Posted by
Objection to Objectivity on Monday, February 09, 2009 9:48:30 PM
On my trip to Jamaica last week, I was struck by two things: how beautiful and passionate the people of the island are, and how dismal so many of their living conditions seem. On the bus ride west to the town of Negril, I noted countless shacks and wood cabins. These were structures that would stand no chance against a hurricane or tropical storm. There did not appear to be any running water or waste disposal in any of the small square buildings, and they were also devoid of so many of the things that Americans view as necessities. I saw electric power lines only in the towns, not leading into many of the communities I passed. I wondered if some Jamaicans had ever seen or heard of a personal computer.
Yet for all this, the people there are pretty upbeat. There was a reggae song I heard many times that had a chorus which went something like, "Look pon the gully siiiiiide, do you see anyting fe smile about?". Well the quick answer to this question would be "no". The real opportunities of a global economy never entered Jamaica (or only showed themselves to a select few), and now the global economy is in shambles. This is bad news for a country heavily reliant on tourism and American dollars to keep people employed. During my stay, I noted the mostly half-empty beaches and restaurants, despite it being Super Bowl weekend and Bob Marley's birthday week.
Yet, despite the economic waves that roil across the Atlantic, Jamaicans seemed upbeat and hopeful. They were (mostly) friendly to me, and I never once felt threatened (although that could have been because I was traveling with an NFL defensive lineman). They seemed to acknowledge the crisis at hand in their own economy and the world's, but they also seemed a people accustomed to crisis and the inevitable recovery that follows. I can only hope they won't have to wait too long this time around.