08-06-2017, 06:29 PM
The begging issue has been discussed ad nauseam on Facebook, Trip Advisor and that other place.
Let me preface by saying I've never been on Lembert's tour, and probably never will. Not that there is anything wrong with it but I don't really like being in the midst of crowds of drunks (unless they are "my" drunks lol) and all of the places he goes I've been to and paid less for a drink.
The original premise behind this tour was to expose folks not familiar with the West End to the smaller locally owned bars up and down West End Road. On some level this was accomplished when he was taking folks to No Limit Bar, PeeWees, and now Sunset Bar, places that even tourists familiar with the West End might not have visited if it had not been for this tour. Based on reports I've read about the tour more recently it seems the focus isn't so much on locally owned and small but he still does a good job of seeking out those places to turn people on to that they wouldn't go to necessarily on their own, for example the Sunset Pub which is more in my neck of the woods Deep West End.
I've observed over the years since the tour became so popular that kids from all over the West End would follow the bus and hang out at various stops begging or selling little bracelets or candy bars to the tourists. And most tourists would oblige, giving them a dollar or two or three. Word gets around easily when a group of people are easy marks in that way and more and more kids started to join in.
Now he makes this "Shanty Town" part of his tour. The impact of taking a bunch of tourists into a squatters neighborhood (the neighborhood is actually called "Divers Village" by the locals) can be shocking - most have never and will never see that type of "poverty" in their lifetimes. Rich-Guilt can be an overwhelming emotion. What they do not understand is that this is in no way a "shanty town" - if you've ever been through the shanty-towns of Montego Bay or Kingston you'd know that this "shanty town" looks like suburbia in comparison. What they don't understand too is that often squatters will steal electricity, internet and water from their neighbors who have accounts and legitimately pay for those services but the tourists only hear about how they don't have running water in their cottages (many don't - but many actually do). Lenbert perpetuates the myth that traditional charitable organizations "overlook" this particular neighborhood and its residents - and that is not true at all. Rockhouse Foundation, Sandals Foundation, Rotary and other organized charities do in fact provide services for the resident of this and many other neighborhoods throughout Negril and the surrounding areas. Still....tourists now bring wads of cash, clothing, shoes, games, electronics with them on what is supposed to be an excursion promoting local businesses to hand out. He has turned his business into a mission.
I've heard of people being mobbed, stuff being grabbed out of their hands and fights breaking out amongst the children AND the adults over "stuff". Pretty unpleasant for a bar-hop tour.
Lenbert is a good guy and he wants to support his community which is all fine and good and he can certainly do that separate from his tour and without causing a feeding frenzy amongst the residents of this neighborhood. He can set up his own charity, accepting the same gifts and distributing them himself in that neighborhood.
When well meaning people randomly hand out cash and gifts to people they do not know but believe to be suffering the wrong message is sent to the youth. It perpetuates a problem that Negril already has with hustlers and beggars when they see that they do not need school or job training and the quick money hit and instant gratification by accepting stuff from guilted out tourists is much more lucrative.
Now, most visitors to developing countries do not take this into account - not at first. But like I said, this has been discussed ad nauseam and still they come on Lenbert's tour weighted down with stuff to hand out...and that's where their "charitable act" turns into a selfish act - out of guilt, out of wanting to be the "hero" but all they are to these kids are walking ATMs. The "friends" they so selflessly bring presents for each visit view them the same way. No presents? No friend. So it does annoy me when I read posts from people who detail how much money or how many iPads or X-Boxes they bring down to hand out knowing full well there are organizations to which they can donate money to that do things like make sure kids are fed, able to go to school and that their schools are kept up with maintenance, books and supplies. These organizations run a soup kitchen for people who are legitimately hungry...they provide services that include medical and dental check ups. The tourist handing out candy because "they like to see the smile on the kids faces" are contributing to a lifestyle of ill health (diabetes is pretty rampant in Jamaica) not to mention those toothless smiles they will eventually get.
Poverty Inc. is a great movie and it does a great job of explaining this social dilemma facing Jamaica and other developing countries. Donating money or your time to any of these organizations though go much further in helping stem the tide of poverty in these places in a much more constructive manner. To the guy/gal boasting about the X-Box he brought down for his/her's "friend's" son....take a few hours out of your vacation to tutor the kid or to help out in the soup kitchen to feed that kid. Charity is about self-sacrifice, not about self gratification.
