Jamdiver
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jaybombs25:
Preach it bredrin
:14:
St. Thomas - Good Diving but Overpriced Ghetto
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Preach it bredrin
:14:
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That's okay...Americans have "issues".
we know it. me personally...I try to make up for the others.
okay..so maybe people want to kill us cause we are Americans. That would explain our crime rate here. I think I am on to something!
Nobody made any assumptions about West Indians that I saw...in fact I said the opposite regarding the West Indies and the problems in St Thomas.
so..help me out here, what do you like to be refered to as? The problem is ya'll keep changin the rules.
You can't tell me you don't refer to me as anything...
"West Indians" was what other West Indians said when I lived there.
I'll call you whatever you like..
so if you visit Hawaii, (to St Lucian) and you want to refer to the collective local people...what would you say? Cause we are not all Hawaiians, they like that term for only if you have the bloodline.
Open for suggestions.
Everybody is mixed here which is just peachy cause nobody can keep all the PC straight, and we don't get excited if someone calls us natives or islanders.
we know it. me personally...I try to make up for the others.
okay..so maybe people want to kill us cause we are Americans. That would explain our crime rate here. I think I am on to something!
Nobody made any assumptions about West Indians that I saw...in fact I said the opposite regarding the West Indies and the problems in St Thomas.
so..help me out here, what do you like to be refered to as? The problem is ya'll keep changin the rules.
You can't tell me you don't refer to me as anything...
"West Indians" was what other West Indians said when I lived there.
I'll call you whatever you like..
so if you visit Hawaii, (to St Lucian) and you want to refer to the collective local people...what would you say? Cause we are not all Hawaiians, they like that term for only if you have the bloodline.
Open for suggestions.
Everybody is mixed here which is just peachy cause nobody can keep all the PC straight, and we don't get excited if someone calls us natives or islanders.
Jamdiver
Guest
Well calling people the nationality of the country that you're in is a fairly good bet.
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okay, so Jam.
I am reading up on crime stats in the West Indies, and I just read that Kingston has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/27/jamaica.murder.reut/index.html
Is that: a. true ? b. uncool to state if someone is planning a vacation?
And to Boatdiver, saying Haoles are given a rough time in Hawaii, that is true, but I don't think murder has been a problem. Which is different from being roughed up in the line up to catch a wave, or called names.
We have a pretty high crime rate ourselves in the US, so I am not saying we don't...
what I am saying is that to jump to the conclusion that someone is unfair because they state some place has a problem doesn't help travelers very much.
Hawaii is 1.9 per 100, 000/ yr
Kingston looks like it is around 60 per 100,000
My bet is that the victims are mostly Jamacian, no?
Why can't I find crime numbers for St Thomas?
I am reading up on crime stats in the West Indies, and I just read that Kingston has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/27/jamaica.murder.reut/index.html
Is that: a. true ? b. uncool to state if someone is planning a vacation?
And to Boatdiver, saying Haoles are given a rough time in Hawaii, that is true, but I don't think murder has been a problem. Which is different from being roughed up in the line up to catch a wave, or called names.
We have a pretty high crime rate ourselves in the US, so I am not saying we don't...
what I am saying is that to jump to the conclusion that someone is unfair because they state some place has a problem doesn't help travelers very much.
Hawaii is 1.9 per 100, 000/ yr
Kingston looks like it is around 60 per 100,000
My bet is that the victims are mostly Jamacian, no?
Why can't I find crime numbers for St Thomas?
Jamdiver
Guest
catherine96821:
Yup those statistics are quite true.
Although it's decreased a tad in recent times, but that's saying like Titanic is sinking more slowly.
I wouldn't really discourage a visitor from visiting Kingston, as long as they don't enter seedy areas of town and keep an eye on their surroundings just like in any big city.
Generally the violence/crime is segregated to a few areas in the city, although there
can be a random aspect to it at times.
Which explains the huge houses in the posher areas safely ensconced behind massive walls and security bars.
Whether it's "uncool" to mention to someone is an interesting point.
Generally the type of visitor who travels to Kingston is well aware of the situation and is coming for the culture/history/experience of the real Jamaica and not the sterilized/disneyfied experience typical of resorts.
It's important to note that the rest of the island is fairly safe.
As to why the crime rate is still high there's a whole host of societal and economic reasons as to why this is so............
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HEY! somebody changed my avatar. very funny, kinda scared me.
I don't stick to Disney destinations, myself.
I look at safety as a mother....a lazy one that wants to let my kids roam the streets.
Seriously, I don't own a key to my front door. I don't want my kids living behind bars. That doesn't make me a culturally sterile person or a Disneyland mom, does it? In fact, I could argue the opposite, they are out and about on the city bus with people from all over the world. Cause I don't really have to worry about them getting killed or abducted, like in LA.
I just leave size 16 EEE men's slippas outside.
Well, St Tomas, Charlotte Amalie anyway, is a mixture of people from all over the Caribbean really. Honolulu too...that doesn't really accurately depict who we are talking about. here they say "locals" a lot or islanders. natives is fine.
If you refer to people here as Hawaiians or even Americans, it will be often wrong.
That's why I urge to give white Americans a break if they say natives or islanders...sometimes they really don't have a better word unless you help them.
