, suffer the most and many american born jamaican children or children who moved to america at a young age go through severe identity crises. Jamaicans don't fully accept them and bring their "non-jamaicaness" constantly to their attention, and yet, they can manage but do not fully fit in with Americans. Their interests and tastes are different. Their outlook on life divergent from the American way of thought. These children are often in a no-man's land and their search to find a cultural identity leads them to a dead-end realisation that they are neither jamaican or american. The book "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" is a good example at how traumatic this can be. While is discusses girls from the Dominican Republic, it is still relevant to the Jamaican experience.

In the end, I think the migration of Jamaicans has a lot to do with the portrayal of America in the media (Jamaican word-of-mouth and American television), as a land of opportunity and wealth and stability. As many immigrants have found out for themselves, that portrayal is lop-sided. There is not always money and security to be found. It is the broken American Dream that is the reality where there are still haves and have-nots. The first generation immigrants are usually not the ones that find security and prosperity. They may suffer even more because of not understanding how to survive in a first-world country. They may struggle to survive. IT is the children that grow up in America that are often prepared to survive in American society, but end up with feelings of cultural isolation, nostalgia, and a longing for what was lost and can never be found.

[Tropicana]

Re: About being a Jamaican-American

Excellent answer neochin. I was brought here as a toddler. With a bit more cooperation from my ex, we would have been able to save and make a life for ourselves in Jamaica. That didn't happen. It takes two to tango. Once a child was involved I didn't think it would be fair to uproot him and take him away from his Dad so I am still here although this is not the way that I had envisioned my life. We make our mistakes and we have to live with the consequences.