08-17-2014, 03:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-17-2014, 04:05 PM by Westenders.)
RW, I wanted to address some of your points if that's okay.
I sense that I have touched a nerve about talking about negativity on this board, however I did state at the start of my original post that it is a response to recent threads, which have been a response to some recent horrible events.
May I suggest that as a new member of the board that I might also be looking at the board with 'fresh eyes'. I don't think anything I have said falls outside of the category of reality check.
Im just not into negativity all the time, but that's me and that's my personality. Im not skipping through rose gardens looking at rainbows mostly myself, but I do like to look at the good and the bad side of things, and a lot of the time I just have a sick sense of humour about life here and in JA. Believe me, my husband often tells me im bright (in the Jamaican sense, not the intelligent sense) I call things how they are myself, but again I like to see good news as well as bad news,
I respect OT's directness, and his sharp wit framing everything he says. There are lots of valid points on the board too from a lot of people, but there is a lot of dismissive posts, people who have been going a long time, and some quite recent. I think im in the middle somewhere.
Some posters feel they are more than in the know, when we all have experiences to share and understand.
I can also see that a lot of people have experienced some crap in Jamaica, and believe me I have seen some crap there too and dodged some crap myself. Im not a naïve, gullible person by any means, shaped by my own life experiences. My two girls are 27 and 21, and there dad is Jamaican, so this stuff is not new to me.
I get that some on here have had it with Jamaica, I understand from what you say how it is cathartic for some people. But if people with a different opinion and a different experience are not welcomed, then that is very sad.
Everyone has a very different style of expressing themselves, im just getting used to that, and I see that this board is a community and a discussion board, but it sometimes feels very closed. I say that subjectively, not critically.
I don't think its disturbing to read the posts on here, as I said in my original post, there is nothing I read of in Jamaica that I don't read of or experience in England or pick up on the International news, but I do sometimes feel they are energy zapping. A reality check for me is the good and the bad, not just the bad.
Your right about the negative posts getting the most hits, that's true in life too, bad news sells. Its a shame though as at some point most will have had a great love for the country and many of its people, and many still do in a lot of ways. But I do agree that bad experiences with Jamaicans have contributed to those feelings, and they have to take responsibility for that.
I sense that I have touched a nerve about talking about negativity on this board, however I did state at the start of my original post that it is a response to recent threads, which have been a response to some recent horrible events.
May I suggest that as a new member of the board that I might also be looking at the board with 'fresh eyes'. I don't think anything I have said falls outside of the category of reality check.
Im just not into negativity all the time, but that's me and that's my personality. Im not skipping through rose gardens looking at rainbows mostly myself, but I do like to look at the good and the bad side of things, and a lot of the time I just have a sick sense of humour about life here and in JA. Believe me, my husband often tells me im bright (in the Jamaican sense, not the intelligent sense) I call things how they are myself, but again I like to see good news as well as bad news,
I respect OT's directness, and his sharp wit framing everything he says. There are lots of valid points on the board too from a lot of people, but there is a lot of dismissive posts, people who have been going a long time, and some quite recent. I think im in the middle somewhere.
Some posters feel they are more than in the know, when we all have experiences to share and understand.
I can also see that a lot of people have experienced some crap in Jamaica, and believe me I have seen some crap there too and dodged some crap myself. Im not a naïve, gullible person by any means, shaped by my own life experiences. My two girls are 27 and 21, and there dad is Jamaican, so this stuff is not new to me.
I get that some on here have had it with Jamaica, I understand from what you say how it is cathartic for some people. But if people with a different opinion and a different experience are not welcomed, then that is very sad.
Everyone has a very different style of expressing themselves, im just getting used to that, and I see that this board is a community and a discussion board, but it sometimes feels very closed. I say that subjectively, not critically.
I don't think its disturbing to read the posts on here, as I said in my original post, there is nothing I read of in Jamaica that I don't read of or experience in England or pick up on the International news, but I do sometimes feel they are energy zapping. A reality check for me is the good and the bad, not just the bad.
Your right about the negative posts getting the most hits, that's true in life too, bad news sells. Its a shame though as at some point most will have had a great love for the country and many of its people, and many still do in a lot of ways. But I do agree that bad experiences with Jamaicans have contributed to those feelings, and they have to take responsibility for that.