I even get confused about African American because what if they aren't from Africa? What if they aren't American? It's silly really.
And why are you black if one parent is white and one is black?
Lots of room for mistakes on the terminology thing.
I don't stick to Disney destinations, myself.
I look at safety as a mother....a lazy one that wants to let my kids roam the streets.
Seriously, I don't own a key to my front door. I don't want my kids living behind bars. That doesn't make me a culturally sterile person or a Disneyland mom, does it? In fact, I could argue the opposite, they are out and about on the city bus with people from all over the world. Cause I don't really have to worry about them getting killed or abducted, like in LA.
I just leave size 16 EEE men's slippas outside.
Well, St Tomas, Charlotte Amalie anyway, is a mixture of people from all over the Caribbean really. Honolulu too...that doesn't really accurately depict who we are talking about. here they say "locals" a lot or islanders. natives is fine.
If you refer to people here as Hawaiians or even Americans, it will be often wrong.
That's why I urge to give white Americans a break if they say natives or islanders...sometimes they really don't have a better word unless you help them.
I even get confused about African American because what if they aren't from Africa? What if they aren't American? It's silly really.
And why are you black if one parent is white and one is black?
Lots of room for mistakes on the terminology thing.
drrich2
Contributor
I don't think there's anything derogatory about 'islanders' or 'natives.' A lot of visitors are wistfully envious of that life, if only for a moment (I love the Caribbean, but don't want to live there full-time). 'Islanders' has a neat ring to it; sounds better than 'locals.'
Judging from some of what's been said on this thread, it's not as derogatory as 'American,' to some I'd think (I'm in Kentucky, by the way).
'St. Thomasians' sounds goofy to me.
Richard.
Judging from some of what's been said on this thread, it's not as derogatory as 'American,' to some I'd think (I'm in Kentucky, by the way).
'St. Thomasians' sounds goofy to me.
Richard.
jaybombs25
Contributor
well I do not think anyone has a problem being called a West Indian because that is what we are and were proud of that fact.. and to answer your question I would prefer the word locals, because Islanders and natives have a sort of negative connotation it implies poverty, uncivilised and that we are generally primitive. So if you guys call us islander right can I call you "Continenters"?? has a nice "ring" to it.. doesn't it?
drrich2
Contributor
Much better than being 'incontinenters.'
Had to say it.
I don't associate islander or native negatively. If anything, to me, 'local' sounds worse (as in 'local yokel'). From what I've seen there are many poor people in the Caribbean, many of whom it seemed to me were black, so any reference to the populace of a Caribbean island as a whole is probably going to call up a vague association with large numbers of poor blacks, regardless of what PC euphamism-of-the-day is being used.
I once read an article on the evolution of the terminology used to speak of predominantly black schools in some part of the U.S. They were black schools. Then they were 'special emphasis' schools. There was an evolution through several terms, finally ending in a 2 letter abreviation. Every time a term was in use awhile, it picked up a stigma, the politically correct didn't like it, & they tried to introduce something new.
Make about a hundred posts on this forum calling Caribbean residents 'locals,' & make a few of those threads about theft from rental trucks in Bonaire, violent crime in Jamaica, hard sell harrassment by street vendors in Antigua, etc..., & pretty soon someone will claim 'locals' has negative associations, & want us to call them something else.
Richard.
Had to say it.
I don't associate islander or native negatively. If anything, to me, 'local' sounds worse (as in 'local yokel'). From what I've seen there are many poor people in the Caribbean, many of whom it seemed to me were black, so any reference to the populace of a Caribbean island as a whole is probably going to call up a vague association with large numbers of poor blacks, regardless of what PC euphamism-of-the-day is being used.
I once read an article on the evolution of the terminology used to speak of predominantly black schools in some part of the U.S. They were black schools. Then they were 'special emphasis' schools. There was an evolution through several terms, finally ending in a 2 letter abreviation. Every time a term was in use awhile, it picked up a stigma, the politically correct didn't like it, & they tried to introduce something new.
Make about a hundred posts on this forum calling Caribbean residents 'locals,' & make a few of those threads about theft from rental trucks in Bonaire, violent crime in Jamaica, hard sell harrassment by street vendors in Antigua, etc..., & pretty soon someone will claim 'locals' has negative associations, & want us to call them something else.
Richard.
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I get called Haole all the time, I just accept it.
Continental...hmm. Does that mean English though?
I try and be sensitive, but then I realized that if I am tip toeing around too carefully, that looks more racist (in my opinion)
So..if somebody tells me they prefer something, I am happy to use that. If they know me and I know them, then I don't need to be careful, thats true friendship, cutting each other slack, a comfort level.
Oh...so , while we are at it, ^you^, why don't you give us Americans some pointers on how to act better?
Continental...hmm. Does that mean English though?
I try and be sensitive, but then I realized that if I am tip toeing around too carefully, that looks more racist (in my opinion)
So..if somebody tells me they prefer something, I am happy to use that. If they know me and I know them, then I don't need to be careful, thats true friendship, cutting each other slack, a comfort level.
Oh...so , while we are at it, ^you^, why don't you give us Americans some pointers on how to act better?
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