A Sad, Sad Norm...

Yesterday (Thursday, July 11, 2013) I was leaving work with two jackets in my hand, about to cross the street to meet my parents who were waiting for me down the road. I had just gotten them altered and picked them up from the tailor during my lunch time. They were in the plastic covering and this gave the appearance that they were new suits I suppose. One of my coworkers who was standing at the gate with two others, saw the jackets and asked if I just got a new suit for a wedding; MY wedding to be exact, with a big grin on his face. Mi look like mi ready fi married? :s
He's a cool guy still; we don't talk much, mostly 'cause he's quiet, but we always hail each other and we have a decent working relationship. For some reason he was quite interested in this little faux development in my life. I told him no, I wasn't going to a wedding, nor MY wedding (any time soon at least), and informed him I was merely bringing the jackets from the tailor. I went as far as to add that I couldn't be getting married because "mi haffi find a ooman first!" with a laugh. Who tell mi fi guh seh dat? Rahtid!

About a month or so earlier, he saw me with a lady friend of mine in Half-Way-Tree, one to whom I even introduced him, y'know, seeing that I'm polite and all.

Bredrin! The man start laugh and ask how mi suh lie, 'cause him see me wid ooman a Half-Way-Tree. I couldn't help but laugh too and assure him that the person he saw was only a good female friend of mine.

That's when the bombshell dropped.

TOTALLY devoid or unconcerned of the two summer workers beside him (who happened to be girls), the man just blurted out, with grin fully intact:

"Suh, yuh start beat it yet?"

Uhh... What?

Yeah... that's really what he asked. I'm still trying to figure out how two jackets in my hand led to that. Anywho, I could only offer an awkward smile and say no. I wanted to go as far as to let him know that that wasn't a practice of mine, and I was planning to wait until marriage, but I think that would have caused even more of an outcry. Right away I took the moment as my cue to leave and informed him that I had to go, and I went across the street and into the safe haven of my parents' car.

A dog doing as a dog does... Marking territory.

Now, I thought about it a little, and I was like "Wow. Is this really the society I live in?" Is this really how most of my contemporaries think these days, that the aim of talking to girls is just to have sex? Bwoy, I don't know about you, but that's a pretty sad reality to me. Here is a society, not isolated to only Jamaica, where it is expected that you're just supposed to have sex--lots of it, with lots of girls--before you're married, and that's the norm.

(I would say at least is not just us in Jamaica, but what consolation is that really?)

Any girl you talk to, that's the ultimate goal apparently; Get in. Hit it. Get out, and after that goal is attained, you move on very much like a dog would and continue to leave your pee (semen/pee--close enough) each place you visit, to mark the territory claimed/conquered.

Things like this make me ponder how much I don't want to have daughters, just because of guys who live their whole lives with this mindset. Clearly they would have to make their own choices, and you could even argue that my sons could turn out like that, although I'd do my best to ensure that they don't. What ever happened to Love, Marriage and then Sex? Is that process flow obsolete now?

Here is Jamaica, with most hitting out against gays only, but it's apparently cool to have "nuff gyal" and 'hundred stab' di whole a dem. The thought may be okay to some, but for me? It's a sad, sad norm.



Follow Instructions? PSH! Yeah Right!

RANT AHEAD!

 

And this is EXACTLY WHY JAMAICAN SOCIETY IS IN IT'S CURRENT MESS! NOBODY WANTS TO FOLLOW ORDERS! UGH!



 

Where I work, there are several entrances. Some specific to employees, and others for the general public. At the receptionist area where I work sometimes, there are two doors. One door, directly behind the receptionist booth, is specifically for employees, or deliveries. The other is a door for visitors beside the receptionist booth, who, if they need to speak to employees, or conduct business with the company's management, they are allowed in. After their visit, they are supposed to leave through that same door. Why? Because they're not employees. Duh!

I really think that this sign to the left needs to be on the door behind the receptionist. But then again, maybe it wouldn't even matter, because the very same employees are the ones allowing every and anybody to abuse it.

 

I was at the receptionist booth, and a man came to the visitor's door and beckoned for me to let him in. I did, and I don't know where he went, but shortly after he returned and went to the other door, which is for employees. I suppose this is because people are just lazy and this door is easy to access and so they would rather exit through that door than walk around through the main entrance. However, I have been told SEVERAL times, that that door is for EMPLOYEES. Everybody else is supposed to walk through the other one! This man is like "let me out deh nuh", like he's soooo important, rules don't apply to him. I responded, "I'm not supposed to do that." He hit me with this look like, 'Yute, yuh serious? Yuh cyaa let me out?' and proceeded to say "yuh naa let me out?" like I was obligated to. I gave him the same response. You see, if he was humble with it, then even though I'm not supposed to, MAYBE I would've, but him a gwaan like seh it was my duty! No bredda, a nuh suh it work! Or... so I thought.

There comes a co-worker, (who I'm not pleased to call that either) with his pass to let the man out. *cue look of disgust*

 

Now, I wasn't trying to be difficult, nor abuse my 'Authority', but I was simply following protocol. I guess my peeps at NCU may argue the same thing about the security there. But attitude goes a long way! Had the man been at least remotely remorseful about wanting to break the rule, then maybe him cudda get a bly; it wouldn't kill me, but don't act like it's a right. Suppose I did it and the General Manager for HR saw me and reprimanded me? He would be quite fine, long gone about his business. Suppose he was a thief? Leaving wid people belongings? Then you woulda hear seh Alwayne Allen let out di man! Not gonna happen ese. No way.

 

It shouldn't surprise me that that SAME co-worker was the same one who wanted me to lie to his family member who came to see him on the job. Wanted me to tell her he wasn't there when I was looking right at him. When I told him I couldn't lie, his response? "Yuh a mussi Christian, or Pastor, bout yuh cyaa tell lie."

 

(._.) Uh, YEAH I'm a Christian you lying, muscle head idiot!

 

E.G. of Muscle Head Below (for Clarity)

 

Bottom line is, we can't and shouldn't break rules, just to suit ourselves and people. I digress, not all laws will make sense to us, and we won't agree with all of 'em, but breaking them usually does more harm than help. Jamaican society has gotten so accustomed to this that it's now a norm. And we find all kinds of demeaning remarks and names to call people who don't comply to this bad, rule breaking behaviour. If we don't stand for something? We'll fall for every and anything.

 

I don't even need to bring up the Christian perspective, but just because I can, I will :D  > Read it here <