Let me preface by saying I've never been on Lembert's tour, and probably never will. Not that there is anything wrong with it but I don't really like being in the midst of crowds of drunks (unless they are "my" drunks lol) and all of the places he goes I've been to and paid less for a drink.
The original premise behind this tour was to expose folks not familiar with the West End to the smaller locally owned bars up and down West End Road. On some level this was accomplished when he was taking folks to No Limit Bar, PeeWees, and now Sunset Bar, places that even tourists familiar with the West End might not have visited if it had not been for this tour. Based on reports I've read about the tour more recently it seems the focus isn't so much on locally owned and small but he still does a good job of seeking out those places to turn people on to that they wouldn't go to necessarily on their own, for example the Sunset Pub which is more in my neck of the woods Deep West End.
I've observed over the years since the tour became so popular that kids from all over the West End would follow the bus and hang out at various stops begging or selling little bracelets or candy bars to the tourists. And most tourists would oblige, giving them a dollar or two or three. Word gets around easily when a group of people are easy marks in that way and more and more kids started to join in.
Now he makes this "Shanty Town" part of his tour. The impact of taking a bunch of tourists into a squatters neighborhood (the neighborhood is actually called "Divers Village" by the locals) can be shocking - most have never and will never see that type of "poverty" in their lifetimes. Rich-Guilt can be an overwhelming emotion. What they do not understand is that this is in no way a "shanty town" - if you've ever been through the shanty-towns of Montego Bay or Kingston you'd know that this "shanty town" looks like suburbia in comparison. What they don't understand too is that often squatters will steal electricity, internet and water from their neighbors who have accounts and legitimately pay for those services but the tourists only hear about how they don't have running water in their cottages (many don't - but many actually do). Lenbert perpetuates the myth that traditional charitable organizations "overlook" this particular neighborhood and its residents - and that is not true at all. Rockhouse Foundation, Sandals Foundation, Rotary and other organized charities do in fact provide services for the resident of this and many other neighborhoods throughout Negril and the surrounding areas. Still....tourists now bring wads of cash, clothing, shoes, games, electronics with them on what is supposed to be an excursion promoting local businesses to hand out. He has turned his business into a mission.
I've heard of people being mobbed, stuff being grabbed out of their hands and fights breaking out amongst the children AND the adults over "stuff". Pretty unpleasant for a bar-hop tour.
Lenbert is a good guy and he wants to support his community which is all fine and good and he can certainly do that separate from his tour and without causing a feeding frenzy amongst the residents of this neighborhood. He can set up his own charity, accepting the same gifts and distributing them himself in that neighborhood.
When well meaning people randomly hand out cash and gifts to people they do not know but believe to be suffering the wrong message is sent to the youth. It perpetuates a problem that Negril already has with hustlers and beggars when they see that they do not need school or job training and the quick money hit and instant gratification by accepting stuff from guilted out tourists is much more lucrative.
Now, most visitors to developing countries do not take this into account - not at first. But like I said, this has been discussed ad nauseam and still they come on Lenbert's tour weighted down with stuff to hand out...and that's where their "charitable act" turns into a selfish act - out of guilt, out of wanting to be the "hero" but all they are to these kids are walking ATMs. The "friends" they so selflessly bring presents for each visit view them the same way. No presents? No friend. So it does annoy me when I read posts from people who detail how much money or how many iPads or X-Boxes they bring down to hand out knowing full well there are organizations to which they can donate money to that do things like make sure kids are fed, able to go to school and that their schools are kept up with maintenance, books and supplies. These organizations run a soup kitchen for people who are legitimately hungry...they provide services that include medical and dental check ups. The tourist handing out candy because "they like to see the smile on the kids faces" are contributing to a lifestyle of ill health (diabetes is pretty rampant in Jamaica) not to mention those toothless smiles they will eventually get.
Poverty Inc. is a great movie and it does a great job of explaining this social dilemma facing Jamaica and other developing countries. Donating money or your time to any of these organizations though go much further in helping stem the tide of poverty in these places in a much more constructive manner. To the guy/gal boasting about the X-Box he brought down for his/her's "friend's" son....take a few hours out of your vacation to tutor the kid or to help out in the soup kitchen to feed that kid. Charity is about self-sacrifice, not about self gratification.