observations

i made a slight detour this morning before i came into work. i went downtown to do something for my mother.

now when i was moving to jamaica i heard all these stories about how dangerous it is, yadda, yadda, yadda. you know what, it`s no more dangerous than any other urban centre.

most jamaicans consider trinidad infinitely more dangerous. i guess it`s all a matter of perception. having seen it from both sides, i have this to say; the same way i wont go to certain places in trinidad after dark, the same principle applies here, actually anywhere i go.

trinidad and jamaica share many of the same social and economic problems to some extent, although jamaica with the recent appearance of a middle class is somewhat different model.

the majority of the problems stem from the same basic failing of the education system.

i believe that my generation is the last to wholeheartedly swallow that carrot. you know the one, study hard, get good grades and you`ll get a good job. now we have a whole generation of young people who have seen this system fail their older siblings and seen some of their peers get rich quick selling drugs or jobs just by their affiliations.

in trinidad we have a whole new class, an underclass, they are about the quick buck and because they have no value on their own, they value even less their victims. this is compounded by the drug and gang related deportees who have been living abroad most of their lives and accustomed to a certain lifestyle and do whatever they deem necessary to maintain it.

this is a caribbean problem and because of the nature of politics in the caribbean, it`s not likely to change.

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economy, poverty