I dont get Jamaica?

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jamaicanmeanna

to tell you the truth, that question is annoying. I know that you're not trying to sound ignorant, and i totally understand what you're saying. a lot of times, people forget that the places of jamaica they see in pictures make up about 8% of the island. but i will tell you this. I am jamaican, and we jamaicans are proud of who we are. for us, money isn't everything. we help each other out by growing our own food and sharing. so even though we aren't rich financially, we have a lot of resources that we pass around. plus, only certain people see the money that comes into the island.

but instead of asking you jamaica is poor, ask why most of the world is poor. ignorant questions like that makes me learn that there is a reason why a lot of people don't like america or england. they are too damn ignorant and dont know what life is like in a third world country.

kmac125

you know i find it kinda funny that people come to these blogs and try to dismiss jamaicans as a weak, uneducated people who like to beg for money and cause trouble. but, believe me, these decendants of slaves are a much deeper and robust people than most think. you try and live on an island that you were forced to go in chains and then abandonded after the abolishment of slavery and left there under colonial rule for another 130 years. no one gave these ex-slaves passage back to their homeland after the stripping of their heritage and all the abuse they were put through.

i guess you just watch TV all the time to get your facts and don't pick up a book from time to time and inquire for yourself what you ask. world economics, politics, outside interference, there are may factors that come into play to answer your 'simple' question. they had their first jamaican political parties emerge in the in the '50's and their inderpendence on aug 6, 1962. rome was not built in a day and surely 40 some odd years will not build a nation to 'your specifications'. sorry it's just not that simple, joe. you need to read up on the subject, you are half way to your answers if you are reading this, then you are on the internet and a very good place to start. i wonder how some of the other folks in the world would fare under the conditions that jamaicans have faced.

boy sarah h, u people must believe in the staples 'easy button'. i like how you so casually state the people are so poor and everything is so bad and 'they are black cuz they were slaves.' yes, that whole island is a complete desendent of slavery. you make is sound as if jamaicans are a inherently poor, stupid and corrupt people. i guess all the other nations you named mexico, fiji. hati, etc... are all the same also, after the 'great' european conquests sucked all the resources out of the islands, like a baby pig at it's mothers tit...... i guess jamaica, hati, mexico, and all the other island nations should have used their tourist dollars better while they were being enslaved (and some even made extinct. i.e. arawak indians, mexican indians, american indians, who are close to it) to make their conditions better and not be so poor and corrupt today. who corrupted who?
although i like how you put it better, you make it sound so simple that even a mind like yours can solve these problems. i can go on further but i don't think that you will get it.

Its not that simple, believe it or not The tourism industry aint doing so hot because of the high crime rate recenlty, jamaica aint that small, tourism alone does not provide enough money to run a country. plus bbc and other international news stations are known for highlighting only the bad and negative things so dont think that its all of Jamaica that is poor. They normally make things seem worst than they are. yes we are economically unstable but as the dude sed b4 rome wasnt built in a day. right now im kinda offended by your comments, as if to say we are incompetent, next time do your research so that you come off so ignorant.

Sherona B

Why is America so rich yet some many children that we see on the feed the children programme are suffering and have have nothing to eat. Why is america so rich and there are so many gangs in NY and so many killings and poverty. Why is America so rich and so many people are living on welfare and cannot afford to go to the doctor because they have no insurance. Why is America so rich yet so many people are living above their means and burden with credit card debts. Why is America so rich and there are soo many projects and slums and homeless people all over. Is it because people dont care, Why dont they use all the money they have and put it into the town and the people and build the economy. Why is the American economy in shambles and they are so rich. WHY WHY WHY!!

â—„â˜¯â™« vanitee of vanitees â™«â˜¯â–º

Jamaica has a wide cross-section of people and very extremely different lifestyles happen across all groups in society. Your TV show perhaps only showed a few sections of Jamaica where there is extreme poverty.
People care and many of us are trying to get ahead. Things here cannot exactly be as easy as many places in the USA and mark you there are people in more developed countries who are poorer and more violent than us.

Not many people in Jamaica have living conditions similar to many in New Orleans. I saw on the Katrina Coverage that we are blessed far more than some people. Why doesn't the USA government use the Iraq war expenditure and help them? Do they not want to get out of their poorness, do the people in NO not care?

Jamaica's tourism money is not exactly enough to eliminate poverty. I, personally, believe that the hotel industry needs to go on a standstill in terms of new developments and our government needs to force overseas investors to come with something new outside of resort areas that will enhance job-creation in our nation.

