Читать книгу A Fool's Paradise - Lucy Bennett - Страница 6

Chapter 1

I was born and grew up in Jamaica. If you have ever been to this island, you will realize that we are a laid-back set of people who believe that enjoying life with friends and family is very important. We are a proud, resilient, compassionate, caring, and no-nonsense group of people. “Jamaica no-problem man” is really a part of our culture. We believe that life is not only about the accumulation of wealth but more importantly is how we enjoy what we have worked hard for. Our motto, “Out of many, one people,” is our core belief; therefore, whether you are black, white, red, or yellow, you can find a place in our country without ever feeling that you are unwanted or not welcomed. Maybe we understand fully well that no one is here to stay forever, that we are just passing through; therefore, the land is not our land. Like Bob Marley, we believe that “every little thing is going to be all right,” so regardless of the problems, we do not believe that they are insurmountable but that we can always find a solution.

Racism is not one of our concern, and it will never be. Although this is an island with mostly people of color, we do not discriminate against anyone, whether Americans, British, Chinese, Syrians, or whatever nation the person is from. We accept everybody regardless of race, color, or language. We do not characterize people by the color of their skin. We believe that we are all created in God’s image, that we are not perfect but at the same time no one is superior to the other.

Most Jamaicans had this weird belief that America is the perfect place on earth where everyone is treated with respect and given the same opportunity How could we believe that this perfect nation was overcome by so many “isms”—racism, colorism, corruption, intolerance, hate, etc.? We believe that in America, you just had to blow a whistle and everything falls into place. We believe that a road which would take one year to repair in Jamaica would only take one month in the United States. That was what we believed until my eyes were opened.

In Jamaica, our politicians have many faults, but we believe politicians in America were above board. They would not lie, steal, or commit adultery, etc. They were people whom the society looked up to. Maybe we believed this because we heard so much about the good things America offered and less of the unsavory things, or we were not paying attention. We were not aware that black kids were not welcomed in some high schools and universities. Worse, we were not aware that there was still a problem with a black person going to live in a neighborhood which was considered to be a white community. We believed that these were civilized days and that everyone was considered to have equal rights regardless of skin tone, race, or the language they speak.

Although I did American history in school and was aware of the American civil war and slavery and racism in the United States, I thought that these were in the past. I believed America was on a new path, that America had discovered its soul and was making amends for all the wrongs they did to colored people. Maybe I was naive because I should have known that a leopard does not change its spot, so why did I thought that the great America had changed? You see, I was thinking about America instead of Americans. I forgot that the place cannot do any wrongs; it’s the people who are responsible for all the wrongdoings in a country and that a country is as strong as its weakest link. I don’t think that all American whites are racist. I think it’s the minority that gives the majority a bad name.

Kingston, Jamaica, is 580 miles, 1 hour and 35 minutes to Miami by plane; however, I can remember several of my relatives heading for England instead of the United States up until the early 70s. The reason, I believed was that we were under British rule up to 1972 when Jamaica gained independence, and it required no effort to travel to England. I also remembered that Jamaicans suffered under slavery by the hands of the Spaniards and British.

Up to early 1970, there was relatively a political calm in Jamaica. Election was a time of celebration with no fights over politicians. In late 1976 when the People’s National Party took power, there was a fear of Cuba’s communism coming to the island. The then prime minister and Fidel Castro were friends. This caused a lot of unrest members of the opposition party, and others were placed in detention and several residents were heading for the United States. This was a time when criminal activities started getting out of hand. There was a shortage of food, and the people were concerned for their safety. The then prime minister was not ashamed or afraid to tell the citizens that there were five flights a day leaving for Miami and those who were not satisfied could leave. Jamaica was my home, and I was not prepared to leave.

In 1980, the People’s National Party had the greatest lost a party could have in a Jamaican election. The people spoke with their vote, and immediately, the calm started to return but the trend of migration has continued over the years. Jamaicans love to explore and as soon as the opportunity arises. They are willing to pack and move. They are willing to give up good jobs without being sure of what the future holds. Migration is a part of the Jamaican way of life, whether to the United States, England, Canada, or elsewhere.

When the television became available in Jamaica in the 1960s, I was able to see some pictures of what American life was all about. But little did I realize that some of the pictures were not really as portrayed on TV. Because of that, most Jamaicans saw this place called America as the paradise on earth where everything took the snap of a finger to get done and where there were no poor or hungry people. Everyone lived in a huge house. There was no ghetto area or street people. In fact, life was a bed of roses. We saw all the decorations at Christmas and believed that everyone had such a glorious time when this season comes around, not realizing how many suicides there were and how many people depended on handouts. Why we had and held this concept? I don’t know. Maybe because those who traveled to America returned with this false story that all was so great there.

No one told you that survival depends on a credit card for most people. Even after people began to leave in droves during the 70s. This concept of America being a bed of rose still existed for some. Family would ship barrels to Jamaica giving the impression that they were doing so because they could afford to. When in fact, life was just as difficult or even worse for them here than it was in Jamaica.

It is not easy for some people to get up, pack up, and leave their country for a strange land. You don’t know what life is like there, whether you will be able to find a job, how you will be accepted by the people living there. Because of these reasons, my son refused to get a visa to visit America. He is not prepared to be a second-class person in a country where he was not born and where he might not be able to fit into this society. There are others who are willing to sacrifice their happiness, leave their loved ones, and move to another place to explore new opportunities. This is not different from a person living in Alabama who will migrate to California where he has no family but will go to seek a better opportunity or the American family who will pack and move to Costa Rica, Africa, Jamaica, and other countries because they want to experience living in another country. Migration is a way of life. It has been since creation and will continue to be until this world ends. Not everyone wants to migrate to the United States. People migrate to any country that appeals to their taste and situation.

People including Americans migrate to other countries for different reasons and feel welcome. Migration doesn’t mean that you are unable to live a good life in your country. It doesn’t mean that you cannot get a good education or achieve your life’s goal. Some people migrate or visit another country because they want to experience what life is like in other parts of the world. Migration or visits broaden your knowledge and helps you to understand other race, culture, languages, and ethnicity. People who travel are excited to meet new people, get to know the culture, and make new friends. They are not concerned about skin color or language.

Americans sing “This land is my land. This land is your land.” But most likely, they are unaware of what they are saying. If this land is both your land and my land, why don’t you want me here? You might occupy the land, but this land is neither yours nor mine. If the land was yours, let me ask these questions, “When you buy a portion of land, pay your hard-earn money for it, you have to take care of the land. Why is it that you have to pay property tax to the government? Is the government coming on your property to cut the grass, water your produce, or build you a house?” Let me remind that we are only occupiers of God’s land; and therefore, we have no right, as long as the law is followed, to tell anyone that they are not welcome in a country.

Americans travel to different countries every day. Some travel to countries where I would dear not to go, countries where they can expect violence against them at any time, yet they choose to go. I doubt that these traveling Americans ever hear the words, “Go back to where you came from.” The ignorance and stupidity that exist among Americans with “their claim to fame” of America being for white people only is as ignorant as ignorance comes.

Americans need to wake up. You are the only modern, democratic country that believes that America belongs to some special set of people and not to everyone, not even to some born in this country and whose ancestors came here centuries ago. When these people are told to go back to where they came from, where is that supposed to be? Are they supposed to go to “no man’s land” since they were born here and have no attachment to any other country?