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Bob D

The ecomomy in JA is fueled by 3 things mostly. Bauxite, argruculture, and tourism. All 3 of these things are powered by foriegn interests, including most all the hotels & gift stores, so ALOT Of money is taken off the island, and alot more is given to the government in taxes & import fees. The government has a huge debt that collects interest every day & can't be paid down or forgiven. Most all government workers are corrupt to some extent....skimming & bribes are common practice & par for the course. Some say it was SO bad under the last prime minister ( PJ Patterson ), that he was able to build a house in France.

Anyway, the per capita income is roughly US$3000 per year....there are ppl making A WHOLE lot more, but the vast majority of the workers are making about US$50-US$150 a week. Couple that with the expence of big ticket items, food, transportation, all of which are imported and attract impot fees, mark ups, etc., and its a perpetual cycle of barely making ends meet. Just your average 13'' tv there cost well over $80-$100 ! Same tv we can get at Wal Mart for $50.

The government does NOT provide free school, the kids MUST wear uniforms which need to be purchased, their lunch must be paid, the taxi fares must be paid to & from school ( no school buses ), and of course school fees. The costs of everything is so much, that unless your well educated or industrious, you'll just survive, but not get ahead.

And yes, this situation breeds contempt, anger, and ill will towards the leaders, but the way in which they display it is to burn tires, roadblocks, and cause general mayhem...they don't DEMAND from the government the way we would, despite the fact their money SUPPORTS it. Goes back to another post where I said in JA, the tail wags the dog.

When & IF the people rise up and demand that the government do something for the people, things will remain as they have always been. A new policy of free health care has been instituted, but it will be interesting to see how long THAT lasts. I feel ( as you stated ) that tourists provide millions of dollars in taxes, and at least $10 from every tourist that steps foot in JA should go back DIRECTLY to the people...damn, the government gets $25 JUST for entering the island !

QT Like Mee

I agree with Sarah H. imperialism has brought not only Jamaica but a lot of the Caribbean islands down. Jamaica is a third world country that was and is still being exploited by core nations such as Europe and America. They control a lot of the resources and pays them nothing for them. The core nations then resell these resources such as sugar etc. for triple what they pay for it. Core Nations loan money to these underdeveloping countries to help build roads etc but put a clause in the loan where the core nation would recieve say resources in exchange.

Jamaica is also very poor because the government is mismanaging funds. Instead of building more schools, hospitals and roads, the government use it for things that have no benefit to the people of the country.

Jamaica is a beautiful island and the tourists are the ones that get to enjoy it most of the times because most of the residents are too poor to afford to go to the exclusive places and are unable to fully enjoy it.

mixedcurlyfriesz

Jamaica is not as poor as Haiti !
The tourism isn't doing much. It's all up to the government and there not really doing there part but things are getting better. There are people who are living comfortably in Jamaica whether wealthy, rich or poor or in between so it's not as bad as you think. It's a very nice place to live but not many job opportunities unless your well educated. And if your so concerned why don't you help out Jamaica ? I've helped by donating my clothes, money..etc.

Edit :

Don't try to make it sound like Jamaica is the poorest country there is. In America you can see a feed a children program asking for money for the poor kids. Why ? Cause America isn't any better than the next country. Every country has its' problems so don't just pin point one !

â˜† Mixed Curly Fries â˜†
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(='.'=) â™¥
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Americas Suiteheart

well im from jamaica and im from the wealthy parts of jamaica so i havent been to the poor places that much but there are some poor places in jamaica....but for the rich parts its very beautiful there and the resorts especially in montego bay are beautiful

as for the gangs the dangerous parts that i know about are in kingston (the capital)

but overall jamaica is a very beautiful caribbean country and i love it to death...and theres a poor and rich place everywhere and also danger.

colin

Hi
Why Jamaica is so poor . I have a home in Jamaica and have been going there since the 70s i love ja and its people but everything works against itself in Jamaica .
the government is corrupt, bribes are a fact of life extortion is the norm .
you do not hear half of what really happens in Jamaica because they don't put it in the news in case it scare tourist off .

I have seen family's working together just to make ends meet and a daily struggle just for food many grow there own buts lots cant.

the US dollars rule Jamaica and they will for many years to come .

if Jamaica government and industry were not so corrupt yes Jamaica would be a much better place

Sarah H

Jamaica has been poor from the start. Imperialism has just brought it down from then. European explorers enslaved its inhabitants and ripped it of its rich goods. It was once a large slave trading post, and a lot of its currents inhabitants are decendants of those slaves (hence why most Jamaicans are black). Its government is bad, its people are poor, and that's just how it is. It's a beautiful tropical oasis, but filled with slums and terrible areas. But a lot of tropical places are like that, like Haiti, Mexico, Fiji, etc. Who knows why they don't use tourism money to build up the economy.

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